The Wood Library-Museum

Dr. F. A. Duncan Alexander (1908-1983) was the director of anesthesia services at Albany Hospital when he and his colleague, Dr. Charles E. Martin, developed this resuscitator. Made by the Foregger Company, it was patented in 1942. This attempted to improve on direct mouth-to-mouth resuscitation in several ways. It placed the operator at a slight distance, so that the patient's breathing could be observed at the same time. It limited the force of exhaled air entering the lungs, an important consideration for infants. It also had a filter to reduce the exchange of microbes, and a port for attachment to a source of additional oxygen. The resuscitator could be fitted with a range of mask sizes, but it was primarily intended for pediatric use.