Guedel’s Five-yoke Portable

WLMD ID: arar

From 1914 to the 1960s, New York's Foregger Company made numerous portable anesthesia machine models. Foregger's line of so-called "Midget" machines was named to emphasize their small size. This line originated with the four-yoke model made in 1924 for Ralph M. Waters, M.D. (1883-1979). Next came the five-yoke model made for Arthur E. Guedel, M.D. (1883-1956). Both models appear in Foregger's 1929 catalog. By 1932, they had been replaced by a six-yoke model called the "Guedel Style". All three of these models featured a single water depression flowmeter, calibrated for oxygen, and depended on the anesthesiologist's skill to calculate the dosage of any other agents used. In the 1920s, the commonly used anesthetic gases were nitrous oxide, ethylene, and carbon dioxide. In 1932, cyclopropane was added to this list.  Early "Midget" models rested directly on the yoked gas cylinders, while later ones included a stand.  The last of these was the "Magic Box", introduced in 1949.

The five-yoke Midget shown here was once owned by Dr. Guedel. It was donated by his trainee and colleague, Lawrence M. Hill, M.D.

Catalog Record: Guedel’s Five-yoke Portable Contact [email protected] for catalog record.