It is still not known who invented the gas mask. There is no consensus on this issue. Their primitive prototypes were used in the Middle Ages, when doctors used special masks with long noses. Herbs were placed in them. Doctors believed that this could protect them from the plague and other epidemics. More seriously, they took on the creation of a gas mask in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This was not connected with healing, but with military affairs.
Briefly about gas masks
Before you find out who invented the gas mask, you should clarify what it is. This product protects the respiratory system, as well as the eyes and skin.
There are two types:
- Filtering - protects against certain toxic substances. The one who wears it breathes air from the environment that passes through the filter.
- Insulating - provides a person with air from a container filled with a limited amount of oxygen.
The invention of gas masks was associated with the emergence of a new type of weapon - poisonous gas. It is quite difficult to determine in which year the gas mask was invented, since different scientists around the world worked on this device at the same time.
The invention of Lewis Haslett
Who invented the gas mask? From the point of view of chronology, the first device, which relates to modern gas masks, was invented in 1847. Its author was the American Lewis Haslett.
A patent was granted for an invention called “Pulmonary Protector”. It included a block and a felt filter. The unit was equipped with valves to inhale and exhale. It could be attached to the mouth or nose.
However, during World War I, a more reliable means of protecting soldiers was required. When the Germans began to carry out gas attacks, scientists began work on improving the existing gas mask.
Who invented the gas mask for soldiers of the First World War?
The invention of Nikolai Zelinsky
In the Russian troops during a gas attack, soldiers protected their respiratory organs with a gauze bandage soaked in a special tool. There was no benefit from such protection. Creation of an effective remedy was required.
Russian chemist Zelinsky decided to use coal as a filter. As a result of experiments, he came to the conclusion that birch charcoal, which had undergone heat treatment, is best absorbed by toxic substances.
The idea of Zelinsky was brought to life by engineer Kummant. He made a rubber mask that fit snugly to his face. Air entered the airways through the filter element. The device was created in a few months. The first batch of gas masks was sent to the army in 1916. In total, during the war they produced about eleven million gas masks for the Entente army.
However, Haslett and Zelinsky were not the only ones who invented the gas mask. They were one of those who worked on a global issue. It was to protect the respiratory system from smoke or toxic fumes.
Gas masks of other inventors
There is information about inventions in other regions long before the advent of the Zelinsky device and even Haslett.
Examples of inventions:
- In 1871, the Irish physicist John Tundalls created a respirator that protected the respiratory system from smoke and toxic fumes that are released during a fire.
- In 1891, Bernhard Lobs created a respirator, which consisted of a metal container. It was divided into three cameras.
- In 1901, a respirator appeared that completely covered his head. Air passed through a carbon-based filter.
- In 1912, Garrett Morgan created a device to protect firefighters and engineers who have to work in an environment with a high concentration of toxic substances. Originally an inventor from the USA.
- Another gas mask design in the United States was introduced by inventor Alexander Drager, who was from Germany. He patented his device in 1914.
It is difficult to say in which country the gas mask was invented. Its creation was carried out both in the USA and in Russia. However, the Zelinsky apparatus became the most common during the First World War. It was implemented not only in Russia, but also in England and Germany. The device was recognized around the world, but the Russian scientist did not earn anything on this.