Portable ventilator, the 'Beaver II', England, 1955-1965
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LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
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Buy this image as a print
BuyLicense this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library
LicensePortable respirator, the " Beaver II "
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Portable respirator, the " Beaver II "
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Portable respirator, the " Beaver II ", by the British Oxygen Co. Ltd., English
Intended for use by hospital patients whose lungs were paralysed, this machine was introduced in the wake of the 1952 polio epidemic in Copenhagen, Denmark. Air or oxygen was delivered to the patient via a rubber concertina reservoir bag, which was regularly compressed by a small electric motor.
Polio is a virus that affects the central nervous system and can paralyse the muscles throughout the body. When it affects the muscles in the chest, a person cannot breathe on their own. Made by The British Oxygen Co Ltd, this portable model was used at Darlington Memorial Hospital in Yorkshire, England.
Details
- Category:
- Therapeutics
- Collection:
- Sir Henry Wellcome's Museum Collection
- Object Number:
- A662288
- type:
- ventilator
- credit:
- Memorial Hospital Darlington
