| Reference Number | MIMM/2009-1/76 |
| Title | Schimmelbusch Mask |
| Date | 1900-1949 |
| Creator Name | Allen & Hanburys Limited, Pharmaceutical goods company, 1715-1958 |
| Description | This is a Schimmelbusch-type mask, designed by German physician Curt Schimmelbusch around 1889. The device features a wire frame, constructed from two intersecting metal wires that lock together at a depression at the point of intersection. A hinge would have secured the gauze (which is missing) stretched over the bars. The inhaler is made of nickel-plated metal and shows signs of corrosion.
“Allen & Hanburys Ltd, London” is engraved on the handle.
Schimmelbusch designed this mask to prevent gauze, doused in anaesthetic, from irritating the patient’s skin during surgery. This design not only improved patient comfort but also made the administration of anaesthesia more efficient and controlled. Despite the advent of more modern inhalation devices, the Schimmelbusch mask is still used in some parts of the world due to its simplicity and effectiveness |
| Extent | 1 item |
| Digital Collections | View online in our digital collections |
| Copyright | Free to use under the terms of the Creative Commons Licence Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) |
| Credit Line | Royal College of Physicians of Ireland |
| Object Name | Anaesthetic Mask |
| Term | Anaesthesia, Inhalation |
| Anaesthesiology -- instrumentation |
| Anaesthetics |
| General Surgery -- Instrumentation |
| Anaesthesiology |