8
Anaesthetic inhaler
1880–90
Leather, glass, brass, tortoiseshell
X714
Surgeon John H Morgan (1847–1924) introduced this tapered shape for anaesthetic inhalers in the 1880s. A sponge soaked in ether was inserted at the narrow end, and the glass phial at the bottom probably measured the concentration of the drug. This improved the surgeon’s control of the anaesthetic dosage.
Part of the exhibition Unfamiliar.
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