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
Sterilization (microbiology) to by the name of its dimer, dinitrogen tetroxide (NO). Additionally, the low levels of concentration required, coupled with the high vapour pressure, assures that no condensation occurs on the devices being sterilized. This means that no aeration of the devices is required immediately following the sterilization cycle. NO is also less corrosive than other sterilant gases, and is compatible with most medical materials and adhesives. The most-resistant organism (MRO) to sterilization with NO gas is the spore of "Geobacillus stearothermophilus", which is the same MRO for both steam and hydrogen peroxide sterilization processes. The spore form of "G. stearothermophilus"