As anaesthetics became more complicated and especially with the need to deliver compressed gas, there was a need to group a number of components together in order to make this possible. The result was an 'anaesthetic machine'. Perhaps the best known is the 'Boyles machine' of which there is a good example in the RLH museum.
Modern machines integrate many functions, delivering gases and volatiles, controling ventilation and supporting sophisticated monitoring. As a result, the machine is a good point from which to explore many physical principles and will be the 'prop' for these articles.
There is a general tendency to develop systems in a modular fashion, with each component being a 'black-box', that is, a sealed unit into which it is impossible to see. This approach makes maintenance easier and can produce very robust designs, however it makes it much more difficult to understand how equipment works and to troubleshoot problems. As a result, I intend to make heavy use of museum items, not because they are devices which any of us are going to use, but because they show the workings of the modern equipment which we handle every day.