[The centennial of oxygen-therapy (1902 - 2002) -- reassessing its history. Part II: The contributions of the "Roth-Draeger anaesthesia apparatus" (1902) and other inventions of 100 years of Draeger-Medical-Technology (1902-2002) to the history of truly "therapeutic" application of oxygen].
This is the second part of a survey which analyses the history of inhalative oxygen therapy and its interactions with the history of anaesthesiology. Specific emphasis is put here on illustrating inventions of modern pressure gas technology such as pressure reducing valves. These enabled Draeger Inc. to be the first firm to develop and trade on a large scale technically convincing products allowing a rational, therapeutic application of oxygen. Especially Draeger anaesthesia apparatus (e. g. the "Roth-Draeger Anaesthesia Apparatus") and respiratory protective devices, which were available from 1902, proved also internationally successful from the very beginning. In the international historiography on inhalative oxygen therapy, however, these contributions have to our knowledge so far never been systematically considered. Consequently, J. S. Haldane (1860 - 1936) is regarded there to have "founded" of modern oxygen therapy in 1917. Critically reviewing this earlier research, we propose a historical reassessment, concluding that the year 1902 was the historically decisive "turning point" towards the development of modern oxygen therapy.
Strätling
M
M
Klinik für Anästhesiologie, Medizinische Universität, Lübeck.
Schmucker
P
P
D000776:Anesthesiology / Q000266:history* / Q000295:instrumentation; D000777:Anesthetics / Q000266:history; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D010102:Oxygen Inhalation Therapy / Q000266:history*
D000777:Anesthetics