Unveiled at the conclusion of a meeting of the Royal Medical and Chirurgical Society in 1861, ‘Dr Nelson’s Improved Inhaler’ was one of the most important milestones in the genesis of reliable treatment of respiratory ailments in the modern era. Affordable and suitable for self-medication, the Dr Nelson’s Inhaler offered simple and reliable relief for patients with respiratory and pulmonary ailments. Conspicuous for its modesty and simplicity, it was one of the most widely produced, reproduced, and used inhalation devices in the final third of the nineteenth century. A version of Dr Nelson's Inhaler is still available today.
The Directions for Use were printed on the side of the inhaler:
REMOVE MOUTH PIECE. HALF FILL INHALER WITH BOILING WATER. DROP REMEDY ON SPONGE OF MOUTHPIECE. APPLY LIPS TO IT. BREATHE FREELY IN AND OUT AS IN FULL RESPIRATION. WHEN ONLY THE VAPOUR OF HOT WATER OR ANY INFUSION IS DESIRED, REMOVE THE SPONGE FROM THE MOUTHPIECE.
