Pneumothorax apparatus

Pneumothorax apparatus for injecting gas into the thoracic cavity in order to collapse the lung. This was a widely used treatment for TB before the discovery of effective antibiotics. Collapsing the lung allowed it to heal more easily. Made by Genito-Urinary Ltd., London, early 20th century

A pneumothorax is where the lung collapses due to a change in pressure in the chest cavity. This condition occurs when the chest and lungs are penetrated in an accident or injury. Before the discovery of effective antibiotics in the early 1940s, a pneumothorax might be triggered deliberately as a treatment for tuberculosis. Gases such as nitrogen and oxygen would be injected into the chest cavity, collapsing the lung and so allowing it to heal more easily. The apparatus was made by the Genito-Urinary Manufacturing Co Ltd and would have been used in hospitals, especially those dedicated to treating tuberculosis patients.