Description

Three versions of the classic Schimmelbusch anesthesia mask. From left: Classic version:$50.00, “J& R Oldfield”with military broad arrow$150.00 and “MEDICAL SUPPLY Ltd SHEFFIELD” ,$150.00 

Wood Library of Anesthesia notes:
“Dr. Curt Schimmelbusch (1860-1895), a German physician, designed this mask around 1889 while an assistant surgeon. Surgical assistants were often assigned the task of delivering the anesthetic. During anesthesia it was not uncommon for ether and chloroform to get onto the patient’s skin, causing irritation. Chloroform can even cause burn-like reactions. Schimmelbusch designed the rim of his mask so that both sides curve away from the patient’s face to form a kind of trough. He intended the trough-like rim to collect excess anesthetic that would otherwise have trickled onto the patient’s face.

To anesthetize a patient, gauze was stretched over the metal bars and fastened in place by the hinge. The mask was placed over the patient’s nose and mouth, and the anesthetic was applied in drops or lightly poured onto the gauze so that the patient breathed in evaporated anesthetic as well as air. This type of mask is sometimes still used today for ether anesthesia in developing countries when other means are not available.  “