Some important medical supply inventions occurred a lot further back in history than one might think. Astonishingly, many of the basic first-generation tools used by healthcare providers today were invented many centuries ago, and were only recently updated for modern use.
Learn more about the brief history of major medical supply inventions below, and follow links that can take you to more in depth history, and other links that will take you to a deeper analysis of how these medical supplies and equipment are used today.
1. Wheelchair
The wheelchair dates back a lot further than the large chairs made of wood and wicker with wheels in which U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt used to ride. How much longer? Fifty years? One hundred years?
2600 years ago.
That's right. The first furniture with wheels dates back to 26 centuries ago. Archaeologists haveunearthed evidence in both China and Greece that they've dated to the 6th century B.C. There are depictions of wheels on beds, and the Chinese-invented wheelbarrow was routinely transporting materials and people within 300 years that someone had the idea to put wheels on furniture.
The next biggest advance in wheelchair design did not come until 1933 when the duo Herbert Everest and Harold C. Jennings created the collapsible wheelchair. This design is the one commonly found everywhere today. The chair can fold up relatively flat so that it can fit and be transported in an automobile, bus, train, or airplane.
Read more about the history of wheelchairs.
Learn more about wheelchairs:
- 12 Types of Wheelchairs: Understand the options and choose the wheelchair that is right for you.
- Quickie XTender Power Assist - Does It Improve Mobility?
- Pediatric Wheelchair Choices
- How to Determine Proper Fit in a Wheelchair
2. Hearing Aids
The earliest documented hearing aid device, so far, was invented in the 17th century. (Howard, Alexander. ""Hearing Aids: Smaller and Smarter." New York Times, November 26, 1998.) The device was known as the Metal Ear, and was meant to be put over the ear to capture sound and amplify it into the wearer's ear canal.
In the 19th century, hearing aids developed into large cones or trumpets that again were held up to the ear to capture sound and deliver it into the user's ear canal. These were much larger devices than the small units people insert into their ears today.
By the late 19th century, two factors occurred that made the smaller electronic hearing aid possible. First the technology arrived. Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone, and inventors soon adopted that technology to adapt to smaller hearing devices. The second factor was a social one. People were asking for smaller hearing aids so that they could be less noticeable. There were issues of vanity for sure, but also people did not want to be discriminated against because of their hearing loss and their need for hearing assistance.
By 1900, electronic hearing aids were being developed and improved for 20th century use.More »
3. Blood Pressure Meter
What many people commonly refer to as "the blood pressure meter" is technically called the "sphygmomanometer." The device measure blood pressure by using a "cuff" that wraps around the arm (usually) and in some cases the thigh, to restrict blood flow, and a manometer to measure the pressure. The manometer typically measures the blood pressure either with mercury or mechanically.
The blood pressure meter was invented by Samuel Siegfried Karl Ritter von Basch in 1881. An easier-to-use improved version was introduced by Scipione Riva-Rocci 5 years later, in 1896. Then within another 5 years, by 1901, Harvey Cushing made further improvements. Soon afterward, Cushing's improvements made the sphygmomanometer a popular tool in the medical community.
Read more about the history of blood pressure measurement.
Learn more about the blood pressure meter among 6 Common Types of Diagnostic Medical Equipment.More »