Barton's surgical mouth gag, 1920. Mouth gags were used to keep a patient's mouth open during surgery to prevent suffocation. The gag may also have be

---

Barton's surgical mouth gag, 1920. Mouth gags were used to keep a patient's mouth open during surgery to prevent suffocation. The gag may also have been used to keep the mouth open allowing mouth or throat surgery - for example during removal of tonsils.

---

Size: 5103px × 3425px
Photo credit: © Science Photo Library / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: -, -life, 1920, 1920s, 20th, airway, anaesthesia, anaesthetic, anesthesia, anesthesiology, anesthetic, antique, apparatus, background, blue, breathing, century, collection, control, early, equipment, gag, general, health, healthcare, historical, history, hospital, instrument, invention, life, medical, medicine, mouth, open, operation, progress, respiration, respiratory, safety, shot, studio, surgery, surgical, technological, technology, twentieth, ventilation