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.

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1900
maker
Johnson and Johnson
ID Number
1981.0219.181
catalog number
1981.0219.181
accession number
1981.0219
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
Lockjaw Forceps, ca early 1900s, sometimes sold as Gross' Lockjaw Forceps. The short ends of the tool (right side) were put between the teeth of a lockjaw victim.
Description
Lockjaw Forceps, ca early 1900s, sometimes sold as Gross' Lockjaw Forceps. The short ends of the tool (right side) were put between the teeth of a lockjaw victim. Squeezing the handles (left side) of the forceps ratcheted the short ends apart, forcing open the jaws of the tetanus victim. This instrument was from a set of instruments purportedly used by Dr. William Park of the City of New York Department of Health.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
early 1900s
ID Number
2017.0184.002.34
catalog number
2017.0184.002.34
accession number
2017.0184
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
Brown and gold-colored tin with hinged lid and decorative motif on sides and borders. Tin is empty. Original contents: one grain capsules of Glycogen. Probably imported from France by E.
Description
Brown and gold-colored tin with hinged lid and decorative motif on sides and borders. Tin is empty. Original contents: one grain capsules of Glycogen. Probably imported from France by E. Fougera and Company of New York.
The indications or uses for this product as provided by the manufacturer are: In tuberculosis, typhoid fever, scarlatina, furunculosis [infection of the hair follicle], diphtheria, influenza, in neurasthenic conditions, weak heart, migraine, morphinism, tobaccoism, etc.
Antitoxic and distinctly bactericidal, stimulating the natural resistance of the organism to pathogenic invasions.
In the early 1900s, French doctor, Jacques de Nittis, introduced the therapeutic use of glycogen, a naturally occuring substance which stores carbohydrates in the body. The substance was thought to help increase the production of white blood cells and thus help the body fight off infection. It was also employed in wasting conditions such as those brought on by cancer, tuberculosis, and diabetes, to help rebuild strenghth and weight.
SEE: de Nittis, Jacques, "Glycogen, A Therapeutic Aid (Translated from the Tribune Medicale, April 2, 1904.)" in Southern Medicine, Volume 11, No. 3, September, 1904, pp 11-12.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1905
maker
E. Fougera and Company
ID Number
2019.0068.01
catalog number
2019.0068.01
accession number
2019.0068
The indications or uses for this product as provided by the manufacturer, or as found in contemporary medical literature, are:For use as an antiperiodic, tonic, and antipyretic [to lower a fever] [Remington's Practice of Pharmacy, Seventh Edition, 1926]Currently 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 an antiperiodic, tonic, and antipyretic [to lower a fever] [Remington's Practice of Pharmacy, Seventh Edition, 1926]
Location
Currently not on view
date made
after 1901
maker
American Can Company
ID Number
2000.0137.063
accession number
2000.0137
catalog number
2000.0137.063
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1930
brand launched (Ben Hur)
1904
maker
Andrew Jergens Company
ID Number
1988.3089.171
catalog number
1988.3089.171
nonaccession number
1988.3089
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
after 1900
maker
Beauty Products Corporation
ID Number
1988.3089.202
catalog number
1988.3089.202
nonaccession number
1988.3089
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1900
maker
H. K. Mulford Company
ID Number
1978.0882.24
catalog number
1978.0882.24
accession number
1978.0882
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1884 - 1909
maker
New York City Department of Health
ID Number
2017.0184.072
catalog number
2017.0184.072
accession number
2017.0184
Yellow cardboard sign with black text reading, "CEREBRO SPINAL MENINGITIS- These Premises Are Under State Quarantine.
Description (Brief)
Yellow cardboard sign with black text reading, "CEREBRO SPINAL MENINGITIS- These Premises Are Under State Quarantine. No person shall be permitted to enter, leave or take any article from this house without written permission from a legally authorized agent of the Board of Health, excepting physicians, nurses in charge of the sick, or the clergyman. Animals must not be permitted to 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 Assembly approved May 14, 1909, provided that anyone violating the provisions of this Act, upon conviction thereof may be sentenced to pay a fine of not less than $10.00 or more than $100.00, to be paid to the use of said county, 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 signature and address of Health Officer.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
after 1909
ID Number
2005.3079.06
nonaccession number
2005.3079
catalog number
2005.3079.06
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1904
maker
Guerlain
ID Number
MG.293320.0865
catalog number
293320.0865
accession number
293320
Dark yellow cardboard sign with black text reading, "MUMPS- These Premises Are Under State Quarantine.
Description (Brief)
Dark yellow cardboard sign with black text reading, "MUMPS- These Premises Are Under State Quarantine. No person shall be permitted to enter, leave or take any article from this house without written permission from a legally authorized agent of the Board of Health, excepting physicians, nurses in charge of the sick, or the clergyman. Animals must not be permitted to 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 Assembly approved May 14, 1909, provided that anyone violating the provisions of this Act, upon conviction thereof may be sentenced to pay a fine of not less than $10.00 or more than $100.00, to be paid to the use of said county, 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.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
after 1909
ID Number
2005.3079.09
nonaccession number
2005.3079
catalog number
2005.3079.09
The indications or uses for this product as provided by the manufacturer are:For infants, for the toilet. It is antiseptic, slightly astringent, a wonderful healer of chafing, soreness, abrasions, irritations, sunburns etc.Currently not on view
Description
The indications or uses for this product as provided by the manufacturer are:
For infants, for the toilet. It is antiseptic, slightly astringent, a wonderful healer of chafing, soreness, abrasions, irritations, sunburns etc.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1900
maker
Colgate and Co.
