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.

Permissible gas mask for organic vapors, Type WIG G1, made by the Willson Products Division of The Electric Storage Battery Co., in Reading, Pa.Gile Johnson Willson (1824-1888) and his son, Thomas A. Willson (ca.
Description
Permissible gas mask for organic vapors, Type WIG G1, made by the Willson Products Division of The Electric Storage Battery Co., in Reading, Pa.
Gile Johnson Willson (1824-1888) and his son, Thomas A. Willson (ca. 1853-), both of Reading, Pa., began experimenting with optical glass in 1871, with the aim of making safety eyewear. T. A. Willson & Co. built a glass factory, hired workers from France and Belgium, and mounted an exhibit at the Centennial Exhibition held in Philadelphia in 1876. The firm became Willson Goggles, Inc. in 1913, and later Willson Products. By 1966, the firm had become a Division of The Electric Storage Battery Co. The factory in Reading closed in May 2002.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
After 1966
ID Number
2017.0184.033
catalog number
2017.0184.033
accession number
2017.0184
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
Inscriptions on the container read “RAZORBRITE / BATH” and “PAT. 1981853 / PAT. 2027899 / TRADE MARK REG. / U.S. PAT. OFF.”Ref: Homer L. Bruce, “Receptacle,” U.S. Patent 1,981,853 (Nov. 27, 1934).Homer L. Bruce, “Cover for Receptacles for Safety Razors,” U.S.
Description
Inscriptions on the container read “RAZORBRITE / BATH” and “PAT. 1981853 / PAT. 2027899 / TRADE MARK REG. / U.S. PAT. OFF.”
Ref: Homer L. Bruce, “Receptacle,” U.S. Patent 1,981,853 (Nov. 27, 1934).
Homer L. Bruce, “Cover for Receptacles for Safety Razors,” U.S. Patent 2,027,899 (Jan. 14, 1936).
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1940
patent date (US1981853 A)
1934
patent date (US2027899 A)
1936
ID Number
1986.0873.44
patent number
1981853
2027899
accession number
1986.0873
catalog number
1986.0873.44
Pamphlet for Indexo, a firm that apparently began in 1901 and that was still going in 1937.Currently not on view
Description
Pamphlet for Indexo, a firm that apparently began in 1901 and that was still going in 1937.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
MG.291116.333
accession number
291116
catalog number
291116.333
William David Coolidge (1873-1975), an American physicist working for General Electric, introduced a new hot cathode x-ray tube in 1913, with articles sent to scientific publications, and demonstrations given to physicians and radiologists, many of whom saw the advantages for dia
Description
William David Coolidge (1873-1975), an American physicist working for General Electric, introduced a new hot cathode x-ray tube in 1913, with articles sent to scientific publications, and demonstrations given to physicians and radiologists, many of whom saw the advantages for diagnostic purposes and cancer treatments. This early Coolidge tube was used at the University of Maryland.
Ref: William David Coolidge, “A Powerful Roentgen Ray Tube with a Pure Electron Discharge,” Physical Review 2nd Ser. 2 (1914): 409-430.
General Electric Company, Coolidge X-Ray Tube (Schenectady, N.Y., 1920).
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1918
maker
General Electric Company
ID Number
MG.M-08013
catalog number
M-08013
accession number
223481
Physical DescriptionGreen sharkskin with silver trim. Thumb lancet inside.General HistoryThere was a vast array of hardware associated with bloodletting, but the most common item used was a lancet. A lancet was a small, sharp, two-edged knife.
Description
Physical Description
Green sharkskin with silver trim. Thumb lancet inside.
General History
There was a vast array of hardware associated with bloodletting, but the most common item used was a lancet. A lancet was a small, sharp, two-edged knife. Using a lancet required much skill as one false move could cut a nerve or tendon.
ID Number
1977.0789.36
catalog number
1977.0789.36
accession number
1977.0789
Instrument designed for locating bullets and other foreign material in bodies. An inscription on the lid of the box reads “ETABLISSEMENTS GAIFFE / COMPASS DE MR LE MEDECIN PRINCIPAL HIRTZ / POUR LA RECHERCHE DES PROJECTILES.” The form was invented in 1907 by E. J.
