February is, among other things, National Pet Dental Health Month. As the postcard from my veterinarian reminds me, dogs have 42 permanent teeth and cats have 30; like human teeth, those pearly whites need care and attention. Today’s artifact, then, comes from our veterinary collection (a subset of our medical collections): an anesthesia face mask, used on cats and small dogs in the mid 20th century.
The mask is made of a light, flexible metal, wrapped into a cone shape, with mesh across the smaller opening and surgical tape around the larger end (2.25″ diameter), to protect the animal’s face. A cloth soaked in the chosen anesthetic agent was put inside, and then the cone was placed over the patient’s nose and mouth until the animal breathed enough and fell asleep. (No doubt a veterinary textbook would explain that better, but that’s the gist.) It’s very similar in shape and function to the masks used for modern face-mask induction anesthesia, although those masks are rubber or plastic.
This instrument was used, and donated, by Dr. Bill Gay, a veterinarian who worked at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda. The photo below shows Dr. Gay and an assistant working at NIH in the 1950s. (In the interest of full disclosure I should point out that the image shows Dr. Gay removing a foreign body from the cat’s throat, not actually cleaning his or her teeth, but it’s such a great photo that I’m using it anyway.) According to Mrs. Gay, her husband “always got along well with cats” – and the assistant shown here was “very good at holding the cats” – so Dr. Gay did not always use anesthesia when doing a basic dental cleaning, although it was necessary when performing extractions and other surgeries. With the advent of sharper tools like ultrasonic scalers, most vets today use anesthesia for cleanings, for the safety of both the patient and the doctor.
There are at least two animal hospitals in Montgomery County that have been around since the 1950s, but they were not the first in the county. Specialization in small animal (i.e., domestic pet) medicine became more common in America in the 1930s, and we followed that trend; many local vets found themselves focusing on small animals by default, as the county became more suburban and there were fewer large farm animals that needed their care. The 1949 Montgomery County telephone directory included five animal hospitals, ten single-doctor practices and one veterinary supply store, and the numbers have only been increasing since then. Next time you bring your cat, dog or guinea pig in for a dental check-up, take a moment to think of all the many veterinarians who have done the same for county pets over the decades.

Horses can be pets, too. This equine dental float, also used and donated by Dr. Gay, was used to file down horses' overgrown molars. The instrument is 17 inches long - a little more hardcore than what you need for a cat.
Thanks to Bill and Millicent Gay for the additional information, and the use of the fabulous photograph.
February 23, 2011 at 5:52 pm
I like it. Maybe Francis couldn’t bite through it as he does a leather muzzle. Too bad I can’t borrow it when he has a checkup.
February 23, 2011 at 5:58 pm
Yeah, I really can’t let you do that, even for Francis – but if you want to make your own, you can take a look at ours to copy it! Although you’ll have to invent a way to make it stay on his head.
October 12, 2011 at 3:21 pm
[…] ** Bonus blog recap! Today’s date, October 12 2011, falls in the middle of both National Fire Prevention Week and National Veterinary Technician Week. Check out these previous posts for some fire prevention and vet tech artifacts. […]
April 7, 2016 at 7:14 pm
Where did you find this? I’d like to find one for my antique anesthesia collection. Or if you could give me tips on how to make one, it would be greatly appreciated.
April 7, 2016 at 8:14 pm
Hello,
Could you please tell me where you found this? I was thinking of adding this to an antique anesthesia equipment collection. Or, if you have any tips on how to make one of my own, it would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!!!
April 8, 2016 at 2:57 pm
Hello! This artifact was donated to the museum by a veterinarian, who used it in his practice in the 1950s. I’d suggest keeping an eye on estate sales and auctions from retired veterinarians, if you’ve not had luck in general antique stores/auctions. As far as making your own, I’m not sure what to advise, though perhaps someone at a hardware store could point you toward a malleable metal that could be cut and rolled into shape.