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.

Date: 1930s

Normal Serum (Equine) - For the Treatment of Burns, Laminitis, Hemophilia, Operative Hemorrhage and Purpura Hemorrhagica in Animals

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1937 - 1939
maker
Cutter Laboratories, Inc.
ID Number
1993.0331.023
catalog number
1993.0331.023
accession number
1993.0331

The Story of Soap, 1931

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1931
maker
Procter and Gamble
ID Number
1984.0718.113
catalog number
1984.0718.113
accession number
1984.0718

Miner's Red Juvenile Make-up

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1937
copyright date (on package)
1937
ID Number
1979.0798.216
accession number
1979.0798
catalog number
1979.0798.216

U-10 Iletin Insulin, Lilly, 10cc, 100 Units

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1930
maker
Eli Lilly and Company
ID Number
MG.M-02890.06
catalog number
M-02890.06
accession number
111796

Diphtheria Toxin - Diluted for Schick Test - 10 Tests

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1939
maker
Parke, Davis and Company
ID Number
MG.M-04851
catalog number
M-04851
accession number
154611

Three Flowers Talcum

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1930s
product line launched (Three Flowers)
1915
maker
Richard Hudnut
ID Number
1979.0798.518
accession number
1979.0798
catalog number
1979.0798.518

Evening in Paris Eau De Toilet

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1930s
maker
Bourjois, Inc.
ID Number
1979.0798.261
accession number
1979.0798
catalog number
1979.0798.261

Tuberculin, P.P.D. (Purified Protein Derivate) - for Intradermal Test in the Diagnosis of Tuberculosis

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1939
expiration date
1942-09-25
maker
Parke, Davis and Company
ID Number
MG.M-04848
catalog number
M-04848
accession number
154611

Hemo-Protein (Brooks) - (Deuteroproteose) - 5 cc., Bio. 2050

The indications or uses for this product as provided by the manufacturer are:A shattered, non-specific protein derived from the ox blood fibrin.
Description
The indications or uses for this product as provided by the manufacturer are:
A shattered, non-specific protein derived from the ox blood fibrin. For use in the treatment of infectious and allergic conditions when an increase in the polymorphonuclear white cells is desired.
A pamphlet provide by the manufacturer indicates that the product is "a new preparation for antigenic stimulation which does not produce untoward reactions." The pamphlet specifies that "a 10% solution is employed for intradermal, intravenous, intramuscular, or subcutaneous injection" and lists a large assortment of conditions for which the preparation is indicateded, including migraines, hay fever, colitis, and ulcer of the eye.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1939
maker
Parke, Davis and Company
ID Number
MG.M-04857
catalog number
M-04857
accession number
154611

U-20 Iletin Insulin, Lilly, 10cc, 200 Units

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1930
maker
Eli Lilly and Company
ID Number
MG.M-02892.02
catalog number
M-02892.02
accession number
111796

U-10 Iletin Insulin, Lilly, 5cc, 50 Units

After the connection between insulin and diabetes was announced in 1921, several pharmaceutical firms hastened to bring insulin and related materials to market. One such was the Eli Lilly & Co. of Indianapolis, which adopted the term Iletin for its insulin.
Description
After the connection between insulin and diabetes was announced in 1921, several pharmaceutical firms hastened to bring insulin and related materials to market. One such was the Eli Lilly & Co. of Indianapolis, which adopted the term Iletin for its insulin. This turned wood canister holds a glass ampule made to contain Lilly U-10 Iletin brand insulin, 5 cc., 50 units. The label refers to patents of Oct. 9, 1923 and Dec. 23, 1924.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1930
maker
Eli Lilly and Company
ID Number
MG.M-02889.01
catalog number
M-02889.01
accession number
111796

Antivenin (Nearctic Crotalidae) - North American Anti-Snake-Bite Serum - M 13

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1929
ca 1930
maker
H. K. Mulford Company
ID Number
MG.M-02703
catalog number
M-02703.01
accession number
108676

Bacterial Antigen Made from Staphylococcus Aureus - Staphylococcus Antivirus Besredka

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1930s
collection
Reid Drugstore
maker
Abbott Laboratories
ID Number
1984.0351.242
accession number
1984.0351
catalog number
1984.0351.242

Pompeian, Medium Shade

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1925 -1934
maker
Pompeian Company
ID Number
1985.0481.355
catalog number
1985.0481.355
accession number
1985.0481

Edna Wallace Hopper's White Youth Clay

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1923 - 1938
maker
Edna Wallace Hopper
ID Number
1979.0798.389
accession number
1979.0798
catalog number
1979.0798.389

