Two new galleries have just been added to the AARC Virtual Museum —
Head over Early ICU Ventilators to scroll through a pictorial timeline showing how these life-saving devices developed from the 1950s through the 1970s. Photos range from 1954 Mueller Morch Respirator, used with polio patients as an alternative to the iron lung and designed to fit under a hospital bed, and the iconic Bird Mark 7, developed by Dr. Forrest Bird and widely considered to be the first true modern respirator, to the mid-‘70s Emerson 3PV + PEEP. Depending on how long you’ve been in the profession, you might even see an RT or two you recognize from back in the day as well.
From the first inhaler developed by John Mudge in 1778 to the kid-friendly nebulizers on the market today, asthma management has come a long way, and our Asthma Management gallery has the whole story. Some of the more unique displays: a 1890 ad claiming “asthma cigarettes” could treat the condition, the first paper describing the use of heliox in 1936, the introduction of adrenalin in 1947 and MDIs in 1955, and the launch of the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program in 1989.
These new galleries join existing galleries on everything from the legends of respiratory care to intermittent positive pressure breathing, medical gas systems, negative pressure ventilation, and more.
Email newsroom@aarc.org with questions or comments, we’d love to hear from you.
Steve Bowden is AARC’s Internet Coordinator. He has been designing and developing websites for the association since 1996.
