Health & Medicine

The Museum's collections of medical science artifacts represent nearly all aspects of health and medical practice. Highlights include early X-ray apparatuses, such as one of Wilhelm Roentgen's tubes, penicillin mold from Alexander Fleming’s experiments, and Jonas Salk's original polio vaccine. More recent acquisitions include the first artificial heart implanted in a human, the earliest genetically engineered drugs, and materials related to David, the "Bubble Boy." Other artifacts range from artificial limbs and implant devices to bloodletting and dental instruments, beauty products, and veterinary equipment. The contents of a medieval apothecary shop and an 1890s drugstore form part of the collections, along with patent and alternative medicines. The collections also document the many differing perspectives on health and medical issues, from patients, family members, doctors, nurses, medical students, and out-of-the-mainstream health practitioners.

Vaccination shields were designed to protect the patient’s skin from damage or infection following the procedure. The inscription on this example refers to Harry K. Mulford, a Philadelphia pharmacist who, in 1894, opened a laboratory to produce diphtheria antitoxin.Ref: Harry K.
Description
Vaccination shields were designed to protect the patient’s skin from damage or infection following the procedure. The inscription on this example refers to Harry K. Mulford, a Philadelphia pharmacist who, in 1894, opened a laboratory to produce diphtheria antitoxin.
Ref: Harry K. Mulford, “Vaccination Shield,” U.S. Patent 703,290 (June 24, 1902).
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1902 - 1915
patent filed
1901-11-02
patent date
1902-06-24
maker
H. K. Mulford Company
ID Number
1980.0337.01
catalog number
1980.0337.01
accession number
1980.0337
collector/donor number
3460
patent number
703,290
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1929
maker
H. K. Mulford Company
ID Number
MG.M-02696
catalog number
M-02696
accession number
107349
The indications or uses for this product as provided by the manufacturer, or as found in contemporary medical literature, are:For use as a cardiac stimulant and diurecticCurrently not on view
Description
The indications or uses for this product as provided by the manufacturer, or as found in contemporary medical literature, are:
For use as a cardiac stimulant and diurectic
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1937
maker
McNeil Laboratories
ID Number
MG.308863.20
catalog number
308863.20
accession number
308863
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1861-1884
maker
Ritter, Thomas
Bispham, James L.
ID Number
MG.M-12404
catalog number
M-12404
accession number
285854
Wood chest with latched, hinged lid. Paper label on top of lid. Additional paper label with list of contents of kit adhered to inside of chest lid. Chest contains: one 30 cc. bottle of Physiological Salt Solution, one 30 cc.
Description
Wood chest with latched, hinged lid. Paper label on top of lid. Additional paper label with list of contents of kit adhered to inside of chest lid. Chest contains: one 30 cc. bottle of Physiological Salt Solution, one 30 cc. bottle of Suspension of Sterilized Culture of Typhoid Bacillus, one 10 cc. dropping flask for Typhoid Culture with rubber bulb attached, one 10 cc. dropping flask for Salt Solution with rubber bulb attached, five graduated test tubes (one missing from original count) , one metal test tube holder (which holds six test tubes), three glass droppers (one has rubber bulb attached); one cardboard box with nine small capillary tubes for collecting serum, one needle in glass capillary tube, extra rubber bulbs and rubber stopper. Kit also contains one paper booklet with directions. One newspaper clipping - "Easy Method of Doing Widal's Reaction for Typhoid" / "Early Closure of War Wounds" - ca 1916, found in kit.
In 1896, French physician and bacteriologist Georges Fernand Isidore Widal introduced a blood test for typhoid that still bears his name. Scientists had observed that cholera bacteria would clump together when injected into animals that had been immunized against the disease. This clumping, called agglutination, resulted from the binding of antibodies in the blood serum to the bacterial antigens. The clumps were easily observed through a microscope. Widal devised a practical diagnostic technique for typhoid based on this phenomenon. He mixed a small sample of the patient’s blood serum with a suspension of typhoid bacilli, then used a microscope to examine a drop of the solution. If the cells clumped together, the patient had typhoid antibodies, which indicated either current infection or prior exposure to the disease.
