Health Sciences · Hospital for Sick Children
A reflective metal instrument, generally cylindrical in form, with a large circular valve-control knob at the top. Labels and letting on this instrument are red, which is conventional for vaporizers used with halothane. The inflow and outflow valves at the rear of the top surface are missing, but the four screws used to attach this assembly to the instrument are present.
On the lower front-left of the instrument is a feature with a small window for monitoring the quantity of liquid anesthetic remaining. On the lower front-right is a filling assembly.
An adhesive label indicating that the unit is defective was pasted to the front surface of the instrument. This has become detached.
Note: Only representative examples of the Cyprane Vaporizers in the Hospital for Sick Children collection have been catalogued. For a full list, including serial numbers and other details, see this inventory document.
Accession Number: 2025.sk.10
Alternative Name: Halothane Vapouriser
Brass (coated with copper and nickel, and chromium-plated)
An adhesive label on the side (no longer affixed) reads, in part: “CAUTION// DEFECTIVE// DO NOT// USE” further information on this label, such as “Date”, “W. O #” and “Name” was either not entered or has completely faded.
A rear element that would likely have included a maker’s label and serial number has been removed from the back of the artifact.
Dimensions (cm): Height = 19, Width = 12, Length = 12.
A vaporizer is a device for administering calibrated doses of anesthetic vapor by controlling the flow of a carrier gas (primarily oxygen). This device is used to administer the general anesthetic Halothane (identified on this instrument by the brand name Fluothane).
The device is first charged with liquid anesthetic. The gas flow is divided into two streams using a valve set by the operator. One stream enters the vaporizing chamber where it contacts vapor from the liquid anesthetic. The other is a bypass stream.
This vaporizer has an additional mechanism that accounts for temperature using a bimetallic strip to adjust the flow through the bypass chamber.
This instrument is missing the inflow and outflow assembly at the top, rear of the instrument. The clear surface coating over much of the instrument appears to be deteriorated. A label, indicating that the unit is defective, has become detached.
Associated Instruments:
Manufacturer: Cyprane Ltd. Keighley, England.
Date of Manufacture: c. 1970s.
Provenance:
G. M. Paterson, G.H Hulands, and J.F Nunn (1969) “EVALUATION OF A NEW HALOTHANE VAPORIZER: THE CYPRANE FLUOTEC MARK 3.” British Journal of Anaesthesia : BJA 41, no. 2: 109–19.
William Edmondson and Wilfred Jones (Cyprane Ltd.). Improvements in volatile anaesthetic vaporising apparatus. GB Patent GB814427A. Issued June 3, 1959.
William Edmondson and Wilfred Jones (Cyprane Ltd.). Volatile anaesthetic vaporizing apparatus. US Patent US2915061A. Issued Dec 1, 1959.
William Edmondson and Wilfred Jones (Cyprane Ltd.). Volatile anaesthetic vaporizing apparatus. US Patent US3192924A. Issued July 6, 1965.
Historical Notes:
Models