Scanlan-Morris Incubators

Founded in Madison, Wisconsin, in 1904, the Scanlan-Morris Company grew to become one of the nation’s preeminent manufacturers of medical equipment, clinical furniture, and surgical apparatus during the early to mid-20th century. Operating primarily out of its industrial manufacturing facilities on Madison’s east side, the firm gained national renown for its flagship “The White Line“—a comprehensive catalog of white-enameled steel hospital and physician office furniture, hydraulic operating tables, surgical lamps, and advanced steam and pressure sterilizers. In an era when modern aseptic technique and sterile operating room environments were rapidly formalizing, Scanlan-Morris was instrumental in supplying hospitals, clinics, and battlefield medical units with durable, easy-to-disinfect equipment.

Among many other products, Scanlan-Morris manufactured and sold the Hess Incubator invented by Julius Hess. It was widely advertised in hospital supply magazines and catalogs.

Evidently, Scanlan-Morris also distributed a version of the Lion incubator, as demonstrated by this page in the J. F. Hartz Co’s. Surgical Instruments catalog of 1917, although the incubator was incorrectly attributed to Dr. Joseph De Lee. Whether Scanlan-Morris manufactured this as a clone or resold the version from Kny-Scheerer is unknown.

In 1944, the company was acquired by the Ohio Chemical and Manufacturing Company (a major producer of medical gases and anesthesia equipment based in Cleveland). Ohio Chemical subsequently consolidated operations by relocating its headquarters to Madison in 1946. Through successive corporate evolutions, eventually becoming known as Ohio Medical Products and later integrating into British Oxygen Company (BOC) and Datex-Ohmeda, the industrial lineage of Scanlan-Morris became part of GE HealthCare.

Last Updated on 11/06/26