ID Number
MG.293320.0851
catalog number
293320.0851
accession number
293320
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
about 1906
maker
Lehn & Fink Products Corporation
ID Number
2017.0184.001.18
catalog number
2017.0184.001.18
accession number
2017.0184
Trade cards were a popular advertising device in the mid-to-late 19th century, featuring a colorful illustration on one side with advertising copy on the other. The cards were widely distributed for an array of consumer products including proprietary (patent) medicines.
Description
Trade cards were a popular advertising device in the mid-to-late 19th century, featuring a colorful illustration on one side with advertising copy on the other. The cards were widely distributed for an array of consumer products including proprietary (patent) medicines. People enjoyed collecting and scrap-booking the colorful cards which often feautured flowers, animals, children, women, or humerous scenes.
This trade card scrapbook belonged to Franklin T. Buzby (1852 - 1910), a pharmacist in South Bend, Indianna. Among the cards collected here are advertisements for Vroom & Fowlers Shaving Soap, Atmore's Mince Meat, Reynold's Bros. Fine Shoes, and Hoyt's German Cologne.
Location
Currently not on view (Box in 5026 UNIT04/02)
Currently not on view (paper fragments; sewing thread)
date made
ca 1870s-1900
maker
Buzby, Franklin T.
ID Number
MG.258917.02
catalog number
M-11162
258917.02
accession number
258917
The indications or uses for this product as provided by the manufacturer are:Blood purifier. For pimples, blotches, &c. Being vegetable, it can be taken safely at any season. It has no equal as a general tonic and appetizer.Currently not on view
Description
The indications or uses for this product as provided by the manufacturer are:
Blood purifier. For pimples, blotches, &c. Being vegetable, it can be taken safely at any season. It has no equal as a general tonic and appetizer.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
after 1906
ID Number
1979.0798.130
accession number
1979.0798
catalog number
1979.0798.130
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1900-12-30
ID Number
1992.3115.053
catalog number
1992.3115.053
nonaccession number
1992.3115
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1892-1906
maker
H. W. Taylor Co.
ID Number
2002.0138.112
accession number
2002.0138
catalog number
2002.0138.112
The obverse of this bronze medal has a standing woman with dragon at her feet, sun overhead, and “LUMEN.” The reverse has “INTERNATIONAL / CONGRESS / ON / TUBERCULOSIS / WASHINGTON / 1908.”Currently not on view
Description
The obverse of this bronze medal has a standing woman with dragon at her feet, sun overhead, and “LUMEN.” The reverse has “INTERNATIONAL / CONGRESS / ON / TUBERCULOSIS / WASHINGTON / 1908.”
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1908
associated dates
1908
ID Number
MG.302606.383
accession number
302606
catalog number
302606.383
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1900
maker
Colgate and Co.
ID Number
MG.293320.0874
catalog number
293320.0874
accession number
293320
Inscriptions on this tin read “PURITA / PREPARED BY THE / DENNIS M’f’g CO Limited / Price 25 Cents / NEW YORK” and “A DELICATE / PREPARATION / FOR CLEANSING, / PRESERVING, / and BEAUTIFYING / THE TEETH / REMOVING TARTAR / HARDENING THE / GUMS, AND PURIFY / ING THE BREATH.” The tr
Description
Inscriptions on this tin read “PURITA / PREPARED BY THE / DENNIS M’f’g CO Limited / Price 25 Cents / NEW YORK” and “A DELICATE / PREPARATION / FOR CLEANSING, / PRESERVING, / and BEAUTIFYING / THE TEETH / REMOVING TARTAR / HARDENING THE / GUMS, AND PURIFY / ING THE BREATH.” The trademark is a lion with banner reading “NON EST VIVERE, SED VALERE VITA.” Purita was advertised in the New York Times in 1887.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1898-1900
ca 1887-1900
retailer
Hall & Lyon Co.
maker
Dennis Manufacturing Company Limited
ID Number
1982.0052.03
catalog number
1982.0052.03
accession number
1982.0052
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1920
product launch
1901
maker
Colgate and Co.
ID Number
MG.293320.0894
catalog number
293320.0894
accession number
293320
The indications or uses for this product as provided by the manufacturer are:For use as a readily assimilable form of nourishment.
Description
The indications or uses for this product as provided by the manufacturer are:
For use as a readily assimilable form of nourishment. Aids with anemia, convalescence from acute diseases, debility, diabetes, dysepsia, gastro-intestinal disorders, cholera infantum, lactation, mal-nutrition and marasmus, nervous exhaustian, old age and conditions of low vitality, rickets, typhoid and other fevers, and as a food tonic in wasting diseases.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
after 1906
maker
Bovinine Company
ID Number
1981.0227.228
accession number
1981.0227
catalog number
1981.0227.228

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