Health Sciences · Hospital for Sick Children
A metal medical instrument consisting of a narrow cylindrical handle and a short Miller-type pediatric laryngoscope blade. The blade has a “L”-shaped cross-sectional profile and an incandescent bulb mounted near its tip. There is a knurled section at the base of the instrument that may be for making electrical contact with the batteries in order to turn on the lamp.
Accession Number: 2025.sk.37
Alternative Name:
Primary Materials: Metal
Stamped on the lower rim of the handle: “AUBURN [WA logo] N.Y.USA; Scratched above this: “4C”
Dimensions (cm): Height = 17, Width = 1.8, Length = 9.
A laryngoscope is used to view deep into the throat. The blade is used to trap the tongue and move it out of the way. An integrated lamp provides illumination.
Within the context of general anaesthesia, the laryngoscope is used to facilitate tracheal intubation.
The Miller blade was developed with a flattened profile and angled tip to better suit patients with small mouths and to reduce the possibility of damaging the teeth during intubation. This example was adapted specifically to infants.
This instrument has light wear throughout its polished surfaces. Two retaining screws are missing from the upper section of the handle.
Associated Instruments:
Manufacturer: Welch Allyn, Auburn, New York.
Date of Manufacture: Post 1945.
Provenance:
C. M. Ball and R. N Westhorpe (2015). “The Development of Laryngoscopes for Anaesthesia.” Anaesthesia and Intensive Care 43, no. 1: 3–4.
The Miller blade was developed by American anesthesiologist Robert Arden Miller (1906 – 1976). It was intended to reduce the likelihood of dental trauma in patients with small mouths. After the Second World War, Miller worked with Welch Allyn to develop a specialized instrument for infants (see Ball and Westhorpe 2015, 4).