In the Medical Times and Gazette the London Fog that killed 273 people as a result of bronchial complaints in 1873 was reported as ‘one of the most disastrous this generation has known. By reconstructing the ‘biography’ of the Nelson Inhaler, this article will attempt to sketch a network of medical and commercial interests and expertise in London which aligned in the 1860s to help establish inhalation as a popular, inexpensive, and trusted form of medical therapy for pulmonary ailments.

Several forms of apparatus have also been devised for this purpose; two of the most efficient of these, whether for the inhalation of simple steam or of medicated vapour, are Nelson’s Inhaler and Sturt’s Inhaler. By 1865 Dr Nelson’s device was being advertised widely in journals such as The Lancet (1865a, p 152), The Medical Times and Gazette (1865b, p 160) and later in the British Medical Journal (1870, p 674). Nelson’s inhalers were used well into the 20th Century and even modern steam inhalation devices differ only slightly. In this short video Stuart Burke shares with us a few ideas and techniques that will strengthen your voice, keep your voice healthy and improve your confidence when your singing. Remember, if you have a question about an item or have a request, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

g. the Pneumostat, widely used from the 1930s but still generally housed in surgeries and pharmacies) or hand bulb nebulizers such as the Parke-Davis Glaseptic, and Abbots’ Aerohaler (1948), which is clearly comparable to modern dry powder inhalers, and ultimately the pMDI in the 1950s ( Sanders, 2007, p 79). This amount includes seller specified domestic postage charges as well as applicable international postage, dispatch, and other fees.

The result of this was the invention and development of the forerunners of modern inhalation devices including jet nebulizers (e. A towel might be placed over the patient's head to enclose the inhaler and concentrate the treatment. A cork fitted with a glass tube running through the centre are inserted into the neck opening of the bottle.Unveiled at the conclusion of a meeting of the Royal Medical and Chirurgical Society in 1861, ‘Dr Nelson’s Improved Inhaler’ was a very important milestone in the evolution of the treatment of respiratory ailments in the modern era as it was affordable and suitable for self-medication. Many West End performers have one in their dressing rooms to provide topical hydration to their vocal folds before and after a show. Although mentioned only in passing in the records of the RMCS, this was one of the most important milestones in the genesis of reliable treatment of respiratory ailments in the modern era. A comparison with various other ‘household’ remedies for asthma and consumption in the second half of the nineteenth century confirms this.

Such professional acceptance took time, however, and certainly more than the short period between 1861 (when Dr Nelson’s invention was announced) and 1865 (when it was first marketed) would have allowed. Nevertheless, circumstantial evidence allows the possible inventors of Dr Nelson’s Inhaler to be narrowed down to two candidates.The Proceedings make it difficult to establish the identity of the inventor with complete certainty: a Dr Nelson only appears twice in the minutes of the meetings in this period.