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.

Philip Drinker (1894-1972) was an industrial hygienist at the Harvard Medical School. Louis Agassiz Shaw, Jr. (1886-1940) was a physiologist at the Harvard School of Public Health.
Description
Philip Drinker (1894-1972) was an industrial hygienist at the Harvard Medical School. Louis Agassiz Shaw, Jr. (1886-1940) was a physiologist at the Harvard School of Public Health. Working together in the late 1920s, the two men devised a respirator for polio patients that, by 1930, was known as an iron lung. Drinker and Shaw received the John Scott Medal for this work in 1931. An inscription on this example reads "DRINKERS RESPIRATORS / PATENTS PENDING / Made By / WARREN E. COLLINS INC. / Specialist in Metabolism Apparatus / 555 HUNTINGTON AVE., BOSTON, MASS. / NO. 3."
Ref: L. A. Shaw and P. Drinker, (1929), "An Apparatus for the Prolonged Administration of Artificial Respiration: I. A Design for Adults and Children," Journal of Clinical Investigation 7 (1929): 229–247.
Philip Drinker and Charles F. McKhann, “The Use of a New Apparatus for the Prolonged Administration of Artificial Respiration: I. A Fatal Case of Poliomyelitis,” (1929).
“Two Harvard Men Devised Respirator,” Boston Globe (Aug. 15, 1931), p. 11.
Joseph Rossman, “Drinker Patents Held Invalid,” Science 82 (1935): 221-222.
“Louis A. Shaw, 54; Respirator Expert,” New York Times (Aug. 28, 1940), p. 19.
“Prof. Philip Drinker Dies at 77; A Co-Inventor of the Iron Lung,” New York Times (Oct. 21, 1972), p. 36.
“Warren E. Collins Funeral Tomorrow, Scientific Appliance Maker Developed Oxygen Tent,” Boston Globe (Nov. 28, 1935), p. 21.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Warren E. Collins, Inc.
ID Number
1989.0398.01.01
catalog number
1989.0398.01
accession number
1989.0398
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
Alexander Fleming, working in England in 1928, discovered penicillin but could not produce enough for medical use. Following the advent of World War II, the British and American governments supported efforts to mass produce this potentially life-saving drug. Chas.
Description
Alexander Fleming, working in England in 1928, discovered penicillin but could not produce enough for medical use. Following the advent of World War II, the British and American governments supported efforts to mass produce this potentially life-saving drug. Chas. Pfizer & Co., in the U.S., had great success with deep tank fermentation. This sealed glass ampule has a paper label that reads in part “PENICILLIN CALCIUM SALT” and “CHAS. PFIZER & CO., INC.” and “Do Not Use After 12-10-43.”
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1943
maker
Charles Pfizer and Company
ID Number
MG.M-10008
catalog number
M-10008
accession number
239425
Four paper packages with inscriptions that read “blades by / cooper” and “BLADE BY COOPER / OF SURPASSING EXCELLENCE / UNCONDITIONALLY GUARANTEED. / COOPER SAFETY RAZOR CORP. / 35 YORK ST. / BROOKLYN, N.Y. / MADE IN U.S.A. REG. U.S. PAT.
Description
Four paper packages with inscriptions that read “blades by / cooper” and “BLADE BY COOPER / OF SURPASSING EXCELLENCE / UNCONDITIONALLY GUARANTEED. / COOPER SAFETY RAZOR CORP. / 35 YORK ST. / BROOKLYN, N.Y. / MADE IN U.S.A. REG. U.S. PAT. OFF.” Other inscriptions read “THIS BLADE IS MADE OF / HIGHEST QUALITY SURGICAL / CHROME STEEL BY A UNIQUE / PATENTED PROCESS. / MONEY REFUNDED IF NOT / SATISFACTORY.” Cooper Products Co. filed for a trademark in 1932.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Cooper Safety Razor Company
ID Number
1985.0475.771
catalog number
1985.0475.771
accession number
1985.0475
Four double-edged razor blades in a cardboard box with inscriptions that read “St. Regis / Reg. U.S. Pat. Off. / MADE IN U.S.A.” and “MCKESSON & ROBBINS, INC., NEW YORK, N.Y.” Each blade in wrapped in a paper that reads “St.
