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.

Taking Diabetes to School

Soft cover, staple bound, illustrated children's book. Written by Kim Gosselin and illustrated by Moss Freedman. Published by JayJo Books, L.L.C., Copyright 1998, 2004.
Description
Soft cover, staple bound, illustrated children's book. Written by Kim Gosselin and illustrated by Moss Freedman. Published by JayJo Books, L.L.C., Copyright 1998, 2004. Story is about a boy named Jayson and his experience managing his diabetes especially throughout the school day. The story is intended to be read in the classroom to help other children better understand the experience of a classmate with diabetes. The author's own son Jayson was diagnosed with diabetes at age 6. The book belonged to the donor, Kaitlin Marie, who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 2.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
2004
maker
Gosselin, Kim
ID Number
2017.0192.05
accession number
2017.0192
catalog number
2017.0192.05

Juvenile Diabetes Foundation Supporting Sponsor Level Achievement Award, Walk to Cure Diabetes

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
2000
awardee
Papenfuss, Kaitlin Marie
ID Number
2017.0192.09
accession number
2017.0192
catalog number
2017.0192.09

Diabetes by Kaitlin Papenfuss

Red hardcover bound book. Written and illustrated by Kaitlin Papenfuss age 11. The story is about Kaitlin's experience living with juvenile diabetes which she was diagnosed with at age 2.
Description
Red hardcover bound book. Written and illustrated by Kaitlin Papenfuss age 11. The story is about Kaitlin's experience living with juvenile diabetes which she was diagnosed with at age 2. Published by : Creations by You, PO Box 102830, Denver, CO 80250-2830, www.creationsbyyou.com.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
2007
maker
Marie, Kaitlin
ID Number
2017.0192.03
accession number
2017.0192
catalog number
2017.0192.03

Dexcom G5 Sensor and Transmitter, Continuous Glucose Monitoring

Blood glucose sensor and transmitter device for continuous blood glucose monitoring for individuals with diabetes. "DEXCOMG5" printed on the top of the sensor. Adhesive gauze patch attached to the device to adhere transmitter to skin.
Description
Blood glucose sensor and transmitter device for continuous blood glucose monitoring for individuals with diabetes. "DEXCOMG5" printed on the top of the sensor. Adhesive gauze patch attached to the device to adhere transmitter to skin. The sensor is a thin wire that projects from the bottom of the device and is inserted just under the skin. The device transmits glucose data every 5 minutes wirelessly to a compatible smart phone or other device. Made by Dexcom, Inc. The Dexcom G5 Mobile Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) System was approved by the FDA in 2016. It was the first fully mobile, wireless glucose monitoring system using Bluetooth technology to transmit glucose data directly to a smart phone.
This device was used by the donor Kaitlin Marie for about six months.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
2016-2017
maker
Dexcom, Inc.
ID Number
2017.0192.13
accession number
2017.0192
catalog number
2017.0192.13

Walk to Cure Diabetes: Kaitlin's Lucky Stars

Black cotton t-sirt with writing on back and front. Front: "Kaitlin's Lucky Stars / Walk to Cure Diabetes / myownstylepack.com" with child-like drawing of a sun and boy and girl figures.
Description
Black cotton t-sirt with writing on back and front. Front: "Kaitlin's Lucky Stars / Walk to Cure Diabetes / myownstylepack.com" with child-like drawing of a sun and boy and girl figures. Printed on back: "Kaitlin's Lucky Stars / Walk to Cure Diabetes / myownstylepack.com / www.jdrf.org" Shirt worn by the donor who participated in the walk. See also the insulin pump pack (2017.0192.06) with the walk team's name "Kaitlin's Lucky Stars." Anvil brand name on neck tag.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
2005-2007
ID Number
2017.0192.08
accession number
2017.0192
catalog number
2017.0192.08

Glucagon Emergency Kit for Low Blood Sugar (Glucagon for Injection (rDNA origin) 1 mg)

