Professor Ross Holland - Chairman, History Of Anaesthesia SIG

Prior to Federation, Australian industry was understably fragmented and few if any truly national corporations existed. This was certainly the case for industrial gases, a technology which itself was in its infancy.

The late nineteenth century had seen oxygen transformed from a chemical curiosity into medical and commercial usefulness, limited in its application only by price and availability. Efficient and economical European methods were brought to Australia and production began in a number of States.

The reation of the Commonwealth gave considerable impetus to at first co-operation, and later to amalgamation of the various companies which had been formed to take advantage of the industrial appetite for oxygen.

Amongst these was John B. Arnold and Company, set up by a former employee of Gardner Waern, whose principal business was in marketing Swedish manufactures, including oxy-acetylene equipment. Arnold disagreed with the policies of his employer, and left to start his own business with a fellow employee, K. O. Grunden.

This partnership became, in 1924, John B. Arnold & Co., which in 1930, designed and built a simple, inexpensive demand-flow nitrous oxide and oxygen device - the Austox machine.

In those days, international competition consisted of the McKesson comapny in USA and BOC's Minnitt apparatus from the uK, but Arnold's machine was cheaper than McKesson's and more physiological than the Minnitt. The "Austox" became a commercial and clinical success, and was the precursor of a long line of Australian designed and manufactured anaesthetic machines.

Development of the Austox, both pre- and post- WW II culminated in a compact and relatively sophisticated device which equipped many delivery suites, and in its later versions continues to perform reliably to this day.

J.B. Arnold's was one of 8 companies which merged in 1935 to become Commonwealth Induxtrial Gases. His outfit was the seed from which grew the wide range of outstanding Australian-designed anaesthetic equipment, much of which was abreast, or even ahead of international best practice.

Time of Presentation:

Monday 5 May 2003 - 1400-1420

Biography:

Formerly Dean, Faculty of Anaesthetists, RACS
Formerly Professor, Department of Anaesthesiology, University of Hong Kong
Formerly, Professor and chairman, Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, University of Newcastle and John Hunter Hospital