In our collections we have a Junior Tompkins brand portable aspirator. This classic machine was used by the West River Health Clinic in Scranton, ND.
Aspirators, also known as suction machines, are medical devices used to extract mucus and other fluids from an individual. They are often used during tracheotomies and also used on babies to clear their airways.
The conventional aspirator was invented in 1869, but it wasn’t until around the 1970’s that the first portable aspirators were popularized with the invention of battery technology.