The Brian Welsh Memorial Museum of Anaesthesia

Dr Brian Welsh

Here in the Northern Schools of Anaesthesia, we are undertaking to develop a virtual museum of anaesthetic equipment which has been used and then collected in Newcastle. The last "curator" of the collection was Dr Brian Welsh, who tragically died suddenly in 1998. We also hope to include historical information about anaesthesia in the North East of England. Some of our collection was displayed in1999 at a joint meeting of the North of England Society of Anaesthetists and the History of Anaesthesia society.

We are physically sited in the new anaesthetic training centre in the Royal Victoria Infirmary, with some of the exhibits on display. Unfortunately, the collection is stored where ever space can be found. Here are some photographs of the actual collection in situ!

Here is information about the history of the Infirmary, which had its 250th anniversary in 2001.

Famous Newcastle Anaesthetists

Dr Philip Ayre

Dr M.H. Armstrong Davison

Professor Edgar Alexander Pask

Edgar Pask during the Second World War

Powerpoint presentation on the life and work of Professor Pask

Sierra Sam

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Professor Pask and Sierra Sam, have a look at our page detailing some of the later pioneering work on lifejackets.

The Newcastle Ventilator

Professor Pask was a pioneer of artificial ventilation, and Newcastle was at the forefront of ventilator technology in the 50's and 60's.

Equipment List

This is a partial list of some of our smaller equipment. We also have a number of larger pieces, some of which appear in the photograph section.