Description
Instrument designed for locating bullets and other foreign material in bodies. An inscription on the lid of the box reads “ETABLISSEMENTS GAIFFE / COMPASS DE MR LE MEDECIN PRINCIPAL HIRTZ / POUR LA RECHERCHE DES PROJECTILES.” The form was invented in 1907 by E. J. Hirtz, a French medical officer and head of physiotherapy at a military hospital, and widely used during World War I. Ladislas Adolphe Gaiffe (1832-1887) was an important electrical instrument maker in Paris who began in business in 1856. He was succeeded by his son, G. Gaiffe. By the 1920, the firm was trading as Etablissements Gaiffe-Gallot & Pilon.
Ref: L. Ombrédanne and R. Ledoux-Lebard, Localization and Extraction of Projectiles (London, 1918), p. 214.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1916
maker
Gaiffe, Ladislas Adolphe
ID Number
MG.315231.01
catalog number
315231.01
accession number
218475
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
The inscriptions on the handle of this toothbrush read “BRISCO” and “KLEANWELL” and “57.” The form was available by 1910, was apparently made in France.Currently not on view
Description
The inscriptions on the handle of this toothbrush read “BRISCO” and “KLEANWELL” and “57.” The form was available by 1910, was apparently made in France.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
MG.M-10571
catalog number
M-10571
accession number
253101
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
Red plastic safety razor in a case with an inscription in the lid that reads in part “. . . PLASTI- / PACK / PAT. NO. / . .
Description
Red plastic safety razor in a case with an inscription in the lid that reads in part “. . . PLASTI- / PACK / PAT. NO. / . . .” Inscriptions on the cardboard package for the blade(s) read in part “Goldtone / DOUBLE EDGE / BLADE” and “The unique Goldtone pro / cess adds longer life and / smoother shaves. / SANITARY and / RUST RESISTING.” The form was on the market by 1944. Daniel C. Dillon, Jr., d.b.a. D. C. Dillon & Co., obtained a trademark in 1944.
Ref: Daniel C. Dillon, Jr., “Collapsible Safety Razor,” U.S. Patent 2,325,751 (Aug. 3, 1943), assigned to Dillon-Beck Manufacturing Co.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1984.0782.322
accession number
1984.0782
catalog number
1984.0782.322
Cardboard package with inscriptions that read “EVERSHARP / SCHICK” and “magazine / razor / blades / not for use / in injector / razors” and “6 / cartridges.” The package contains two metal cylinders.Jacob Schick, a retired U.S.
Description
Cardboard package with inscriptions that read “EVERSHARP / SCHICK” and “magazine / razor / blades / not for use / in injector / razors” and “6 / cartridges.” The package contains two metal cylinders.
Jacob Schick, a retired U.S. Army Colonel, established the Magazine Repeating Razor Co., in Newark, N.J., in 1923. Within a few years, he had filed for patents, and begun producing the injector razor. Eversharp, a firm know for its pens, acquired the firm in 1946, and renamed it the Schick Safety Razor Division of Eversharp, Inc.
Ref: Jacob Schick, “Safety Razor,” U.S. Patent 1,724,969 (Aug. 20, 1929).
Ad for Schick Repeating Razor in Life 92 (Nov. 16, 1928): 39.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Schick Laboratories
ID Number
1985.0460.238
catalog number
1985.0460.238
accession number
1985.0460
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2017.0184.002.24
catalog number
2017.0184.002.24
accession number
2017.0184
Morell Mackenzie (1837-1892), an eminent British physician who specialized in diseases of the throat, modified the Physick tonsillotome, largely by adding a stout handle that could be placed on either side.
Description
Morell Mackenzie (1837-1892), an eminent British physician who specialized in diseases of the throat, modified the Physick tonsillotome, largely by adding a stout handle that could be placed on either side. This Mackenzie tonsillotome belonged to William Hallock Park (1863-1939), a physician who directed the Pathology, Bacteriology, and Disinfection Laboratory of the New York City Board of Health for many years.
