ABSTRACT
Richard von Foregger Ph.D., 1872-1960: Chemist and Manufacturer of Anesthesia
Equipment
Richard von. Foregger Ph.D. was originally from Vienna, Austria but came to the
United States in 1898. He first worked for the General Electric Co. at Schenectady NY
under the famous electrical engineer Karl Steinmetz and then at the Roessler and
Hasslacher Chemical Co., NY, where in 1905 he developed a process for generating
oxygen by means of fused sodium peroxide. The following year the method was
applied to the production of oxygen and the absorption of carbon dioxide in
closed spaces. Some experiments were carried out in conjunction with the
U.S. Navy for possible use in submarine boats. The oxygen generator with
attachments could be used for anesthesia purposes and in 1914 he began
the manufacture of the oxygen generator and then the Gwathmey anesthetic
apparatus. In 1923 upon the request of R.M.Waters M.D., anesthesiologist
of Sioux City, Iowa, he began the manufacture of apparatus for carbon
dioxide absorption during anesthesia. The closed system of carbon
dioxide absorption required precision flowmeters which Foregger developed
and supplied using the metric system for the measurement of oxygen
and anesthetic gases. Thus a long period of design and development
of apparatus for anesthesia was begun. Working closely with
anesthesiologists he assisted in new designs and built many devices
for anesthesia during his productive years. The report takes the
reader through declining years and a tragic ending.
Key Words: History: von Foregger, Richard ; Anesthesia, history; Anesthesia, equipment