Historical information

Seems to be a non- collapsible mask. Otherwise is a similar, thinner variety of Murray's mask, which was used for the administration of choloroform. John Murray was born in England, 1843 and described his wire mask in 1868 as a young chloroformist at Middlesex Hospital. It was wedge-shaped and made of thick wire and designed to be folded. The removable cover was originally made of several layers of flannel. Murray’s mask became very popular, especially in Australia, and was generally used with a single layer of flannel without an aperture or opening, as is this example.
John Murray was an enthusiastic and innovative physician who also had an interest in nitrous oxide anaesthesia and conducted a series of experiments with J. Burdon Sanderson on dental patients comparing nitrous oxide to pure nitrogen. His career was short-lived and he died just before his 30th birthday. (Ball, C 1995, 'Cover Note: Murray's Chloroform Mask', Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, Vol. 23, No. 2, pg. 135)

Physical description

Triangular shaped wire mask covered by flannel. The flannel is sewn over frame and stitched around the base and along the vertical wire. The style and shape is similar to Murray's mask, which was used for the administration of chloroform, however this variation is not collapsible like Murray's mask.