The DIAPHRAGM VALVE, in which a flexible membrane moves (or is compressed) to allow/prevent flow, is a truly ancient device.
During the Roman Empire and earlier, simple leather diaphragms were being used in valves to control flow and temperature of household bath water.
That technology was effectively rediscovered early in the 20th century by the South African mining engineer P.K. Saunders, the man who developed the first modern diaphragm valve.
In modern diaphragm valves various resilient materials are selected according to the temperature and chemical composition of the flowing media.