In 1905, bacteriologist John Borden modified the Widal test in a way that freed practicing physicians from their reliance on the services of bacteriological laboratories. By 1912, the Mulford company was advertising a complete test outfit based on his modifications. The kit included a needle and glass capillary tubes for collecting blood from the earlobe, a bottle of salt solution for diluting the sample, a bottle of killed typhoid bacilli suspension, dropper bottles, test tubes, and a rack. The test required no microscope, as the bacterial clumping was visible to the naked eye, appearing as a small white mass at the bottom of the test tube.
date made
after 1905
maker
H. K. Mulford Company
ID Number
MG.M-07860
catalog number
M-07860
accession number
223292
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1947
maker
Sharp and Dohme
ID Number
MG.177206.11
catalog number
177206.11
accession number
177206
Off-white cardboard sign with black text reading, "MEASLES- Children--except those of this household with the Health Officer's permit--must not enter or leave these premises. No person other than those authorized by the Board of Health shall remove this placard.
Description (Brief)
Off-white cardboard sign with black text reading, "MEASLES- Children--except those of this household with the Health Officer's permit--must not enter or leave these premises. No person other than those authorized by the Board of Health shall remove this placard. Any person or persons defacing, covering up, or destroying this placard render themselves liable to the penalties of the law. Act of the General Assembly approved June 28, 1923, provides that anyone violating the provisions of this Act, upon conviction thereof may be sentenced to pay a fine of not more than $100.00, to be paid to the use of said county, and costs of prosecution, or to be imprisoned in the county jail for a period of not less than ten days or more than thirty days, or both, at the discretion of the court.' By order of the Board of Health" with lines for the signature and address of the Health Officer and the date posted.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
after 1923
ID Number
2005.3079.12
nonaccession number
2005.3079
catalog number
2005.3079.12
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1920-1940
Associated Name
Hauch's
maker
Royal Manufacturing Company
ID Number
1982.0274.04
accession number
1982.0274
catalog number
1982.0274.04
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Beecham Products
ID Number
1993.0107.029
catalog number
1993.0107.029
accession number
1993.0107
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1947
maker
Sharp and Dohme
ID Number
MG.177206.07
catalog number
177206.07
accession number
177206
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1947
maker
Sharp and Dohme
ID Number
MG.177206.01
catalog number
177206.01
accession number
177206
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
after 1919-06-06
maker
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
ID Number
2005.3094.06
catalog number
2005.3094.06
nonaccession number
2005.3094
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Sharp and Dohme
ID Number
1978.0882.66
accession number
1978.0882
catalog number
1978.0882.66
A ca 1968 print of a 1966 photograph documenting the vaccination of Dr. Maurice R. Hilleman's daughter, Kirsten Jeanne Hilleman, with the investigational Jeryl Lynn strain mumps vaccine.
Description (Brief)
A ca 1968 print of a 1966 photograph documenting the vaccination of Dr. Maurice R. Hilleman's daughter, Kirsten Jeanne Hilleman, with the investigational Jeryl Lynn strain mumps vaccine. Eight-year-old Jeryl Lynn Hilleman, for whom the strain is named, comforts her younger sister as Dr. Robert E. Weibel gives Kirsten the injection. The pharmaceutical company Merck Sharp & Dohme widely distributed this photograph in 1968 as part of their press release and promotion for the Mumpsvax vaccine. This photograph does not have handwritten notations on the back.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1966
ID Number
2017.3081.04
catalog number
2017.3081.04
nonaccession number
2017.3081
Replica of the gold medal awarded to the 18 dog team drivers who carried diphtheria antitoxin from Nenana to Nome, Alaska, January 27 - February 2, 1925, for use in the epidemic.
