The Bruck inhaler: An ether inhaler misattributed to Ludwig Bruck,an Australian medical publisher and supplier of medical equipment

Abstract

The acquisition of an early ether inhaler stimulated research into several inhalers classified as Bruck inhalers. Ludwig Hermann Bruck was a German migrant who arrived in Australia in 1873. He became a medical publisher, importer of medical instruments, and made unique contributions to early Australian medical publishing, most significantly as the first publisher of The Australasian Medical Gazette. He also published The Australian Medical Directory and Handbook which contained lists of unregistered medical practitioners and alternative therapists. In 1914, Bruck joined in business with Richard Thomson who had a company selling medical equipment to doctors and hospitals. During the First World War, both Bruck and Thomson were charged with trading with the enemy. Bruck committed suicide in August 1915 before the case was heard in court. We did not find any evidence that Bruck designed the inhaler later attributed to him. The Bruck inhaler is functionally similar to the Probyn-Williams inhaler and should therefore be regarded as a glass-domed version of this inhaler.