Old ID	New ID	Name	Details	Other info	Type of object
1		Mod Skinners		?Mayo or Juillard	Mask
2		Kochers			Mask
3		?Bellamy Gardner	Folding with headband		Mask
4		Ogstons	Rebreathing		Mask
5		Schimmelbusch			Mask
6		Junkers		1876	Mask
7		Junkers			Mask
8		Skinners bottle	Chloroform drop	1862	Drop bottle
9		Vajnas	mod Buxton	1900	Mask
10		Murrays		1868	Mask
11		?Bellamy Gardner	mod		Mask
12		Ogstons			Mask
13		Bellamy Gardners			Mask
14		Tyrrells		1890	Mask
15		Schimmelbisch		1890	Mask
16		Yankauers		1910	Mask
17		Schimmelbusch	mod, shaped		Mask
18		Esmarchs	mod Skinners	1879	Mask
19		Kirchoffs	mod Esmarch		Mask
20		Skinners		1862	Mask
21		RVI drop bottle	chloroform	1948, Dr Markham	Drop bottle
22		Schimmelbusch			Mask
23		?Junkers	metal mask		Mask
24		?	metal mask, wide app.		Mask
25			transparent mask		Mask
26		Hewitts wide bore			Mask
27		RVI infant	made in med school		Mask
28		Magill attach.	narrow bore		Connector
29		Goldmans	vinesthene inhaler	1936	Inhaler
30		Guys apparatus	ethyl chloride		Inhaler
31		Oxford	vinesthene inhaler	1940	Inhaler
32		Carmalts	tongue forceps		Mouth
33		Rings	tongue forceps		Mouth
34		Rings	tongue forceps		Mouth
35			jaw opener and gag		Mouth
36			jaw opener		Mouth
37			boxwood wedge		Mouth
38		Masons gag			Mouth
39		Hewitts prop			Mouth
40		Hewitts prop			Mouth
41		Hewitts prop			Mouth
42		Hewitts		1908	Airway
43		Hewitts		1908	Airway
44		Hewitts		1908	Airway
45		Philips			Airway
46		Mayos			Airway
47		Waters			Airway
48		Waters	with side tube		Airway
49		Clausens			Airway
50			divided airway	for intubation1930	Airway
51		Shipways	warmed ether/chlor	1916	Apparatus
52		Junkers bottle	mod Buxton	1890	Apparatus
53		Junkers bottle	original unsafe	1867	Apparatus
54		Junkers bottle	mod Buxton	bellows labelled	Apparatus
55		Junkers app	Buxton/Tyrrell	1890	Apparatus
56		Junkers bottle	mod Hewitt	1890	Apparatus
57		Hewitts bottle	in box		Apparatus
58		Junkers	bellows and tube	1878	Apparatus
59		Vernon Harcourts	chloroform app	1903	Apparatus
60		Shipways	warmed ether/chlor	in box, 1916	Apparatus
61		Clovers ether		1877	Inhaler
62		Clovers ether		1877	Inhaler
63		Hewitts ether	wide bore	1901	Inhaler
64		Hewitts ether	wide bore	1901	Inhaler
65		Hewitts	wide bore	1901	Inhaler
66		Ether measure			Inhaler
67		Ether measure			Inhaler
68		Ombredannes	ether		Inhaler
69		Rumball-Birch		1892, Leeds	Inhaler
70		Kings thermanester	ether	1936	Inhaler
71		Hewitts/Waters	local mod		Inhaler
72		Magills	first endotracheal app	1932	Apparatus
73		Magills const flow	Seibe Gorman flows	1935	Apparatus
74		ether	drip feed vaporiser		Vaporiser
75		ether	drip feed vaporiser		Vaporiser
76		ether	drip feed vaporiser		Vaporiser
77		ether	in bath	USA	Vaporiser
78		ether	in jacket	Germany	Vaporiser
79		Guedel			Airway
80		Dropper	for metal ether can		Inhaler
81		Hewitts	valved stopcock		Valve
82		Hewitts	valved stopcock		Valve
83		Barts	three way tap		Valve
84		Marshalls	three way tap		Valve
85		RVI valve	unidirectional		Valve
86		Tindal-Barr valve	obstetric analgesia		Apparatus
87		Marrett		1942	Apparatus
88		Marrett	for apparatus	1942	Vaporiser
89		Heidbrink	CO2 absorber circle		Apparatus
90		Rowbothams	chloroform		Vaporiser
91		Pinsons bomb	ether	1921	Vaporiser
92		Magills spray	cocaine		Mouth
93		Magills spray	cocaine		Mouth
94		Rowbothams	cocaine spray		Mouth
95		Chevalier Jackson	in box		Laryngoscope
96		Magills			Laryngoscope
97					Laryngoscope
98		Magills			Laryngoscope
99		Magills	folding pattern		Laryngoscope
100		Silver tracheostomy			Tube
101		Fishtail	tracheostomy tube		Tube
102		Colemans	dental nasal		Mask
103		Karns	dental nasal		Mask
104			nasal inhalation tube		Tube
105		Magills valve	expiratory		Valve
106		Magills mount	angled		Circuit
107		Magills mount	bag and tap		Circuit
108		Magills mount	bag and bypass tube		Circuit
109		Heidbrink valve	Magill expiratory		Valve
110			red rubber hose		Circuit
111		Stephen/Slater	unidirectional valve	1948	Valve
112		Finks valve	Unidirectional	1954	Valve
113			unidirectional valve	local	Valve
114			cylinder key		Apparatus
115		bag mount	ethyl chloride		Vaporiser
116		bag mount	ethyl chloride	Oxford 1941	Vaporiser
117		Rowbothams			Connector
118		Rowbothams			Connector
119		Cobbs adaptor			Connector
120		Doughty			Connector
121					Connector
122		Cagemount	angle piece and bag		Circuit
123			tubing, dental		Circuit
124		Syringe	metal and wood		Syringe
125		Heidbrink	flowmeter and valve		Apparatus
126		Rotameter block		post war	Apparatus
127		Adams valve	reducing		Apparatus
128		Endurance valve	reducing		Apparatus
129		McKesson	mixing chamber		Apparatus
130		Sparklets	resuscitation kit		Apparatus
131			portable CO2 cylinder		Apparatus
132		Air mixing valve	obstetric analgesic		Apparatus
133		Ayres T-piece	with red rubber tube	1937	Circuit
134		Hortons intercoupler	antistatic	1939	Circuit
135		Hortons			Circuit
136		M'tosh Leatherdale	endobronchial	L blocker	Tube
137		M'tosh Leatherdale	endobronchial	L tube	Tube
138			endobronchial		Tube
139			Neonatal valve	underwater blow off	Valve
140			endotracheal tubes	with faults	Tube
141		Record syringe	metal/glass		Syringe
142		Record syringe	glass		Syringe
143		Sphygmomanometer		aneroid	Monitor
144		Spirometer	Brady&Martin		Monitor
145		Haemocytometer			Monitor
146		Lancet	automatic		Monitor
147		Venopak			Misc
148		Aerohaler			Misc
149		Pressure gauge			Apparatus
150		Walton II	table model	1938	Apparatus
151		Walton II	table model	1938	Apparatus
152		Walton V		1958	Apparatus
153		McKesson	Simplex head	1967	Apparatus
154		Lucy Baldwin		1958	Apparatus
155		Kellys apparatus	ether insufflation	1912	Apparatus
156		Cardiff inhaler	methoxyflurane	1971	Inhaler
157		Tecota VI	Trilene		Inhaler
158		Reuscitator	Draeger	old! inwoodenbox	Apparatus
159		Newcastle	ventilator		Ventilator
160		Newcastle	ventilator		Ventilator

Archive of written materials

At present, I am attempting to achive materials relating principally to Professor Pask, including his lectures and published works. We also have some material relating to Dr Ayre and Dr Armstrong Davison.

