Blood transfusion apparatus believed to be designed by Oswald Hope Robertson
- Made:
- 1917-1918 in United Kingdom
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LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence
Buy this image as a print
BuyLicense this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library
LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence
Buy this image as a print
BuyLicense this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library
LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence
Buy this image as a print
BuyLicense this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library
LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence
Buy this image as a print
BuyLicense this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library
LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence
Buy this image as a print
BuyLicense this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library
LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence
Buy this image as a print
BuyLicense this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library
License
This image is released under a CC BY-SA 4.0 Licence
Buy this image as a print
BuyLicense this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library
LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence
Buy this image as a print
BuyLicense this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library
LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-SA 4.0 Licence
Buy this image as a print
BuyLicense this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library
LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence
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LicenseBlood transfusion apparatus designed by Geoffrey Keynes during
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Blood transfusion apparatus designed by Geoffrey Keynes during
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Blood transfusion apparatus designed by Geoffrey Keynes during
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Blood transfusion apparatus designed by Geoffrey Keynes during
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Blood transfusion apparatus designed by Geoffrey Keynes during
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Blood transfusion apparatus designed by Geoffrey Keynes during
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Blood transfusion apparatus designed by Geoffrey Keynes during
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Blood transfusion apparatus designed by Geoffrey Keynes during
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Blood transfusion apparatus designed by Geoffrey Keynes
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Blood transfusion apparatus designed by Geoffrey Keynes during
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Top half detail of bottle from blood transfusion apparatus
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Blood transfusion apparatus designed by Geoffrey Keynes during
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Bottle from blood transfusion apparatus designed by Geoffrey
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Blood transfusion apparatus designed by Geoffrey Keynes
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Blood transfusion apparatus designed by Geoffrey Keynes during
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Blood transfusion apparatus believed to be designed by Oswald Hope Robertson during the First World War and made by the General Surgical Co. Ltd., England, 1917-1918. Previously thought to be designed by Geoffrey Keynes.
It’s 1917, and you are a wounded soldier at a British casualty clearing station on the Western Front. You are bleeding badly and going into shock. You are in danger of dying and urgently need blood – but where are you going to get it?
Luckily, it’s right next to you and in the best device available at the time. It was developed by Captain Oswald Hope Robertson, a British-born US Army medical officer working at a base hospital treating British wounded. He designed and pioneered this early portable blood transfusion kit, with a special device in the flask for regulating the flow of blood, both in and out.
His design was effective because it didn’t require the donor to be present unlike other techniques of that time, which connected up two individuals to transfuse blood directly from person to person. The blood collected in his devices remained viable for several hours as the glass containers held a small measure of sodium citrate, which prevented the blood from coagulating. Once collected via one needle, the blood could be taken to the patient who needed it and delivered via the second needle – and the help of the hand pump.
Blood transfusion began to show its huge potential in the latter stages of the First World War and Robertson continued to innovate in the field. Through his blood preservation techniques he went on to develop some of the very first blood banks.
Details
- Category:
- Public Health & Hygiene
- Collection:
- Sir Henry Wellcome's Museum Collection
- Object Number:
- A625893
- Materials:
- case, wood
- Measurements:
-
case: 136 mm x 490 mm x 371 mm,
- credit:
- Welsh Regional Transfusion Service
Parts
Slide, part of blood transfusion apparatus
Chinagraph pencil, part of blood transfusion kit
Lancet, part of blood transfusion kit
Eight glass tubes from blood transfusion apparatus
Seven glass tubes from blood transfusion apparatus
Glass tubes, part of blood transfusion kit
Four tubes from blood transfusion apparatus
Test tube, from blood transfusion apparatus
Glass tube,cotton wool each end
Metal adaptor from blood transfusion apparatus
Hone, part of blood transfusion apparatus originally thought to be designed by Geoffrey Keynes
Hypodermic needles
Hypodermic needles
Petroleum jelly
Cannula from blood transfusion apparatus
Box for transfusion needles
Stopper and tube
Bottle and pipette
Bottle, part of blood transfusion apparatus
Glass bottle for citrated blood transfusion
- Materials:
- whole, glass , whole, rubber , whole, steel and whole, liquid, ? citrate
- Object Number:
- A625893 Pt22
Level recorder for audiology experiments
- Materials:
- wood (unidentified) , brass (copper, zinc alloy) , leather , textile , paper (fibre product) and incomplete
- Object Number:
- A625893 Pt23
- type:
- case
Glass and rubber tubes with bung and needles
Stopper with glass tubes
One stopper, three bent glass tubes
- Object Number:
- A625893 Pt26
- type:
- stoppers
Chinagraph pencil and tubes on board
- Materials:
- wood (unidentified) , glass , brass (copper, zinc alloy) , pigment and wax
- Object Number:
- A625893 Pt28