Description
Replica of the gold medal awarded to the 18 dog team drivers who carried diphtheria antitoxin from Nenana to Nome, Alaska, January 27 - February 2, 1925, for use in the epidemic. The obverse has image of sled dogs and “SERVICE - VALOR - NENANA – NOME.” The reverse has “MULFORD LABORATORIES / FOR THE CONSERVATION OF LIFE” AND “AWARDED TO / [...] / FOR HEROIC SERVICE / H. K. MULFORD CO. / PHILADELPHIA / FEBRUARY 1925.” The medal is attached to blue and yellow grosgrain ribbon.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1925
maker
H. K. Mulford Company
ID Number
MG.M-02103
accession number
88822
catalog number
M-02103
Patent model for Alfred Staunch, “Apparatus for Inoculating,” U.S. Patent 28,697 (June 12, 1860). The patent drawing is labeled “Scarificator.” Staunch lived in Philadelphia.Currently not on view
Description
Patent model for Alfred Staunch, “Apparatus for Inoculating,” U.S. Patent 28,697 (June 12, 1860). The patent drawing is labeled “Scarificator.” Staunch lived in Philadelphia.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1860
patent date
1860-06-12
ID Number
MG.M-04299
accession number
89797
patent number
28,697
catalog number
M-04299
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1959
expiration date
1959-09-07
maker
Merck Sharp and Dohme
ID Number
1982.0043.051
accession number
1982.0043
catalog number
1982.0043.051
Dental floss in a glass vial with metal screw cap and paper label that reads “STANDARD / DENTAL FLOSS / 150 YARDS / WAXED / PURE SILK / STANDARD Dental Products / Philadelphia, Pa.” This firm was in business by the early 1930s.Currently not on view
Description
Dental floss in a glass vial with metal screw cap and paper label that reads “STANDARD / DENTAL FLOSS / 150 YARDS / WAXED / PURE SILK / STANDARD Dental Products / Philadelphia, Pa.” This firm was in business by the early 1930s.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
MG.312608.106
catalog number
312608.106
accession number
312608
A group of printed materials documenting the career of Dr. Maurice R. Hilleman. Materials include: Time magazine containing article about Dr. Hilleman’s mumps vaccine; The New Yorker magazine, Dec. 8, 1997, containing special advertising feature article about Dr.
Description (Brief)
A group of printed materials documenting the career of Dr. Maurice R. Hilleman. Materials include: Time magazine containing article about Dr. Hilleman’s mumps vaccine; The New Yorker magazine, Dec. 8, 1997, containing special advertising feature article about Dr. Hilleman, “Celebrities of Science – People You Should Know”; Merck World, January 1992, with article and pictures regarding Colin, son of Jeryl Lynn Hilleman, receiving MMR immunization by Dr. R. Buchta; Montana Collegian magazine, issue Autumn 1968, containing article “His Work Keeps Millions Healthy”; The Merck Review, Summer 1969, article about Meruvax rubella vaccine; The Merck Review, Summer 1966, article about new Jeryl Lynn strain of mumps vaccine; Noon Extract, July 18, 1988, article about Dr. Hilleman receiving National Medal of Science from President Ronald Reagan; Medical World News, issue December 2, 1966, “Long-Acting Mumps Shot Forecast for 1967”; The Daily, issue December 17, 1991, newsletter for Merck employees, contains article and pictures regarding Colin, son of Jeryl Lynn Hilleman, receiving MMR immunization by Dr. R. Buchta; The Daily, issue January 13, 2000, newsletter for Merck employees containing article “Merck Medical Advances preserved in National Time Capsule”; Scientific American magazine, issue 1997, containing article “The Induction of Interferon,” authored by Hilleman and Tytell. Supplemental materials, such as photocopied articles from magazine publications, are also included.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1960s - 1990s
ID Number
2017.3081.14
catalog number
2017.3081.14
nonaccession number
2017.3081
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Smith, Kline & French Laboratories
ID Number
1979.0798.244
accession number
1979.0798
catalog number
1979.0798.244
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Sharp and Dohme
ID Number
1978.0882.64
accession number
1978.0882
catalog number
1978.0882.64
An inscription on this item reads “ALEXANDER’S ASEPTIC VACCINATOR / MARIETTA, PENN. / NEW YORK, CHICAGO, OMAHA.” H. M.
Description
An inscription on this item reads “ALEXANDER’S ASEPTIC VACCINATOR / MARIETTA, PENN. / NEW YORK, CHICAGO, OMAHA.” H. M. Alexander (1851-1903) was a graduate of Bucknell University and the University of Pennsylvania Medical School who, having become interested in smallpox, established the Lancaster County Vaccine Farm in Marietta, PA in 1882, and a second facility in Omaha in 1886.
Ref: William F. Burr, “The Marietta Vaccine Farms,” Medical and Surgical Reporter 75 (Oct. 17, 1896): 488-491.
“Dr. H. M. Alexander,” American Journal of Pharmacy 76 (Jan. 1904): 37-38.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
H. M. Alexander & Co.
ID Number
MG.M-07336
catalog number
M-07336
accession number
217731
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Boericke & Tafel
ID Number
MG.311682.0606
catalog number
311682.0606
accession number
311682
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1947
maker
Sharp and Dohme
ID Number
MG.176974.01
catalog number
176974.01
accession number
176974

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