Minnitt gas-air analgesia apparatus for use by midwives, in "Queen Charlotte" case, by British Oxygen Co. Ltd., England, 1943-1960

Robert James Minnit (1889-1974) – with the assistance of Arthur Charles King (1888-1965) – developed the first nitrous oxide and air machine used as pain relief for women during childbirth. These machines let mothers self-administer the appropriate mixture of ‘gas and air’. A techniques still used today.

This apparatus was made by British Oxygen Co. Limited. It was carried in a leather box known as a “Queen Charlotte” case. The portable box let it be used both in the hospital and during home births. This particular model was used between the 1940s and the 1960s.