Professor Pask

code	location	title	description
P001		"Anaesthetic Techniques in Research"	1946 MD Thesis. Wartime experiments on himself O
P002	Obit. file	"This truly remarkable man Professor Edgar Alexander Pask"	Editorial re Pask Medal, Anaesthesia 1977,32,843-45 PC
P003	Obit. file	"An Appreciation" by Prof. Harold R Griffith of McGill	PC
P004	Obit. file	Obituary	Lancet ,June 11 ,1966 PC
P005	Obit file	"Medical Professor dies" and "Service for Professor Pask"	Local newspaper articles PC
P006	Obit file	Letter of condolence from Prof. Robert D Dripps, Pennsylvania	June 10, 1966 O
P007	Obit file	Letter of condolence from Jim Robertson, Edinburgh	June 4, 1966 O
P008	Obit file	Letter from Guy Horton to Sir Robert Macintosh, with hand written reply	"In my opinion, he was the best brain in our speciality – and I have yet to meet anyone more reliable and considerate RRM" 31 May 1966 O
P009	Obit file	Letter of condolence from Prof. T Cecil Gray	June 2, 1966 O
P010	Obit file	Letter of condolence from Royal National Lifeboat Institution	June 3, 1966 O
P011	Obit file	Letter of condolence from Peacocks	June 1, 1966 O
P012	Obit file	Letter of condolence from J P Sassoon, Principle Education Attache, Ugandan HC	June 9, 1966 O
P013	Obit file	Letter of condolence from Wilder Penfield, McGill	June 8, 1966 O
P014	Obit file	Letter of condolence from Prof. Harold R Griffith, McGill, Montreal	June 6, 1966 O
P015	Obit file	Letter of condolence from Prof. Ralph Waters	Postmark June 6, 1966 O
P016	Obit file	Letter of condolence from John Gillies, Montreal	June 27, 1966, O
P017	Obit file	Letter of condolence from the Association of Anaesthetists	June 10, 1966 O

Equipment Picture Gallery

This list is temporary ( in a permanent sort of way!), and we will improve the information and layout . It shows small pictures of some of the equipment in our "museum".

Thermanest
Inhalers
Junkers inhalers( group)
Junkers inhaler
Clovers inhalers
Hewitts mod of Clovers inhalers
Ayres T-pieces
Ombredanne inhaler( with original caecum bag )
Inhalers ( group)
GP's anaesthetic kit
"modern" wire masks
"old" wire masks
Laryngoscopes ( group)
Laryngoscopes, pre war
Laryngoscopes, post war
Laryngoscopes, "modern"
Pinson Ether bomb
Trilene draw over vaporiser
American ether bottle and bath
3 modern Boyles bottles
2 older Boyles bottles
Penlon vaporiser
?McKesson vaporiser
Vaporiser group
Tritec
Rowbotham Vaporiser
McKesson J machine
Airways
Lucy Baldwin machine
Boyles head
Boyles head
Boyles head
McKesson G machine
Portanest
1868? Dental Anaesthetic Apparatus "I would comment on what you describe as a dental apparatus of 1868. Do you have definite evidence of the date, because I think it is considerably later. Cylinders of nitrous oxide did not become available until the early 1870s, and then only in London. The provincial suppliers didn't start up until the early 1880s. We had a similar apparatus on display two years ago in the AAGBI Museum, but I can't remember its date. I will try to find out." Dr Zuck
Minnitt apparatus
BOC block with reducing valves
Cylinder holder
Cylinder holder with holder for head

These descriptions may not be wholly accurate as yet. I would welcome any help in identification of our collection.

This page was launched on October 23rd, 1998, and revised October 17th, 2000.� Dr Gary Enever, NSA.

Here are links, to visit the Northern Schools of Anaesthesia , or the History of Anaesthesia Society.

Last updated on 16/11/04