The French company Charrière, founded by Joseph-Frédéric-Benoêt Charrière (1803–1876) in the early 19th century, stands as a testament to innovation in medical instrument manufacturing. Born in 1803 in Switzerland, Charrière moved to Paris as a teenager and eventually took over his mentor's cutlery workshop. He became renowned for producing high-quality surgical instruments, notably in lithotripsy and anesthesia. Charrière's technical skill, creativity, and eagerness to learn from surgeons directly influenced his designs. He is also credited with creating the 'Charrière scale,' a measurement standard for medical instruments (also known as 'French gauge'). After his death the company worked under the name Maison Collin till 1957 when it was taken over by Maison Gentile. Charrière's legacy in medical technology endures, symbolizing groundbreaking advancements in healthcare tools.

Founded in St. Petersburg under Peter the Great in 1721, the Krasnogvardeets factory is one of Russia’s oldest medical instrument manufacturers. Its development was closely associated with European physicians and surgeons, including James Wylie and Nikolay Pirogov. In the 20th century, the factory became a major producer of surgical stapling devices, anesthesia equipment, and ventilators. Today, Krasnogvardeets continues manufacturing surgical instruments and medical equipment.

Laerdal is the company that made medical education different. Instead of 'see one, do one, teach one' future medical doctors today 'learn, practice, improve, repeat' – and all this without harming the real patients! It is here, in this company the world-wide used CPR mannequin Resusci Anne was born.

The French company Maison Collin was organized as a successor of the famous Maison Charrière, founded by Joseph-Frédéric-Benoît Charrière in the early 19th century. Anatole Pierre Urbain Louis Colline (1831-1923) and Louis-Apollinaire Robert bought the Charrière firm on May 19, 1866. Robert left the company at 1876. Address of Maison Collin was 60 rue Mazarine, Paris. The company worked under the name Maison Collin till 1957 when it was taken over by Maison Gentile.