Original German WWII Field Medic Surgical Instrument Sterilization Kit by AESCULAP Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. German medical items are somewhat of a rarity and are hard to come by. This is a small German WWII field medical instrument sterilization set, that was manufactured by the well known and respected medical company AESCULAP (B.Braun) of Tuttlingen.

B. Braun is a German medical and pharmaceutical device company, which currently has more than 63,000 employees globally, and offices and production facilities in more than 60 countries. Its headquarters are located in Melsungen, in central Germany. The company was founded in 1839 and is still owned by the Braun family.

B. Braun’s Aesculap division, which includes Aesculap, Inc., its American unit, is a manufacturer of surgical equipment. It derives its name from Aesculapius, the Greek and Roman god of medicine and physicians. It manufactures a range of equipment including sutures, handheld surgical instruments, implants, and electrosurgical devices and powers systems. It also provides training to healthcare workers through its Aesculap Academy.

Aesculap was founded in 1867 in Tuttlingen, Germany by Gottfried Jetter. During World War II, Aesculap manufactured and supplied needle tattoo stamps with which the NSDAP party marked inmates at the KZ camps.

This portable sterilization kit features a locking lid, basin, instrument strainer/tray and an empty liquid container inside which was more than likely used to store alcohol or another sterile solvent. This stainless steel kit was used to ensure the sterilization or equipment and to properly store them as well.

This kit shows signs of definite use. There are burn marks on the bottom, indicating that fire was used to help the sterilization process of the medics instruments. There is minor surface rust on the handles and rub marks on the exterior of the kit.

Comes ready to be paired with your field surgeon kits and displays!

History of Instrument Sterilization
Instruments that come in contact with the body during all surgical procedures and many non-surgical procedures must be free of all microbial elements. This is to ensure that the risk of infection is kept to a minimum.

Throughout history different methods were adopted using materials that were available at that time. In 3000 BC the Egyptians used pitch and tar as antiseptics. In later years the fumes from burning sulfur were found to cleanse objects of infectious material.

In 1680 a French physicist, Denis Papin invented a pressure cooker that would trap boiling water, convert it into steam, and was found to cleanse objects by cooking them. This device was further improved upon during the next two hundred years and it became possible to additionally sterilize linens, dressings, gowns using steam. Two major contributions to the art of sterilization came in the 1860’s when the French chemist and microbiologist Louis Pasteur wrote extensively on how germs cause disease and the English physician, Joseph Lister, developed a technique that used carbolic acid as a spray to disinfect instruments. During the late 1800’s steam sterilization became much more widespread. Surgical instruments were also being made out of materials that were better able to withstand high levels of heat. This allowed them to be processed at higher temperatures and were being made with smooth surfaces which allowed for more thorough cleaning.

During the 1900’s various improvements were introduced. This included sterilization with steam, irradiation, with glutaraldehyde. More recently, sterilization of instruments can be achieved using high temperature / high pressure, ultraviolet light, and the most commonly used chemical for sterilization is ethylene oxide. It can be used on almost all instruments, both metal and non-metal.

The importance of cleanliness when it involves objects that come in contact with the body cannot be stressed enough. It was recognized in ancient times and improvements are still evolving today for the safety of patients.