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Artificial portable pneumothorax apparatus

Artificial portable pneumothorax apparatus

Shared by Our Health Journeys e-museum

The portable pneumothorax machine pictured was acquired by the Northland Medical Museum. While full provenance is unknown, it is clear they were used in the Whangārei Hospital due to the original record booklets which still accompany these machines. Northland did not have a sanatorium at this time, and portable pneumothorax machines like these at the Northland Medical Museum were necessary to treat Tuberculosis (TB) patients. Treatment was carried out on patients who had one lung which showed few or no signs of TB. The machines deflated the infected lung and allowed it to heal. Pneumothorax machines were small enough to allow for transportation to a patient. The booklets accompanying the machine at Northland Medical Museum recorded when the machine was used and how much air was pumped into each person during their treatment. It is rare for these booklets to remain with the machines, and they offer a valuable insight into the use of these devices. These machines became obsolete as antibiotics and immunisations became more widely available. Read more on the Our Health Journeys e-museum website. Photograph of an artificial portable pneumothorax apparatus from the collection of Northland Medical Museum, Whangārei. Photography: Ellen Smith. Reproduced with permission.

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Our Health Journeys e-museum

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  • Text adapted with permission from Te Papa and Digital NZ

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