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
Undine (medical) As glass undines require careful cleaning and sterilization after each use, single-use plastic equivalents were preferred as they are cheaper and require no careful handling. Undine (medical) An undine is an ophthalmic irrigation device which was used to trickle a cleansing liquid over the conjunctival surface while controlling the flow with the thumb or finger over the filling hole. It has now been superseded by more modern equipment. The undine is a spherical or pear-shaped glass flask generally about 2 to 3 inches in diameter with a 2 to 3-inch narrowing spout on one side and a collared opening on