Mueller-Morch Piston Respirator
Catalog Record: Mueller-Morch Piston Respirator
Access Key: aiwq
Accession No.: 1982-07-16-1
Title: Mueller-Morch piston respirator / [designed by E. Trier Mørch].
Author: Mørch, Ernst Trier (1908-1996).
Title variation: Alt Title
Title: Mueller-Mörch Piston Respirator.
Title variation: Alt Title
Title: Morch III piston ventilator.
Publisher: Chicago, Ill.: V. Mueller & Co., [1954-1965).
Physical Description: 1 ventilator : stainless steel, other metals, rubber, plastic ; 35 x 81 x 59 cm.
Subject: Ventilators, Mechanical.
Subject: Respiration, Artificial.
Note Type: General
Notes: Title from manufacturer markings on the object. Early date in the date range
for the possible date of manufacture (1954) based on references from
McPherson (1977) and Mushin, Randell-Baker, Thompson and Mapelson (1969).
Note Type: Citation
Notes: McPherson SP. Respiratory therapy equipment. St. Louis: C.V. Mosby,
1977:256-258.
Note Type: Citation
Notes: Mörch ET. History of mechanical ventilation. In: Kirby RR, Banner MJ, Downs
JB, eds. Clinical Applications of Ventilatory Support. New York: Churchill
Livingstone, 1990:20-32.
Note Type: Citation
Notes: Mushin WW, Rendell-Baker L, Thompson PW, Mapelson WW. Historical background
to automatic ventilation. In: Automatic Ventilation of the Lungs. Oxford:
Blackwell, 1969:200-209.
Note Type: Citation
Notes: Rosenberg H, Axelrod HK. Ernst Trier Mørch: inventor, medical pioneer, heroic
freedom fighter. Anesth Analg. 2000;90(1):218-221.
Note Type: Physical Description
Notes: One ventilator (or respirator) on four wheels; The exterior of the ventilator
is the shape of a rectangular prism (3 dimensional rectangle); The exterior
‘walls’, including the top and bottom, of the ventilator are stainless steel;
The manufacturer markings on the top of the ventilator are oriented so that
they are readable when facing the front of the machine; The front of the
ventilator is one of the two wider sides, and has openings for controlling
the humidity and locking the wheels; This description is based on the
perspective of a user facing the front of the machine, i.e. “left” is the
user’s left, “right” is the user’s right; The ventilator sits very low to the
ground so that it may be pushed underneath a hospital bed; Including the
wheels, it measures 35 cm in height; Excluding the wheels, it measures 26 cm
in height; The top, or lid, of the ventilator is hinged and opens to expose
the interior components; Manufacturer markings on the top of the ventilator
include operating instructions on the back left side of the top, a labeled
diagram of the ventilator’s components on the back center of the top, and
instructions for cleaning, maintenance, and manual operation on the back
right side of the top; Tape with handwritten markings was once attached to
the lid; Written on the tape was, “Adjust pressure with manometer to 90-100”;
The tape no longer adheres to the top; There are six openings of varying size
in the top of the ventilator; Three of the openings are marked with
manufacturer’s labels; These labels include, “WATER”, “RATE CONTROL”, AND
“VOLUME”; The opening labeled “VOLUME” Is also labeled at one end with,
“DECREASE” and “INCREASE” on the other end; On the forward center of the top
is the manufacturer label, “MUELLER-MORCH PISTON RESPIRATOR”; The front of
the ventilator has three openings each with a manufacturer’s labeled; The
opening on the lower left of the front is marked, “HUMIDITY CONTROL”; The
opening on the upper right of the front is marked, “EMERGENCY CRANK”; The
opening on the lower right of the front is marked “SWIVEL” on one end and
“LOCK” on the other end; The electrical cord is attached to the left side of
the ventilator; Also on the left side of the ventilator is a switch covered
in a yellow rubber or rubber-plastic composite that has hardened with age,
and marked, “PRESSWITCH”; Next to the switch is a red light; Further back on
the left side is a yellow outlet cover, and an opening for an oxygen port;
Also on the left side are what appear to be user-applied labels; One user
label is marked with, “MORCH VENTILATOR #1”, and the other is marked with,
“67FA553”.
Note Type: Reproduction
Notes: Photographed by Mr. William Lyle, September 23, 2010.
Note Type: Acquisition
Notes: Donated to the WLM by the inventor, Ernst Trier Mørch, MD (1908-1996).
Note Type: Historical
Notes: Dr. E. Trier Mørch (1908-1996) played a pivotal role in introducing and
establishing the use of positive-pressure ventilation in the United States.
He had previously developed other ventilators, but this third model became
very popular in the 1950s (Mörch, 1990 ; Rosenberg & Axelrod, 2000).