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.

Safety razor in a cardboard box with labels that read “Christy / TRADE MARK / SAFETY RAZOR / with the / MASSAGE BAR / KEEPS YOUR FACE YOUNG.” This was manufactured by the Christy Co. in Fremont, Ohio. Russ J. Christy established the Christy Knife Co. in 1891, and the R. J.
Description
Safety razor in a cardboard box with labels that read “Christy / TRADE MARK / SAFETY RAZOR / with the / MASSAGE BAR / KEEPS YOUR FACE YOUNG.” This was manufactured by the Christy Co. in Fremont, Ohio. Russ J. Christy established the Christy Knife Co. in 1891, and the R. J. Christy Co. around 1907. The massage bar on this razor was described in Christy’s patent of 1924.
Ref: Russ J. Christy, “Safety Razor,” U.S. Patent 798,129 (Aug. 29, 1905).
Russ J. Christy, “Safety Razor,” U.S. Patent 788,820 (May 2, 1905).
Russ J. Christy, “Safety Razor,” U.S. Patent 853,960 (May 21, 1907).
Russ J. Christy, “Skin Smoothing and Stretching Device for Safety Razors,” U.S. Patent 1,502,615 (July 22, 1924).
Russ J. Christy, “Safety Razor,” U.S. Patent 1,777,602 (Oct. 7, 1930).
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1923-1940
maker
Christy Company
ID Number
2005.0100.093
accession number
2005.0100
catalog number
2005.0100.093
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Fruit of the Loom
ID Number
1999.0352.02
Parmelee’s “Artificial Leg” included an atmospheric pressure-conforming rubber bucket molded from the patient’s remaining limb. Parmelee held several patents using India-rubber.Patent model for DuBois D. Parmelee, “Improvement in Artificial Legs,” U.S. Patent 37,737 (Feb.
Description (Brief)
Parmelee’s “Artificial Leg” included an atmospheric pressure-conforming rubber bucket molded from the patient’s remaining limb. Parmelee held several patents using India-rubber.
Description
Patent model for DuBois D. Parmelee, “Improvement in Artificial Legs,” U.S. Patent 37,737 (Feb. 10, 1863). Dubois Duncan Parmalee (1829-1897) was a chemist and inventor in New York City.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1863
patent date
1863-02-10
maker
Parmelee, Dubois D.
ID Number
1978.0273.07
accession number
1978.0273
catalog number
1978.0273.07
patent number
37637
The pharmaceutical firm, Parke, Davis & Company of Detroit, Michigan, began selling culture media for bacteriological work beginning about 1897.
Description
The pharmaceutical firm, Parke, Davis & Company of Detroit, Michigan, began selling culture media for bacteriological work beginning about 1897. This box of fifty glass culture media tubes was intended for use by universities, medical colleges, boards of health, and hospitals.The set includes samples of eight different culture media: Nutrient Gelatin, Glucose Gelatin, Litmus Gelatin, Nutrient Agar, Glycerin Agar, Glucose Agar, Blood Serum according to Dr. Koch, Blood Serum - Loeffler's mixture for diptheria, and several empty tubes. The box also includes tubes containing a sterilzed cotton swab used for making throat cultures to diagnose diphtheria. All of the tubes were sterilized, plugged with cotton and rubber-capped. A box of fifty tubes cost $2.50 in 1897. This specimen was given to the Smithsonian in 1898 by the company. (See objects MG.142336.02 through MG.142336.12 for examples of the individual tubes.)
reference: Parke, Davis & Co. Price List, 1897, pp.108, 180.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1898
maker
Parke, Davis and Company
ID Number
MG.142336.01
catalog number
142336.01
accession number
33542
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
In September 1928, British bacteriologist Alexander Fleming found something unusual growing in his laboratory. Mold had contaminated a plate of Staphylococci, disease-causing bacteria.
Description
In September 1928, British bacteriologist Alexander Fleming found something unusual growing in his laboratory. Mold had contaminated a plate of Staphylococci, disease-causing bacteria. Where the mold had spread, the bacteria had disappeared.
Further research revealed that the mold, Penicillium notatum, produced a substance harmful to microorganisms but relatively nontoxic to animals and humans. During World War II, British and American scientists expanded on Fleming's discovery to develop the powerful antibiotic penicillin.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1940s
referenced
Fleming, Alexander
maker
Fleming, Alexander
ID Number
MG.M-06668
catalog number
M-06668
accession number
198819
Glass slide depicting three infants held by their mother on top of a model Health Department ambulance. She sports a jaunty hat and a wry smile. Marked with "22" and "2398J".Currently not on view
Description
Glass slide depicting three infants held by their mother on top of a model Health Department ambulance. She sports a jaunty hat and a wry smile. Marked with "22" and "2398J".
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2018.3042.019
nonaccession number
2018.3042
catalog number
2018.3042.019
Purple cardboard sign with black print. "DIPHTHERIA / All exposed members of household are included in the / quarantine. After 14 days, cultures of throat will be / taken, and two negative cultures not less than 48 hours / apart will be required.--Chapter 205, Statutes 1917.
Description (Brief)
Purple cardboard sign with black print. "DIPHTHERIA / All exposed members of household are included in the / quarantine. After 14 days, cultures of throat will be / taken, and two negative cultures not less than 48 hours / apart will be required.--Chapter 205, Statutes 1917. / McPherson County Health Department"
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1950
user
Pierson, Weir
ID Number
2013.3021.02
nonaccession number
2013.3021
catalog number
2013.3021.02
Wood rack holds 6 small glass flasks. Flasks have handwritten labels on pieces of adhesive tape and are sealed with tape. Each contains a small amount of yellowish liquid (residue of original cultures of poliovirus in human embryonic and muscle tissue).Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Wood rack holds 6 small glass flasks. Flasks have handwritten labels on pieces of adhesive tape and are sealed with tape. Each contains a small amount of yellowish liquid (residue of original cultures of poliovirus in human embryonic and muscle tissue).
