Soluvac blood transfusion flask, 1200 ml

Accession Number REL34853
Collection type Technology
Object type Medical equipment
Physical description Glass, Metal, Plastic, Rubber
Maker Elliotts & Australian Drug Pty Ltd
Place made Australia: New South Wales, Sydney
Date made c 1953 - 1960
Conflict Korea, 1950-1953
Vietnam, 1962-1975
Description

Glass transfusion flask with capacity of 1200 ml marked in gradations of 200 mils down one side. The other side is marked 'SOLUVAC BLOOD TRANSFUSION FLASK TOTAL CAPACITY 1200 MILS'. Clamped to the base is a swivel wire handle. Contained within the neck of the bottle is a rubber stopper marked with the Soluvac name. This is supplied with holes, one for a glass tube running to the base of the bottle, the other for a short metal tube to which the transfusion rubber tube is attached. This is sealed with a plastic cap impressed with the name 'SOLUVAC'. The flask is full of an unidentified solution.

History / Summary

After an inter-war hiatus, the Second World War provided a real impetus to the development of blood transfusion and storage, and the preparation of plasma and serum. In Australia, the outbreak of war saw the formation of a Medical Coordination Committee which recommended that the Red Cross should take responsibility of blood donor recruitment; this was developed in conjunction with the New South Wales Blood Transfusion Service which concentrated on serum preparation. The development of desiccated serum also took priority in the United States. Many of the techniques established during the Second World War were also used in Korea and Vietnam.