Autoclave Charles Chamberland in 1884, although a precursor known as the steam digester was created by Denis Papin in 1679. The name comes from Greek "auto-", ultimately meaning self, and Latin "clavis" meaning key, thus a self-locking device. Sterilization autoclaves are widely used in microbiology, medicine, podiatry, tattooing, body piercing, veterinary medicine, mycology, funerary practice, dentistry, and prosthetics fabrication. They vary in size and function depending on the media to be sterilized and are sometimes called retort in the chemical and food industries. Typical loads include laboratory glassware, other equipment and waste, surgical instruments, and medical waste. A notable recent and
Moist heat sterilization to be vented deliberately. Pressure sterilization is the prevailing method used for medical sterilization of heat-resistant tools, and for sterilization of materials for microbiology and other fields calling for aseptic technique. In cases when items need to be sterilized for immediate use, "flash sterilization" may be employed. Flash techniques generally run for the minimum time, temperature, or pressure, and may sacrifice some safeguards, such as the abilities to validate with biological indicators or prevent contamination. Additional protocols are generally taken to mitigate the sacrifices; flash sterilization equipment is often kept in an operating room's sterile field, steam-penetrative protective packaging may