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1940s
maker
Enders, John F.
ID Number
MG.221419.15
accession number
221419
catalog number
221419.15
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1930
maker
H. K. Mulford Company
ID Number
MG.M-02704.01
catalog number
M-02704.01
accession number
108676
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1898
maker
Parke, Davis and Company
ID Number
MG.142336.11
catalog number
142336.11
accession number
033542
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Rotary International
ID Number
2004.0288.09
accession number
2004.0288
catalog number
2004.0288.09
Cast iron pump with a “LEIMAN BROS. AIR PUMP / PAT’D JUNE 04 / MAR 08” inscription. Charles E. H. Armbruster used this pump for an iron lung of his own invention.Ref: William H. Leiman and George W. Leiman, “Rotary Pump,” U.S. Patent 762,539 (June 14, 1904).William H.
Description
Cast iron pump with a “LEIMAN BROS. AIR PUMP / PAT’D JUNE 04 / MAR 08” inscription. Charles E. H. Armbruster used this pump for an iron lung of his own invention.
Ref: William H. Leiman and George W. Leiman, “Rotary Pump,” U.S. Patent 762,539 (June 14, 1904).
William H. Leiman and George W. Leiman, “Blower,” U.S. Patent 883,464 (March 31, 1908).
Location
Currently not on view
patent filed
1914-09-02
patent date
1916-02-22
ID Number
1982.0200.02
accession number
1982.0200
catalog number
1982.0200.02
patent number
1172660
1172661
1172662
Chest portion of an iron lung devised by Charles E. H. Armbruster (1868-1920), a homeopathic physician and proprietor of Armbruster’s Optical Establishment in Denver, Colorado.Ref: Charles E. H.
Description
Chest portion of an iron lung devised by Charles E. H. Armbruster (1868-1920), a homeopathic physician and proprietor of Armbruster’s Optical Establishment in Denver, Colorado.
Ref: Charles E. H. Armbruster, “System for the Treatment of Diseases of the Human Body by Vacuum or Air-Pressure,” U.S. Patent 1,172,660 (Feb. 22, 1916).
Charles E. H. Armbruster, “Mechanism for Controlling the Flow of Fluid To and From an Air-Tight Chamber,” U.S. Patent 1,172,661 (Feb. 22, 1916).
Charles E. H. Armbruster, “Casing for Producing an Air-Tight Chamber Over or Around a Portion of the Human Body,” U.S. Patent 1,172,662 (February 22, 1916).
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1982.0200.01
accession number
1982.0200
catalog number
1982.0200.01
patent number
1172660A
1172661
1172662A
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2017.0184.002.55
catalog number
2017.0184.002.55
accession number
2017.0184
Glass test tube with paper label and cotton wool stopper. Dried culture media in tube. Paper label has lines for recording "Name" and "Date". The tube is one of 50 tubes in the Parke, Davis & Company Culture Media Set (MG.142336.01).Currently not on view
Description
Glass test tube with paper label and cotton wool stopper. Dried culture media in tube. Paper label has lines for recording "Name" and "Date". The tube is one of 50 tubes in the Parke, Davis & Company Culture Media Set (MG.142336.01).
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1898
maker
Parke, Davis and Company
ID Number
MG.142336.07
catalog number
142336.07
accession number
033542
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2017.0184.079
accession number
2017.0184
catalog number
2017.0184.079
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1999
ID Number
2000.3047.014
catalog number
2000.3047.014
nonaccession number
2000.3047
Glass test tube with paper label and cotton wool stopper. Dried culture media in tube. Paper label has lines for recording "Name" and "Date". The tube is one of 50 tubes in the Parke, Davis & Company Culture Media Set (MG.142336.01).
Description
Glass test tube with paper label and cotton wool stopper. Dried culture media in tube. Paper label has lines for recording "Name" and "Date". The tube is one of 50 tubes in the Parke, Davis & Company Culture Media Set (MG.142336.01). German bacteriologist, Robert Koch (1843-1910), used coagulated blood serum to culture Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacteria that causes tuberculosis. In diagnostic work, the culture tube was innoculated with a sputum specimen from the patient.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1898
maker
Parke, Davis and Company
ID Number
MG.142336.12
accession number
33542
catalog number
142336.012
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1997
ID Number
2000.3047.013
catalog number
2000.3047.013
nonaccession number
2000.3047
Menley & James Laboratories, the proprietary drug 105 division of Smith Kline & French produced the “Love” line of cosmetics from 1969 through 1980.
Description
Menley & James Laboratories, the proprietary drug 105 division of Smith Kline & French produced the “Love” line of cosmetics from 1969 through 1980. This product, Love’s “A Little Cover” makeup, claimed to add “just an all-over color glow” while letting “your skin shine through.” Love was propelled to popularity through the advertising campaign of Wells, Rich, Green. Love products sought to appeal to young women who were style leaders and trendsetters. The tagline “This is the way Love is in 1969” was intended to appeal to a new generation of consumers, and the product name and package design reflected the youth culture of the 1970s.
maker
Menley and James
ID Number
1981.0219.019
accession number
1981.0219
catalog number
1981.0219.019
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
2017
ID Number
2018.3052.01
catalog number
2018.3052.01
nonaccession number
2018.3052
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
ca 1951
expiration date
1951-10-22
maker
American Cyanamid Company. Lederle Laboratories Division
ID Number
1978.0882.88
catalog number
1978.0882.88
accession number
1978.0882
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1948
ID Number
2003.0031.10
accession number
2003.0031
catalog number
2003.0031.10

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