A Hidden Museum Dedicated To The History Of Anaesthesia

There are so many small and wonderfully niche museums tucked away around London, covering subjects you would probably never expect an entire museum dedicated to. And, best of all, of course, many of them are completely free to visit.

One such place is the Anaesthesia Heritage Centre, hidden away in the basement of a Georgian townhouse in Marylebone.

From the street, it isn’t immediately obvious that you’re about to enter a museum. But ring the bell, ask to visit the museum, and you can head downstairs to explore the fascinating history of anaesthesia from the first experiments with ether and chloroform to wartime equipment and even the medical apparatus used to treat King George VI.

21 Portland Place

The building in question is 21 Portland Place, a Grade II* listed townhouse built between 1776-1780. 

It was designed by James Adam, one of the prolific Adam brothers, as a speculative development on the Portland Estate, the land of the Duke of Portland. 

It retains many of its original Georgian features, which you get a glimpse of on the inside. There is also a blue plaque on the outside to Sir Arthur Pearson (1866-1921), the newspaper magnate who founded the Daily Express in 1900.

Pearson started going blind from 1908 due to glaucoma and later devoted his life to helping soldiers blinded in World War I. He established St Dunstan’s hostel in Regent’s Park, which gave care and training to blind soldiers. The organisation developed and is now known as Blind Veterans UK. Some of the blinded soldiers even lived with him here at 21 Portland Place.

In 2002 it was acquired to become the home of the Association of Anaesthetists. 

The Association of Anaesthetists 

The Association of Anaesthetists can trace their origins back to 1893 with the formation of the Society of Anaesthetists in London to encourage the study of anaesthesia and to act as a society for members. In 1907 the society joined with 15 other specialist societies to form the Royal Society of Medicine. They became subsequently the ‘Section of Anaesthetists’. 

In 1932 Dr Henry Featherstone and colleagues left the Royal Society of Medicine’s Section of Anaesthetics to form the Association of Anaesthetists, with the aim to elevate the profession’s status. The world’s first formal qualification in anaesthesia, the Diploma in Anaesthetics, was introduced a few years later in 1935.  

In 1947 they instigated the creation of the Faculty of Anaesthetists at the Royal College of Surgeons of England, which eventually evolved into the The Royal College of Anaesthetists. The Royal College of Anaesthetists is the official educational and standards body responsible for training and exams whereas the Association is the voluntary professional membership body. 

The Anaesthesia Heritage Centre

The origins of the museum’s collection date to 1953, when the Association was gifted the private collection of A. Charles King. King was a respected anaesthetist and collector. His collection was sadly destroyed when his business at 34 Devonshire Street was hit by a bomb in September 1940. This, however, did not stop him, and he built it back up after the war.

The collection has grown over the preceding 70 years to include nearly 5,000 objects, 1,000 documents and 7,000 library items. 

Early Anaesthesia

Before anaesthetics were introduced, the options for managing pain were extremely limited. For example, methods included the consuming of large quantities of alcohol, freezing a particular site, or herbal remedies such as coca leaves and mandrake root. 

Samuel Pepys, the 17th century diarist underwent a ‘lithotomy’, i.e. a bladder stone removal on the 26th March 1658.

It took place without anaesthetic in a bedroom, with him strapped to a table. It was successful (thankfully, otherwise we would not have his diaries, which he started writing in 1660) and he kept the stone in a specially designed case. He would then celebrate on the anniversary every year, with a dinner party, a ‘stone feast” with a dinner party. If anyone has an interest in reading about the full procedure (not for the feint of heart I warn you), you can do so here.

The word anaesthesia comes from the Greek for ‘absence of sensation’. It started to become associated with medical procedures in 1846 after the first recorded use of ether for surgery by Dr William Morton, a dentist in Boston. 

Ether and Chloroform 

Ether, or more specifically diethyl ether, was a clear, highly flammable liquid. The vapours from this solvent could be inhaled to induce general anaesthesia. This was at first applied by being dripped onto a cloth on the patient’s face. 

These are a selection of ether/chloroform cage masks. 

Other devices were later created to better control to dosage, such as Dr John Snow’s ‘ether vaporizer’.

Dr John Snow is better known for his pioneering work investigating London’s cholera outbreaks and the role of contaminated water. I have written about that story before here. 

Below is a reproduction of Morton’s Ether Inhaler from 1846 which contained a sea sponge to absorb the agent. 

Ether had the major disadvantage of being highly flammable, while chloroform could cause serious damage to the heart and liver. They were both however used throughout the 20th century, with the last use of chloroform as an anaesthetic in around 1980. 

Local Anaesthesia

The exhibition also covers developments in local anaesthesia. 

Cocaine was apparently used as a local anaesthetic from 1884 but due to its addictive and toxic properties, an alternative called procaine was developed. Procaine was first used, via injection, in Leipzig in 1905. 

Gas and air (nitrous oxide and oxygen) first saw medical use for childbirth in the early 1880s. Portable machines were developed in 1935 and became popular after World War Two. Below is a Minnitt Gas and Air Apparatus from 1936. Apparently, midwives could strap these to the panniers of their bicycles for transportation. 

Wartime uses

The collection also reveals how anaesthesia had to adapt to the conditions of wartime. Below, for example, is an Oxford Vaporizer from 1941 designed to be portable for battlefields supplied to British troops in World War Two. 

This is an ESO (Epstein-Suffolk-Oxford) Vaporiser from 1944, issued to parachute troops. It was issued in a canvas bag with straps so that it could be carried on the back during ascent. 

These are chloroform capsules from 1945, ‘to assist in the removal of wounded men trapped in confined spaces, turrets, etc’.  

Safety in Anaesthesia

Developments in electronics meant that equipment such as ECGs (Electrocardiogram) were created to track heart rate and rhythm whilst under. 

Perhaps the most extraordinary item is the ECG equipment below. It was used on King George VI when he underwent a pneumonectomy, the surgical removal of a lung, on 23rd September 1951.

Because the King was being treated at Buckingham Palace, the equipment was brought to him by anaesthetists Robert Machray and Cyril Scurr from nearby Westminster Hospital. 

Various other items can be seen such as this Ambu Twin Suction Pump used in an emergency situation to keep a patient’s throat and windpipe free. 

Wall of Fame and Art

As well as the artefacts, they have a Wall of Fame of interesting figures from the world of anaesthesia. 

To pick one out, this is a photograph of Dr Rupa Bai Furdoonji and Sister Mary Bernard, both recognised as pioneers of women in anaesthesia. 

Dr Furdoonji studied and worked in the field from 1885-1920 and played a major role in introducing the use of chloroform as an anaesthetic in India. 

Sister Bernard became the first nurse to specialise in anaesthesia in 1877 at St Vincent’s Hospital, Erie, Pennsylvania. She worked in the field for three decades before the first school of nurse anaesthesia was formed in 1906. 

There is also a small adjacent art gallery with artworks inspired by anaesthesia.

Visiting The Museum

The Anaesthesia Heritage Centre is niche, but definitely worth a visit. It is totally free to visit and is open from Monday-Friday 10am-4pm. It is a one room, small museum, so it is a relatively quick visit.

Booking ahead is recommended for large groups or archival projects. 

You can find out more on their website here. 

Thank you for reading, more of London’s fascinating, quirky and unique museums below…