A pulse oximeter is used to monitor the oxygenation of a patient's hemoglobin. It uses a sensor that is placed on a thin part of the body, and a light with both infared and red wavelengths passes from one side to the other. The first O2 saturation meter was created in 1935. And bioengineers Michio Kishi and Takuo Aoyagi developed pulse oximetry in 1974. A surgeon named Susumu Nakajima was the first to test the new device on patients and reported it in 1975. Biox first commercialized the first pulse oximeter in 1981. Nonin Medical introduced the first Bluetooth-enabled fingertip pulse oximeter in 2009. Learn many more exciting facts about the handheld pulse oximeter and blood oxygen meter within our new catalog.

Many people have a fear of going to the dentist. A large factor in those with dental phobias revolves around the shrill sound the dental drill is notorious for. Evidence of dentistry goes back as far as 7000 BCE. Early dentistry helped to cure tooth related disorders with bow drills, which may have been operated by skilled bead craftsmen. As the years progressed, and technological advances were made, mechanical hand drills were developed. In 1875, the first electric dental drill was patented by Dr. Green. This advancement revolutionized dentistry and paved the way for dentistry as we know it today. During the 1950s and 60s, another large wave of development occurred with the introduction of the air turbine drill. The dental instrument we know as the drill today is an incarnation of an air turbine hand-piece created by John Patrick Walsh of Wellington, New Zealand. Browse our vast selection of quality vintage reprints and discover many facts about dental laboratory supplies.