Wildroot Hair Dressing, New Formula

The indications or uses for this product as provided on its packaging:Directions: Squeeze a little Wildroot Hair Dressing into one hand. Rub hands together and apply to wet or dry hair.
Description
The indications or uses for this product as provided on its packaging:
Directions: Squeeze a little Wildroot Hair Dressing into one hand. Rub hands together and apply to wet or dry hair. Massage vigorously.
The Wildroot Company of Buffalo, New York originally trademarked Wildroot hair tonic in 1920 and sold it in bottles. The product was marketed mainly to women, both to use on their own hair and to buy for their husbands. Early advertising claimed the hair tonic would cure dandruff, prevent balding, and produce thick, lustrous hair. In 1959 Wildroot sold its concerns to Colgate-Palmolive, and in 1962 the product was repackaged in a “new formula” and sold in a tube. The tag line "Grooms Clean as a Whistle, Quick as a Wink" introduced the new tube formula Wildroot. Advertising copy read, the "long lasting tube formula keeps your hair in place. Maybe your girl will mess up your hair, but not much else will."
date made
ca 1962
trademark date
1932
brand purchased date
1959
maker
Colgate-Palmolive Company
ID Number
1985.0475.231
catalog number
1985.0475.231
accession number
1985.0475

Lorraine Hair Net - Bobbed Double Mesh, Light Brown

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1937
copyright date (on package)
1937
maker
Glemby Company
ID Number
2012.0046.37
catalog number
2012.0046.37
accession number
2012.0046

Bayer-Tablets of Aspirin

The indications or uses for this product as provided on its packaging:Used since 1900 for the relief of Pain and Discomfort in Simple Headaches and Neuralgias, Head Colds, Muscular Aches and Pains, and as a gargle for relief of minor throat irritations.
Description
The indications or uses for this product as provided on its packaging:
Used since 1900 for the relief of Pain and Discomfort in Simple Headaches and Neuralgias, Head Colds, Muscular Aches and Pains, and as a gargle for relief of minor throat irritations. Does 1-2 tablets with water 3 to 4 times daily as required. Genuine Bayer Aspirin Tablets are made exclusively by the Bayer Company, Inc., Originators of Aspirin.
Aspirin, acetyl salicylic acid, was developed in the late 19th century at the Bayer company in Elberfeld, Germany. In 1900, Bayer received a patent for the drug in the United States and also registered the trademark name, Aspirin. The patent expired in 1917, and the trademark was partly struck down in a 1921 court ruling. The judge ruled that the aspirin name had passed into the public domain and that packages of 50 or less tablets could be sold to the public as "aspirin" by any manufacturer. The red script "Genuine," featured on this tin, appeared in Bayer Tablets of Aspirin advertising shortly after the 1921 ruling and was incorporated in the product label.
date made
ca 1930
maker
Bayer Company, Inc.
ID Number
MG.312608.342
catalog number
312608.342
accession number
312608

Typhoid Fever - These Premises Are Under State Quarantine

Yellow cardboard sign with black text reading, "TYPHOID FEVER- These Premises Are Under State Quarantine.
Description (Brief)
Yellow cardboard sign with black text reading, "TYPHOID FEVER- 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. Herman Lang, Health Officer"
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1930s
ID Number
2005.3079.07
catalog number
2005.3079.07
nonaccession number
2005.3079

Dubarry Skin Tonic and Freshener

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
product launch date
ca 1930
maker
Richard Hudnut
ID Number
1979.0798.268
accession number
1979.0798
catalog number
1979.0798.268

Elizabeth Arden Velva Leg Film, Sun Copper

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1940
product launch
1933
maker
Elizabeth Arden Inc.
ID Number
1988.3089.230
catalog number
1988.3089.230
nonaccession number
1988.3089

Elizabeth Arden Velva Leg Film, Sun Bronze

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1944
product launch
1933
maker
Elizabeth Arden Inc.
ID Number
1985.0481.385
accession number
1985.0481
catalog number
1985.0481.385

B-D Insulin Syringe, Dr. Busher's Automatic Injector

Herbert Busher, a physician in St Paul, Minnesota, designed a hypodermic syringe particularly for the self-administration of insulin. This example was made by Becton-Dickinson in New Jersey.
Description
Herbert Busher, a physician in St Paul, Minnesota, designed a hypodermic syringe particularly for the self-administration of insulin. This example was made by Becton-Dickinson in New Jersey. One label on the cardboard box reads “B-D INSULIN SYRINGE / For use with / 20 OR 40 UNIT INSULIN / BECTON, DICKIN-SON & CO., RUTHERFORD, N. J.” Another reads “DR. BUSHER’S / AUTOMATIC / INJECTOR / PAT. 1,845,O36.”
Ref: Herbert H. Busher, “Hypodermic Syringe,” U.S. Patent 1,845,036 (Feb. 16, 1932).
Herbert Busher, “Automatic Hypodermic Syringe for Self Administration of Insulin and Other Uses,” Journal of the American Medical Association 102 (1934): 1152.
Herbert Busher, “Automatic Hypodermic Injector,” Science 81 (1935): 256.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
after 1932
patent date
1932-02-16
maker
Becton, Dickinson and Company
ID Number
MG.M-07852
catalog number
M-07852
accession number
223292
patent number
US1845036A

Vaseline Camphor Ice

The indications or uses for this product as provided by the manufacturer are:For chapped hands & lips, sun & wind burn, rough skinCurrently not on view
Description
The indications or uses for this product as provided by the manufacturer are:
For chapped hands & lips, sun & wind burn, rough skin
Location
Currently not on view
date made
after 1934
maker
Chesebrough Manufacturing Company
ID Number
2008.0018.168
catalog number
2008.0018.168
accession number
2008.0018

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