Early example of a "Clevedon" positive pressure respirator, developed by James Macrae and colleagues at Ham Green Hospital, Bristol in collaboration with Jack (MJ) Willcocks of made by Willcocks (Clevedon), Ltd, England, 1953-1954
According to his family and local Bristol historians, Jack Willcocks was inspired to help develop the Clevedon Respirator after his son Christopher contracted polio in 1953. On visiting his son at Ham Green Hospital, he found that an iron lung was available only to a patient who had been brought there in time. He contacted Dr James Macrae at the hospital and with the financial support of the South West Regional Hospital Board, they created a prototype positive pressure ventilator. It was built along similar lines of positive pressure machines developed in Denmark, following a polio outbreak there.
Positive pressure delivers air, mixed with oxygen through a face mask or in case of the Clevedon respirator, a breathing tube inserted into the windpipe. In this prototype, this a football bladder stands in for a human lung for pumped air to pass through the breathing tube.
Details
- Category:
- Therapeutics
- Object Number:
- 2022-631
- Materials:
- rubber, plastic, wood, metal and electrical components
- Measurements:
-
overall: 525 mm x 312 mm x 347 mm,
- type:
- respirator