Description
Four double-edged razor blades in a cardboard box with inscriptions that read “St. Regis / Reg. U.S. Pat. Off. / MADE IN U.S.A.” and “MCKESSON & ROBBINS, INC., NEW YORK, N.Y.” Each blade in wrapped in a paper that reads “St. Regis blades are made / by a modern scientific / process that assures / keenness and uniformity / Distributed Exclusively by / MC KESSON & ROBBINS, INC. / NEW YORK, N.Y.” McKesson & Robbins first applied for a trademark on “St. Regis” in 1930.
Location
Currently not on view
distributor
McKesson and Robbins
ID Number
1984.0782.320
accession number
1984.0782
catalog number
1984.0782.320
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
Safety razor in a cardboard box with inscriptions that read in part “GILLETTE SAFETY RAZOR CO. / King Gillette, PRES.” The American Safety Razor Company was established in 1901, and became the Gillette Safety Razor Company in July 1902. King G.
Description
Safety razor in a cardboard box with inscriptions that read in part “GILLETTE SAFETY RAZOR CO. / King Gillette, PRES.” The American Safety Razor Company was established in 1901, and became the Gillette Safety Razor Company in July 1902. King G. Gillette obtained a trademark registration (0056921) for his portrait and signature on the packaging, and production began in 1903.
Ref: King C. Gillette, “Razor,” U.S. Patent 775,134 (Nov. 15, 1904), assigned to Federal Trust Company, of Boston.
King Camp Gillette, “Razor,” U.S. Patent 775,135 (Nov. 15, 1904), assigned to Federal Trust Company, of Boston.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1918
maker
Gillette Safety Razor Co.
ID Number
MG.293320.1500
catalog number
293320.1500
accession number
293320
Steel safety razor with a “BURNHAM” inscription. An inscription on the accompanying paper package reads “TESTED / BURNHAM / SAFETY RAZOR CO. / NEW YORK CITY / U.S.A. / Reg. Trade Mark / Blades 3.” The firm was in business by 1922.Currently not on view
Description
Steel safety razor with a “BURNHAM” inscription. An inscription on the accompanying paper package reads “TESTED / BURNHAM / SAFETY RAZOR CO. / NEW YORK CITY / U.S.A. / Reg. Trade Mark / Blades 3.” The firm was in business by 1922.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Burham Safety Razor Company
ID Number
1984.0782.315
accession number
1984.0782
catalog number
1984.0782.315
Paper enveloped with inscription that reads “3 Tested / BURHAM / SAFETY RAZOR CO. / NEW YORK CITY / U.S.A. / Reg. Trade Mark.”Ref: George H. Hamilton, “Safety-Razor,” U.S. Patent 927,349 (July 6, 1909), assigned to Burham Safety Razor Co. of New York.Currently not on view
Description
Paper enveloped with inscription that reads “3 Tested / BURHAM / SAFETY RAZOR CO. / NEW YORK CITY / U.S.A. / Reg. Trade Mark.”
Ref: George H. Hamilton, “Safety-Razor,” U.S. Patent 927,349 (July 6, 1909), assigned to Burham Safety Razor Co. of New York.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Burham Safety Razor Company
ID Number
1979.0798.500
accession number
1979.0798
catalog number
1979.0798.500
Paper enveloped with inscription that reads “3 Tested / BURHAM / SAFETY RAZOR CO. / NEW YORK CITY / U.S.A. / Reg. Trade Mark.”Ref: George H. Hamilton, “Safety-Razor,” U.S. Patent 927,349 (July 6, 1909), assigned to Burham Safety Razor Co. of New York.Currently not on view
Description
Paper enveloped with inscription that reads “3 Tested / BURHAM / SAFETY RAZOR CO. / NEW YORK CITY / U.S.A. / Reg. Trade Mark.”
