Curt Schimmelbusch

He was also a key figure in the development of mechanical methods of sterilisation and disinfection for surgical procedures, on which his Anleitung zur aseptischen Wundbehandlung ("Guide to the aseptic treatment of wounds") was considered a seminal work.

In 1888, he worked with Bernhard Bardenheuer in a hospital in Cologne, and in the following year, he moved back to Berlin and conducted research at the institute at the Ziegelstrasse.

[1] Both ether and chloroform can cause irritation if they come into contact with the patient's skin, so Schimmelbusch designed a metal mask, over which a gauze could be stretched and secured.

[2] Schimmelbusch developed an updated version of the mask in 1895, in which the wire created a tower-like shape, which was covered in a waxed cloth in order to concentrate the anaesthetic vapour.

However, the updated mask was not a success, and his original design, with modifications to allow gas channels remained in use in the German-speaking world into the 1950s.

[8] His obituary in the British Medical Journal described him as "one of the most distinguished of the younger generation of surgeons in Berlin", and praised his work in the fields of thrombosis and aseptic techniques.