RT Journal Article T1 ‘Great ease and simplicity of action’: Dr Nelson’s Inhaler and the origins of modern inhalation therapy A1 Barry Murnane A1 Darragh Murnane A1 Mark Sanders A1 Noel Snell YR 2018 VO IS Autumn 2017 K1 Dr Nelson's Inhaler K1 History of inhalation therapy K1 history of pharmacy K1 history of technology AB Unveiled at the conclusion of a meeting of the Royal Medical and Chirurgical Society in 1861,[1] ‘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. By reconstructing the ‘biography’ of the Nelson Inhaler, this article will attempt to sketch a network of medical and commercial interests and expertise in London which aligned in the 1860s to help establish inhalation as a popular, inexpensive, and trusted form of medical therapy for pulmonary ailments. This article will look at what connects physicians, apothecaries, and patients in the era: the medicines and technologies that were prescribed, made, bought, and which caused wellness, side-effects, and even death. This approach allows us to develop a narrative of respiratory illness as it was experienced by practitioners and patients alike. NO This forerunner to the Royal Society of Medicine was founded in 1805 and brought together prominent London physicians and surgeons (chirurgical = surgical); it was granted a royal charter in 1834. NO In a recent experimental study, the authors of this article could establish the reliability of the Nelson Inhaler using modern testing methods; see Murnane et al, 2017. NO A competitor, Arnold, sold it at a cost of between 7s 6d and £2 7s 6d (Arnold, 1876, p 218). NO See the yearly lists of Fellows in the Society’s journal, Medico-Chirurgical Transactions, from 1835–1888. NO In the period between 1850 and 1890 the Society’s records list Thomas Andrew Nelson as the only physician with this surname among the Fellowship. NO Register of Deaths for the District of Marylebone, Vol. 1a, p 468; see http://www.freebmd.org.uk NO The former describes a pot with a perforated lid with a straw inserted for the inhalation of vapours, making it an ancient predecessor of the Nelson Inhaler; see Jackson, 2009, pp 31–37. PB The Science Museum Group SN 2054-5770 LA eng DO 10.15180/170807 UL https://journal.sciencemuseum.ac.uk/article/dr-nelsons-inhaler/ WT Science Museum Group Journal OL 30