The original nucleus of the museum arrived in Cardiff, UK, with Professor William Wolff Mushin when he was appointed the first Director of the Department of Anaesthetics, Welsh National School of Medicine in 1947. From humble beginnings in a cardboard box, it rapidly expanded to be housed in a large glass-fronted cupboard in the Main Laboratory of the Department in the Cardiff Royal Infirmary. The Professor was always committed to using the exhibits as a core part of teaching and would accordingly visit the museum during his weekly teaching rounds. As the physical principles of the equipment were then required to be understood by trainees, dismantled and 'exploded' examples were prepared for display by the technicians in the adjacent mechanical workshop. When the Medical School moved from the CRI to the new University Hospital of Wales, the museum was also transferred and was housed in its present location in a series of cabinets that flank the Department's Seminar Room.
Professor Judith Hall, the current Director of Anaesthetics, encourages the continued use of the museum for teaching the principles and history of anaesthesia and plans shortly to extend the display area to include cabinets in the public area of the Medical School's new Cochrane Building on the University Hospital Campus.
This website seeks to display a selection of the exhibits in a searchable archive featuring thumbnail images that enlarge when selected.
Curator/ Archivist: Dr Peter L Jones Deputy Archivist: Dr Danielle Huckle
Draft - Under construction - 68 items included
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