Object Details
- Description
- This heart pump was built by William H. Sewell (-1993) and William W. L. Glenn (1914-2003), and was intended for physiological experiments. The pump was made from an Erector© Set, glass cylinders, cannula and rubber tubing. All that remains today is the erector set.
- Sewell built the pneumatically powered pump for his medical thesis at Yale University. He graduated in 1950. The object of the pump was to by-pass the right side of a dog's heart, and to look for any abnormalities the pump may have caused to the heart or the blood.
- A cannula was inserted into the animal’s jugular vein and maneuvered into the right auricle and finally into the vena cava. Compressed air was used to pump blood through the dog's system. The first experiment took place in June 1949. The artificial heart worked and the dog made a complete recovery.
- The total cost of the pump came to $24.80. The most expensive part at $9.00 was the erector set and motor.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
- date made
- ca 1950
- associated dates
- 1959 01 06 / 1959 01 06
- Credit Line
- Mrs. William H. Sewell
- Physical Description
- steel (overall material)
- glass (overall material)
- rubber (overall material)
- silicone (overall material)
- Measurements
- overall: 3 3/4 in x 12 in x 14 1/4 in; 9.525 cm x 30.48 cm x 36.195 cm
- overall: 9.5 cm x 24 cm x 35 cm; 3 3/4 in x 9 7/16 in x 13 25/32 in
- Object Name
- heart pump
- heart, artificial
- pump