Ref: George H. Hamilton, “Safety-Razor,” U.S. Patent 927,349 (July 6, 1909), assigned to Burham Safety Razor Co. of New York.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Burham Safety Razor Company
ID Number
1979.0798.501
accession number
1979.0798
catalog number
1979.0798.501
Blades for a safety razor in a cardboard box with inscriptions that read in part “THE MILLION DOLLAR RAZOR” and “AutoStrop Safety Razor Co., Inc.”Henry J. Gaisman (1870-1974), inventor and philanthropist, established the Auto Strop Safety Razor Co.
Description
Blades for a safety razor in a cardboard box with inscriptions that read in part “THE MILLION DOLLAR RAZOR” and “AutoStrop Safety Razor Co., Inc.”
Henry J. Gaisman (1870-1974), inventor and philanthropist, established the Auto Strop Safety Razor Co. in 1906 and sold it to the Gillette Safety Razor Co. in 1930. The firm introduced “THE MILLION DOLLAR RAZOR” in 1928, boasting that it was “the result of 21 years of research and the expenditure of a million dollars in experiments.”
Ref: “H. J. Gaisman, 104, Inventor, Is Dead,” New York Times (Aug. 7, 1974), p. 38.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Gem Safety Razor Corporation
ID Number
1984.0782.316
accession number
1984.0782
catalog number
1984.0782.316
Paper enveloped with inscription that reads “3 Tested / BURHAM / SAFETY RAZOR CO. / NEW YORK CITY / U.S.A. / Reg. Trade Mark.”Ref: George H. Hamilton, “Safety-Razor,” U.S. Patent 927,349 (July 6, 1909), assigned to Burham Safety Razor Co. of New York.Currently not on view
Description
Paper enveloped with inscription that reads “3 Tested / BURHAM / SAFETY RAZOR CO. / NEW YORK CITY / U.S.A. / Reg. Trade Mark.”
Ref: George H. Hamilton, “Safety-Razor,” U.S. Patent 927,349 (July 6, 1909), assigned to Burham Safety Razor Co. of New York.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Burham Safety Razor Company
ID Number
1979.0798.502
accession number
1979.0798
catalog number
1979.0798.502
Steel safety razor in a metal box with inscriptions that read “ANTICOR / THE / MAGIC / SAFETY / CORN / SHAVER” and “NEW BLADES / SOLD EVERYWHERE / 3 FOR 25¢ / CHANGE BLADES EVERY / THREE MONTHS FOR / BEST RESULTS” and “MONEY BACK / GUARANTEE TO GIVE ABSOLUTE / AND PERFECT SATISFA
Description
Steel safety razor in a metal box with inscriptions that read “ANTICOR / THE / MAGIC / SAFETY / CORN / SHAVER” and “NEW BLADES / SOLD EVERYWHERE / 3 FOR 25¢ / CHANGE BLADES EVERY / THREE MONTHS FOR / BEST RESULTS” and “MONEY BACK / GUARANTEE TO GIVE ABSOLUTE / AND PERFECT SATISFACTION / TO EVERY CUSTOMER / ANTICOR MFG. COMPANY / NEW YORK CITY.”
Ref: Hugo Buchner, “Corn-Cutter,” U.S. Patent 983,202 (Jan. 11, 1911), assigned to the Anticor Mfg. Co.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1979.0798.218
accession number
1979.0798
catalog number
1979.0798.218
Safety razor in a cardboard box with an inscription that reads in part “THE MILLION DOLLAR RAZOR” and “AutoStrop Safety Razor Co., Inc.”Henry J. Gaisman (1870-1974), inventor and philanthropist, established the Auto Strop Safety Razor Co.
Description
Safety razor in a cardboard box with an inscription that reads in part “THE MILLION DOLLAR RAZOR” and “AutoStrop Safety Razor Co., Inc.”
Henry J. Gaisman (1870-1974), inventor and philanthropist, established the Auto Strop Safety Razor Co. in 1906 and sold it to the Gillette Safety Razor Co. in 1930. The firm introduced “THE MILLION DOLLAR RAZOR” in 1928, boasting that it was “the result of 21 years of research and the expenditure of a million dollars in experiments.”
