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The first "Respirator" by Julius Jeffreys in 1836 was designed
to warm
inhaled air "thereby enabling the invalid [most likely sufferers of
pulmonary TB] to enjoy the benefits of exercise in the open air
without injury or inconvenience".
The models which followed in the later 19th century such as this
were intended to protect the wearer both from the noxious
Victorian environs and from illness. The Aethereon respirator claimed to be a
"preventative of coughs, colds and disease of the
lungs in the healthy" as well as a "perfect
alleviative to invalids", although it is unlikely that
it would have been any more effective than a simple
scarf. This example is made from black and purple silk
sewn with padding around two thin, finely perforated gold
plated grids and comes with its original box and
instructions. It cost the tidy sum of 8 shillings and
a similar silver plated version was available for 5
shillings. |