How the surgeon’s rubber gloves are made

Photograph taken 20 January 1939 © Source: Historic England Archive ref: med01_01_0146

This photograph hadthe caption "For the safety of the surgeon – and the patient – rubber gloves are essential in modern operation practice." It shows gloves, still on the moulds, being placed in curing ovens to remove stickiness and to make them fit for use. The rubber glove was invented by William Stewart Halsted, chief of surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital, after a nurse developed dermatitis from handling chemicals in 1889. Gloves were first used in surgery in 1894, and soon the incidence of infection following operations reduced considerably.

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World War Two (1939 - 1945)

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Bottles of dried plasma being packed together with the giving sets in special cases for transport to the Middle East or where needed. The outbreak of World War Two had prompted work investigating the division of blood into its constituent parts, because whole blood was difficult to transport to overseas battlefields. Plasma is the fluid in the blood containing proteins that help blood to clot. Liquid plasma, though more efficient to transport than whole blood, was similarly difficult to convey to battle and administer in the field. Dried plasma was introduced, with the benefits of stability, more economical storage and transportation, and ease of preparation. The “dried plasma sets” packed and despatched overseas consisted of a bottle of dried plasma, a tin box containing sterile giving set, and a bottle of sterile water. It took minutes for the dried plasma to be adequately dissolved in the water; concentrated plasma could be obtained by adding less distilled water.

How the surgeon’s rubber gloves are made

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Period

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