Ref: “H. J. Gaisman, 104, Inventor, Is Dead,” New York Times (Aug. 7, 1974), p. 38.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Auto Strop Safety Razor Company
ID Number
1984.0782.318
accession number
1984.0782
catalog number
1984.0782.318
Display rack holding twenty cardboard packages with inscriptions that read “FOR A SWEET SHAVE USE / GOLD’N / HONEY BLADE / SINGLE EDGE / LATEST EXCLUSIVE / SCIENTIFIC PROCESS” and “MADE IN U.S.A.” The Honey Blade Co. was located in St.
Description
Display rack holding twenty cardboard packages with inscriptions that read “FOR A SWEET SHAVE USE / GOLD’N / HONEY BLADE / SINGLE EDGE / LATEST EXCLUSIVE / SCIENTIFIC PROCESS” and “MADE IN U.S.A.” The Honey Blade Co. was located in St. Louis and New York City.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Honey Blade Co.
ID Number
1983.0871.93
accession number
1983.0871
catalog number
1983.0871.93
An inscription on one side of this cardboard package reads “SEALECTED / STAR / DOUBLE EDGE” and that on the other reads “Famous Since 1880 / STAR DIVISION / AMERICAN SAFETY RAZOR CORP. / BROOKLYN 1, N.Y. / MADE IN U.S.A.” The form was on the market by 1948.Currently not on view
Description
An inscription on one side of this cardboard package reads “SEALECTED / STAR / DOUBLE EDGE” and that on the other reads “Famous Since 1880 / STAR DIVISION / AMERICAN SAFETY RAZOR CORP. / BROOKLYN 1, N.Y. / MADE IN U.S.A.” The form was on the market by 1948.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
mid 20th century
maker
American Safety Razor Corporation
ID Number
1984.0730.01
accession number
1984.0730
catalog number
1984.0730.01
Safety razor in a cardboard box with a “DURHAM DUPLEX” inscription. The Durham Safety Razor Co. was established in New York City, probably in 1908. By 1910 it was trading as the Durham Duplex Razor Co., and had a factory in Jersey City, N.J.Currently not on view
Description
Safety razor in a cardboard box with a “DURHAM DUPLEX” inscription. The Durham Safety Razor Co. was established in New York City, probably in 1908. By 1910 it was trading as the Durham Duplex Razor Co., and had a factory in Jersey City, N.J.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Durham Duplex Razor Company
ID Number
1984.0782.317
accession number
1984.0782
catalog number
1984.0782.317
Glass and metal hypodermic syringe with an “IDEAL / CITY OF NEW YORK” inscription on the side, and a “487” serial number.
Description
Glass and metal hypodermic syringe with an “IDEAL / CITY OF NEW YORK” inscription on the side, and a “487” serial number. The “EAST RUTHERFORD SYRINGES” inscription on the box refers a New Jersey firm that built a factory in the early 1930s, and that acquired a new facility in 1955, primarily for distributing syringes for the new Salk polio vaccine.
Location
Currently not on view
user
City of New York Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
ID Number
2017.0184.058
accession number
2017.0184
catalog number
2017.0184.058
Store display of 20 cardboard packages, with an inscription that reads “St. Regis / REG. U.S. PAT. OFF. MADE IN U.S.A. / DOUBLE-EDGE BLADES” and “DISTRIBUTED EXCLUSIVELY BY / MCKESSON & ROBBINS, INC. / NEW YORK, N.Y.”Currently not on view
Description
Store display of 20 cardboard packages, with an inscription that reads “St. Regis / REG. U.S. PAT. OFF. MADE IN U.S.A. / DOUBLE-EDGE BLADES” and “DISTRIBUTED EXCLUSIVELY BY / MCKESSON & ROBBINS, INC. / NEW YORK, N.Y.”
Location
Currently not on view
distributor
McKesson and Robbins
ID Number
1985.0460.242
catalog number
1985.0460.240
accession number
1985.0460
Five double-edged razor blades in a cardboard box with inscriptions that read “REG. U.S. PAT. OFF. / MOLLÉ RAZOR BLADES / FOR QUICK EASY SHAVING / CHROME SURGICAL STEEL” and “THE MOLLÉ CO. BEDFORD, OHIO.
