Scope and Contents

The Shriners Hospital Patient Isolation Unit Records consist of approximately .75 cubic feet and document the development and testing of the Synder Unit.

While the majority of the documentation is for the Synder Unit, there are articles and speeches from symposia held on gnotobiotics or the study of germ free living. These articles and speeches range from dealing with burn victims and cancer patients to the toxicity of certain germs to the sustainability of germ free animals.

Arrangement

The records are arranged into two series.

Series 1, Patient Isolation Unit Materials, 1966-1972

Series 2, Gnotobiotics Research, 1956-1981

Biographical / Historical

In 1966, Shriners Burns Institute of Cincinnati, Ohio, (now known as the Shriners Hospital for Children) purchased a Life Island (Mark V) patient isolation system or germ free unit and made modifications to it. In 1967, the Shriners Burns Institute began working with the Snyder Manufacturing Company to create their own germ free unit, named the Snyder Unit. This project had several collaborators including Dr. Matthew Maley, Dr. P.C. Trexler, and Dr. Bruce MacMillan. The Snyder Unit was tested from 1967 to 1972. It was used for about a year before the doctors working on the project realized that a smaller and simpler unit named with the acronym, CRS, was more efficient economically and health-wise. While the CRS was not a "bubble" isolation unit like the Life Island or the Synder Unit, it was still considered an isolation unit and soon replaced both the modified Life Island and the Synder Unit which was retired in 1980.

The Synder Unit was also studied to determine if it could be used for cancer patients or patients taking immunosuppressant drugs. Tests proved that while the Synder Unit did help a few cancer patients, the results were not significant enough for its use for patients with weakened immune systems.