Health & Medicine

Iron Lung

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.

Razor Blades

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

Razor

Safety razor designed for use with double-edged blades. There is a “Gillette” inscription in the lid of the case, and a paper packet marked “GILETTE / BLADE.” The small container marked “DULL” was presumably meant to hold blades past their prime.Currently not on view
Description
Safety razor designed for use with double-edged blades. There is a “Gillette” inscription in the lid of the case, and a paper packet marked “GILETTE / BLADE.” The small container marked “DULL” was presumably meant to hold blades past their prime.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Gillette Company
ID Number
1984.0557.01
accession number
1984.0557
catalog number
1984.0557.01

Razor Blades

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

Razor Blades

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

Razor Blades

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

Razor

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

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

Razor

Steel safety razor.Currently not on view
Description
Steel safety razor.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1978.0883.279
accession number
1978.0883
catalog number
1978.0883.279

Razor Blades

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

Razor Blade

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

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

Syringe

Glass and metal syringe with a 10 cc. capacity, in a red cardboard box with a “BOSTON / RECORD / HYPODERMIC SYRINGE / MADE IN U.S.A.” inscription.
Description
Glass and metal syringe with a 10 cc. capacity, in a red cardboard box with a “BOSTON / RECORD / HYPODERMIC SYRINGE / MADE IN U.S.A.” inscription. This is an American copy of the “Rekordspritze” introduced in 1906 by the Berlin instrument maker, Dewitt & Herz.
Location
Currently not on view
user
City of New York Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
ID Number
2017.0184.053
accession number
2017.0184
catalog number
2017.0184.053

Syringe

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

Razor Blades

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

Razor Blades (5)

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

Syringe

Glass and metal hypodermic syringe with a “BIMCo” inscription on the side, and a “BOSTON INST. MFG. CO.” inscription on the plunger.Currently not on view
Description
Glass and metal hypodermic syringe with a “BIMCo” inscription on the side, and a “BOSTON INST. MFG. CO.” inscription on the plunger.
Location
Currently not on view
user
City of New York Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
ID Number
2017.0184.054
accession number
2017.0184
catalog number
2017.0184.054

Graduated Glass Bottle - 2000 ml

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2017.0184.081
accession number
2017.0184
catalog number
2017.0184.081

Safety Razor

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

My Teddy Bears by Kaitlin Papenfuss

Dark pink hardcover bound book. Written and illustrated by Kaitlin Papenfuss age 9.
Description
Dark pink hardcover bound book. Written and illustrated by Kaitlin Papenfuss age 9. The story is about Kaitlin and her Teddy Bears - one is her teddy bear Rufus (see 2017.0192.01), the other is an imaginary bear named "Baby Bear." Published by : Creations by You, PO Box 102830, Denver, CO 80250-2830, www.creationsbyyou.com.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
2006
maker
Marie, Kaitlin
ID Number
2017.0192.02
accession number
2017.0192
catalog number
2017.0192.02

Medic Alert Bracelet - Diabetes

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
wearer
Marie, Kaitlin
ID Number
2017.0192.12
accession number
2017.0192
catalog number
2017.0192.12

ADA America Wins

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Fruit of the Loom
ID Number
1999.0352.02

Toothbrush

Toothbrush shared by astronauts Col. Frank Borman and Capt. Jim Lovell in 1965 on their rendezvous flight with Gemini 6-A.Currently not on view
Description
Toothbrush shared by astronauts Col. Frank Borman and Capt. Jim Lovell in 1965 on their rendezvous flight with Gemini 6-A.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca.1965
ID Number
MG.M-14770
catalog number
M-14770
accession number
300968

Chiclets Chewing Gum - Polio Immunization Lebanon

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1988-2005
maker
Warner-Lambert Pharmaceutical Company
Rotary International
ID Number
2005.3017.04
catalog number
2005.3017.04
nonaccession number
2005.3017

Crystalline Penicillin G Sodium

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
after 1946
maker
Upjohn Company
ID Number
1994.0359.01.01
catalog number
1994.0359.01.01
accession number
1994.0359

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