Description
Five double-edged razor blades in a cardboard box with inscriptions that read “REG. U.S. PAT. OFF. / MOLLÉ RAZOR BLADES / FOR QUICK EASY SHAVING / CHROME SURGICAL STEEL” and “THE MOLLÉ CO. BEDFORD, OHIO. U.S.A.” The firm obtained a trademark on the term MOLLÉ in 1938.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Molle Company
ID Number
1984.0782.321
accession number
1984.0782
catalog number
1984.0782.321
Steel safety razor with a “GEM” inscription. An inscription on the cardboard box reads “We guarantee the perfection / and shave satisfaction of this / Gem Safety Razor and its / marvelous Gem Double-Life / Blade.
Description
Steel safety razor with a “GEM” inscription. An inscription on the cardboard box reads “We guarantee the perfection / and shave satisfaction of this / Gem Safety Razor and its / marvelous Gem Double-Life / Blade. Gem blades are sold / everywhere and always run / 100% perfect to the package.”
Ref: Ad for Gem Double Life Blades in Popular Mechanics (Feb. 1926): 162.
Location
Currently not on view (cardboard box; paper inserts)
date made
ca 1923
maker
Gem Safety Razor Corporation
ID Number
1985.0481.230
accession number
1985.0481
catalog number
1985.0481.230
Glass vial with metal screw lid, and paper label that reads “3 Yds.
Description
Glass vial with metal screw lid, and paper label that reads “3 Yds. Waxed / PEARL-MINT / DENTAL TAPE / Flatten before using / ASSOCIATED DENTAL / PRODUCTS, Inc./ NEW YORK, N.Y.” Associated Dental Products was in business by 1925 and selling Pearl-Mint by 1927.
Dental tape is part of a boxed set that came with a tube of Pearl-Mint toothpaste (1984.0782.227) and a toothbrush /gum massager (1984.0782.227.1). The box for the set states: "A Packet Containing All Three Essentials for Clean, Healthy Teeth and Gums."
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Associated Dental Products
ID Number
1984.0782.227.2
catalog number
1984.0782.227.2
accession number
1984.0782
Cardboard box containing one hypodermic needle, and carrying a text that reads in part “LILLY’S ILETIN SYRINGE NO. 280” AND “ELI LILLY & CO. Indianapolis, U.S.A.” The inscription on the needle tube reads “Lilly 35787 / NO. 280 ILETIN SYRINGE / ELI LILLY & CO.
Description
Cardboard box containing one hypodermic needle, and carrying a text that reads in part “LILLY’S ILETIN SYRINGE NO. 280” AND “ELI LILLY & CO. Indianapolis, U.S.A.” The inscription on the needle tube reads “Lilly 35787 / NO. 280 ILETIN SYRINGE / ELI LILLY & CO. INDIANAPOLIS, U.S.A.” Iletin was the Eli Lilly trade name for insulin. The firm filed for a trademark on the term in 1922.
In the early 1920s, Eli Lilly collaborated with the research team at the University of Toronto to develop the commercial manufacture of insulin. Along with the production of insulin, the company marketed accessories such as insulin syringe kits and testing kits for urine sugar.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1940
maker
Eli Lilly and Company
ID Number
1982.0498.13
catalog number
1982.0498.13
accession number
1982.0498
Two glass pipettes in a cardboard box. Inscriptions on the box read in part, “YANKEE CERTIFIED / BLOOD DILUTING PIPETTE—WITH TUBING AND MOUTHPIECE / CERTIFIED BY CLAY-ADAMS, INC.
Description
Two glass pipettes in a cardboard box. Inscriptions on the box read in part, “YANKEE CERTIFIED / BLOOD DILUTING PIPETTE—WITH TUBING AND MOUTHPIECE / CERTIFIED BY CLAY-ADAMS, INC. MADE IN U.S.A.” AND “PATENT 2,726,549 / ALL MARKINGS ARE PERMANENT AND WILL NOT WASH OR WEAR OFF.”
Ref: James H. Geffen, “Graduated Measuring Device,” U.S. Patent 2,726,549 (Dec. 13, 1955), assigned to Clay-Adams, Inc.
Location
Currently not on view
patent date
1955-12-13
maker
Clay Adams
ID Number
1980.0851.04
catalog number
1980.0851.04
accession number
1980.0851
patent number
US2726549

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