General Information

Serial #

prototype

Part Number

9

Total Parts

10

AKA

artificial kidney machine dialyzer

Patents

N/A

General Description

chrome-plated brass

Dimensions

Note: These reflect the general size for storage and are not necessarily representative of the object's true dimensions.

Length

22.8 cm

Width

8.8 cm

Height

N/A

Thickness

N/A

Weight

N/A

Diameter

N/A

Volume

N/A

Lexicon

Group

Medical Technology

Category

Medical equipment

Sub-Category

N/A

Manufacturer

AKA

Murray Roschlau

Country

Canada

State/Province

Ontario

City

Toronto

Context

Country

Canada

State/Province

Ontario

Period

Used c. 1951-1953.

Canada

Second artificial kidney designed and manufactured by Drs. Gordon Murray and Walter Roschlau at W.P Caven Research Foundation, Toronto c. 1951-1953. It was used experimentally in his laboratory on Holmwood Ave. (site of the CRV) and once for emergency treatment on a patient suffering kidney failure at Toronto General Hospital. [Ref.4] Murray's second-generation machine was an improvement from the original: it's design features made it more compact and efficient, easier to handle, set-up and use, and less intimidating for both patient and hospital staff. [Ref. 8] Murray abandoned his renal dialysis research c. 1954 . Murray was a remarkable surgeon and innovator whose work earned him international recognition. In the 1930s Dr. Murray introduced the anticoagulant Heparin to world clinical practice; in the '40s he developed the first artificial kidney in North America; and in 1955 he performed the first successful transplant of a human heart valve. Unfortunately, these achievements are often overshadowed by his later, controversial work on an anti-cancer serum, and on unconventional surgery for injuries caused by traumatic paraplegia. (2002.0619 Ref. 3]

Function

Part of assembled filter unit of artificial kidney machine.

Technical

Approx. 0.75 mm thick, dialysate chambers have inflow and outflow through conduit holes that run parallel to those of the blood chambers, with slits into and out of the dialysate chambers. They are mounted to operate in a counter current. The dialysate chambers were designed as solid plates, with rivets projecting from both sides of each plate, in order to stabilize the adjoining cellophane dialyzing sheets and to maintain a uniform dialyzing capacity. For these reasons, one plate has two dialysate chambers, each defined by a rubber gasket frame and the height of the rivet heads. The capacity of one pair of dialysate chambers is approx. 14 mL in an assembled and compressed dialyzer. Like blood chambers [2002.0620.8], dialysate chambers are rounded for ease of identification and assembly within dialyzer. [Ref. 5]

Area Notes

Unknown

Details

Markings

None, save UHN catalogue no. "994.18.1" printed by hand in black ink in one corner .

Missing

None.

Finish

Bright silver metal (chrome-plated brass).

Decoration

N/A