Ref: Morell Mackenzie, Diseases of the Throat and Nose (Philadelphia, 1880), vol. 1, pp. 26-30.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2017.0184.002.21
catalog number
2017.0184.002.21
accession number
2017.0184
Fahnestock-type tonsillotome that belonged to William Hallock Park (1863-1939), a physician who directed the Pathology, Bacteriology, and Disinfection Laboratory of the New York City Board of Health for many years.Currently not on view
Description
Fahnestock-type tonsillotome that belonged to William Hallock Park (1863-1939), a physician who directed the Pathology, Bacteriology, and Disinfection Laboratory of the New York City Board of Health for many years.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2017.0184.002.20
catalog number
2017.0184.002.20
accession number
2017.0184
Bone cutting forceps with “LUER / A PARIS” and “BREVETE” inscriptions.Currently not on view
Description
Bone cutting forceps with “LUER / A PARIS” and “BREVETE” inscriptions.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2017.0184.002.11
catalog number
2017.0184.002.11
accession number
2017.0184
A metal plate on the side of this pump reads in part “IVAN SORVALL / NEW YORK, N.Y., U.S.A.” and “SERVALL LABORATORY AIDS.” Ivan Sorvall (1897-1922) was born in Stockholm, trained in commercial matters, moved to the U.S. in 1922, and began importing Swedish merchandise.
Description
A metal plate on the side of this pump reads in part “IVAN SORVALL / NEW YORK, N.Y., U.S.A.” and “SERVALL LABORATORY AIDS.” Ivan Sorvall (1897-1922) was born in Stockholm, trained in commercial matters, moved to the U.S. in 1922, and began importing Swedish merchandise. In 1930 he organized Ivan Sorvall, Inc., manufacturers of centrifuges and other laboratory equipment. The trademark of the firm was “Servall.”
Ref: “Ivan Sorvall,” New York Times (Nov. 11, 1952), p. 29.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2017.0184.071
accession number
2017.0184
catalog number
2017.0184.071
With the Reinhardt desiccator, “the whole interior space can be used.” And, “the air-tight ground glass cover cannot slip off, as the flange around the top is slightly turned upward.” C.
Description
With the Reinhardt desiccator, “the whole interior space can be used.” And, “the air-tight ground glass cover cannot slip off, as the flange around the top is slightly turned upward.” C. Reinhardt (1859-1905), a German chemist, introduced the form in the 1890s.
Ref: Eimer & Amend, Revised and Enlarged Catalogue of Bacteriological Apparatus (New York, 1907), p. 157.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2017.0184.023
catalog number
2017.0184.023
accession number
2017.0184
The Kjeldahl digestion rack, designed to determine protein, nitrogen and ammonia content of organic compounds, was developed by the Danish chemist, Johan Gustav Christoffer Thorsager Kjeldahl (1849–1900).
Description
The Kjeldahl digestion rack, designed to determine protein, nitrogen and ammonia content of organic compounds, was developed by the Danish chemist, Johan Gustav Christoffer Thorsager Kjeldahl (1849–1900). A tag on this example reads in part “MODERN SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND / PRODUCTION CONTROL EQUIPMENT / ENGINEERED AND BUILT BY THE / PRECISION SCIENTIFIC CO. / Made in U.S.A. CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.”
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Precision Scientific Company
ID Number
2017.0184.022.1
catalog number
2017.0184.022.1
accession number
2017.0184
Nasal speculum with a “W. F. FORD / S. I. CO. N.Y.” inscription. William Fraser Ford (1820-1897) was a surgical instrument maker from England who worked in New York City.Ref: W. F.
Description
Nasal speculum with a “W. F. FORD / S. I. CO. N.Y.” inscription. William Fraser Ford (1820-1897) was a surgical instrument maker from England who worked in New York City.
Ref: W. F. Ford, Illustrated Catalogue of Surgical Instruments and Appliances (New York, n.d.).
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Ford, William F.
ID Number
2017.0184.002.22
catalog number
2017.0184.002.22
accession number
2017.0184
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

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