Health Sciences · Hospital for Sick Children
An instrument whose main body is roughly cylindrical. This consists of a lower copper-coulored section and a dark grey upper section that is slightly wider in diameter. On the front of the instrument is a clear window for viewing the level of liquid anesthetic. To the right of this is a port for filling the instrument.
At the top of the main body is a large tapering dial with markings to indicate flow rate and temperature. In front of this is a switch for opening and closing the flow of gas. To the left of this is a thermometer mounted in a cylindrical enclosure.
The body is set on a grey three-footed base. A lighter grey metal handle is attached to the rear portion of this base. This handle overhangs the top of the instrument.
Accession Number: 2025.sk.16
Alternative Name: Halothane Vapouriser
Primary Materials: Copper Aloy
A metal label fixed to the side of the instrument includes the following information: Serial no. “8861”
An adhesive label affixed to the front of the instrument features the logo of Hoechst ag.
Dimensions (cm): Height = 33, Width = 18, Length = 26.
This is an example of the original model of the Dräger “Vapor” halothane vaporizer. 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). This is a variable bypass vaporizer that is designed to deliver a wide range of flow rates (0.3 to 12 L/min) while compensating for temperature. The user sets the flow rate using the large dial at the top of the instrument, which has markings to account for temperature, which is indicated on a built-in thermometer.
The instrument has a built-in pressure compensator to ensure that the vapour concentration remains constant during artificial ventilation.
This artifact is in very good cosmetic condition. There are small marks on the grey finish on the front of the upper portion of the instrument.
Associated Instruments:
Drägerwerk AG & Co. KGaA, Lübeck, Germany.
Date of Manufacture: post 1961
Provenance:
Wood Library-Museum of Anesthesiology (WLM) in Schaumburg, IL, USA provides a detailed description of a similar model used for Enflurane. (Webpage archived 5 May 2025)
Josef Haupt, 1970 (2nd revision 2012). The History of Anaesthesia at Dräger, 1898 – 1966. Drägerwerk AG. (pdf. archived 5 May 2025)
Dräger was founded in 1889 in Lübeck as “Dräger und Gerling” by Johann Heinrich Dräger and a business partner. Its first product was a valve for safely releasing high pressure carbon dioxide. In subsequent decades, the company branched out into instruments for distributing anesthetic and oxygen.
The first prototypes of the Dräger “Vapor” Vaporizer were produced in 1950. Serial production began in 1961.