Jay Albion Heidbrink, D.D.S. (1875–1957) founded one of America’s most successful manufacturing companies for anesthesia machinery for physicians and for dentists. Never shy about advertising his wares, Dr. Heidbrink devised this open-ended advertising wrench (or spanner) for use on his anesthesia machines and other appliances. The left side of “THE HEIDBRINK CO” wrench services a 1/2-inch span; the right side spans successively 3/4, 1-1/8, and 1-inches. The use of inches was not accidental. Dr. Heidbrink resisted adopting the metric system and was one of the last to stop manufacturing anesthesia machines “metered” (hah!) to deliver gases in “gallons per hour.” (Copyright © the American Society of Anesthesiologists, Inc.)
Jay Albion Heidbrink, D.D.S. (1875–1957) founded one of America’s most successful manufacturing companies for anesthesia machinery for physicians and for dentists. Never shy about advertising his wares, Dr. Heidbrink devised this open-ended advertising wrench (or spanner) for use on his anesthesia machines and other appliances. The left side of “THE HEIDBRINK CO” wrench services a 1/2-inch span; the right side spans successively 3/4, 1-1/8, and 1-inches. The use of inches was not accidental. Dr. Heidbrink resisted adopting the metric system and was one of the last to stop manufacturing anesthesia machines “metered” (hah!) to deliver gases in “gallons per hour.” (Copyright © the American Society of Anesthesiologists, Inc.)
George S. Bause, M.D., M.P.H., Honorary Curator, ASA’s Wood Library-Museum of Anesthesiology, Park Ridge, Illinois, and Clinical Associate Professor, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio. UJYC@aol.com.
