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
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1941-1945
maker
Johnson and Johnson
ID Number
1997.0282.02
accession number
1997.0282
catalog number
1997.0282.02
Dental floss in cardboard box with inscriptions that read “ONE / 200 YDS. / Johnson’s / DENTAL / FLOSS / REFILL / FOR PLASTIC AND / STEEL DISPENSERS / Johnson & Johnson” and “HELPING THE HANDS / THAT HEAL / TRADEMARK.”Currently not on view
Description
Dental floss in cardboard box with inscriptions that read “ONE / 200 YDS. / Johnson’s / DENTAL / FLOSS / REFILL / FOR PLASTIC AND / STEEL DISPENSERS / Johnson & Johnson” and “HELPING THE HANDS / THAT HEAL / TRADEMARK.”
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Johnson and Johnson
ID Number
1993.0107.198
catalog number
1993.0107.198
accession number
1993.0107
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Johnson and Johnson
ID Number
1985.0475.266
catalog number
1985.0475.266
accession number
1985.0475
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1908-1918
maker
Johnson and Johnson
ID Number
MG.293320.0850
catalog number
293320.0850
accession number
293320
Metal cylinder holding dental floss, with “JOHNSON & JOHNSON” inscriptions on each end. The firm was incorporated in 1887 in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and promoted the used of antiseptic medical and surgical procedures and products.Currently not on view
Description
Metal cylinder holding dental floss, with “JOHNSON & JOHNSON” inscriptions on each end. The firm was incorporated in 1887 in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and promoted the used of antiseptic medical and surgical procedures and products.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Johnson and Johnson
ID Number
1993.0107.201
catalog number
1993.0107.201
accession number
1993.0107
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Johnson and Johnson
ID Number
2012.0165.462
catalog number
2012.0165.462
accession number
2012.0165
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Johnson and Johnson
ID Number
2012.0165.461
catalog number
2012.0165.461
accession number
2012.0165
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Johnson and Johnson
ID Number
2012.0165.420
catalog number
2012.0165.420
accession number
2012.0165
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1996
1993-1996
maker
Johnson and Johnson
ID Number
2001.0031.02.02
accession number
2001.0031
catalog number
2001.0031.02.02
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Johnson and Johnson
ID Number
2012.0165.460
catalog number
2012.0165.460
accession number
2012.0165
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Johnson and Johnson
ID Number
2012.0165.430
catalog number
2012.0165.430
accession number
2012.0165
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1995-1997
copyright date (packaging)
1995
product expiration date
1998-12
distributor
Johnson and Johnson
ID Number
1998.0102.12
catalog number
1998.0102.12
accession number
1998.0102
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Johnson and Johnson
ID Number
1985.0475.275
catalog number
1985.0475.275
accession number
1985.0475
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1908-1918
maker
Johnson and Johnson
ID Number
MG.293320.0849
catalog number
293320.0849
accession number
293320
Metal container with labels that read “DENTOTAPE / Flat Dental Floss Silk / FLAVORED / Johnson & Johnson / NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. / CHICAGO, ILL.” and “CUT HERE.” The label on the lid reads “MEDIUM / 12 YARDS.” The product was on the market by 1924.Currently not on view
Description
Metal container with labels that read “DENTOTAPE / Flat Dental Floss Silk / FLAVORED / Johnson & Johnson / NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. / CHICAGO, ILL.” and “CUT HERE.” The label on the lid reads “MEDIUM / 12 YARDS.” The product was on the market by 1924.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Johnson and Johnson
ID Number
MG.312608.389
catalog number
312608.389
accession number
312608
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Johnson and Johnson
ID Number
1985.0516.061
catalog number
1985.0516.061
accession number
1985.0516
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Johnson and Johnson
ID Number
2012.0165.431
catalog number
2012.0165.431
accession number
2012.0165
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Johnson and Johnson
ID Number
1993.0107.218
catalog number
1993.0107.218
accession number
1993.0107
A "cotton roll" toothbrush donated to the museum in 1924 by Johnson & Johnson (along with 6 specimens of dental floss) for use in the "Hall of Health" exhibition about the importance of dental hygiene.
Description
A "cotton roll" toothbrush donated to the museum in 1924 by Johnson & Johnson (along with 6 specimens of dental floss) for use in the "Hall of Health" exhibition about the importance of dental hygiene. According to the manufacturer this brush-less toothbrush was for use when a patient's gum tissue was not healthy and a dentist recommended not using a bristle-type brush. Although this article was not requested by the curator, it appears to have been included in the exhibition.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1922-1924
maker
Johnson and Johnson
ID Number
MG.M-02061
catalog number
M-02061
accession number
85312
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1997
maker
Johnson and Johnson
ID Number
1998.0102.05
catalog number
1998.0102.05
accession number
1998.0102
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Johnson and Johnson
ID Number
MG.314016.029
catalog number
314016.029
accession number
314016
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Johnson and Johnson
ID Number
1993.0107.104
catalog number
1993.0107.104
accession number
1993.0107
Dental floss in a glass cylinder with metal cap, and a paper label that reads “NEW ERA / DENTAL FLOSS / Johnson & Johnson / NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J., CHICAGO, ILL.
Description
Dental floss in a glass cylinder with metal cap, and a paper label that reads “NEW ERA / DENTAL FLOSS / Johnson & Johnson / NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J., CHICAGO, ILL. / MADE IN U.S.A.” The firm, incorporated in 1887, promoted the use of antiseptic medical and surgical procedures and products. The product was on the market by 1906, with advertisements describing it as “a new kind of floss, a flat thread with fine corrugated surface; made in a new form; put up in a new and original style package one half the size of other kinds; each and every feature being an improvement in a material that has known little change or progress in years.”
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Johnson and Johnson
ID Number
2012.0165.812
catalog number
2012.0165.812
accession number
2012.0165

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