Red plastic hinged case with white print label on top and paper label on bottom. Case contains one (1) glass vial of Glucagon, one (1) glass and plastic Hyporet syringe with diluting solution for Glucagon, and one (1) folded paper insert with Information for the User.
Description
Red plastic hinged case with white print label on top and paper label on bottom. Case contains one (1) glass vial of Glucagon, one (1) glass and plastic Hyporet syringe with diluting solution for Glucagon, and one (1) folded paper insert with Information for the User. A card with graphics illustrating how to use the kit is inserted into the inside lid of the case. Control No. A859184D; Exp. Date: 03 2013 - printed on label. "Sydnie Papenfuss" is written in black marker on one end of the case. The emergency kit was carried by Sydnie Papenfuss the younger sister of donor Kaitlin Marie. Both of the sisters have Type 1 diabetes. Glucagon is used to treat insulin coma or insulin reaction resulting from severe hypoglycemia (very low blood sugar.)
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 2013
product expiration date
2013-03
maker
Eli Lilly and Company
ID Number
2017.0192.16
accession number
2017.0192
catalog number
2017.0192.16

Re-Vira Tooth Polisher

Personal tooth cleaner with a “RE-VIRA / REG. U.S. PAT. OFF.” inscription on the handle. Neil McCloud Whittaker (1878-1963), a graduate of the College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York, devised a tooth cleaner that used disposable cotton pads rather than reusable bristles.
Description
Personal tooth cleaner with a “RE-VIRA / REG. U.S. PAT. OFF.” inscription on the handle. Neil McCloud Whittaker (1878-1963), a graduate of the College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York, devised a tooth cleaner that used disposable cotton pads rather than reusable bristles. He introduced the term “Revira” in 1924. He received a trademark in 1925, and a patent in 1926. He established the Revira Company in Ridgefield Park, N.J., and sponsored ads asking: “Do you sterilize your toothbrush?”
Ref: Neil McCloud Whittaker, “Toothbrush,” U.S. Patent 1,604,731 (Oct. 26, 1926).
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
MG.260892.206
accession number
260892
catalog number
260892.206

Guinea Pig Holder

The Voges guinea pig holder was associated with the German physician, Daniel Wilhelm Otto Voges (b. 1867).Ref: P. E. Archinard, Microscopy, Bacteriology, and Human Parasitology (Philadelphia and New York, 1903), p. 86.Currently not on view
Description
The Voges guinea pig holder was associated with the German physician, Daniel Wilhelm Otto Voges (b. 1867).
Ref: P. E. Archinard, Microscopy, Bacteriology, and Human Parasitology (Philadelphia and New York, 1903), p. 86.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
after 1895
ID Number
MG.253100.10
catalog number
253100.10
accession number
253100
catalog number
M-10523

Electrotherapeutic Apparatus

The McIntosh Electrical Corporation of Chicago, successor to the McIntosh Battery & Optical Co., made apparatus for physiotherapy. An inscription on the face of this high voltage, low current machine reads “THE MCINTOSH NO. 5 / POLYSINE / TRADE MARK U.S. PAT. OFF. APP.
Description
The McIntosh Electrical Corporation of Chicago, successor to the McIntosh Battery & Optical Co., made apparatus for physiotherapy. An inscription on the face of this high voltage, low current machine reads “THE MCINTOSH NO. 5 / POLYSINE / TRADE MARK U.S. PAT. OFF. APP. FOR / SER. NO. . . / OPERATES ON DIRECT CURRENT / MFD. BY / MCINTOSH.”
Ref: J. M. Martin, Practical Electro-Therapeutics and X-Ray Therapy (St. Louis, 1912), pp. 173-177.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1920
maker
McIntosh Electrical Corporation
ID Number
MG.318933.01
catalog number
318933.01
serial number
1033
accession number
318933

Bacterial Filter

In 1884, Charles Chamberland (1851-1908), a microbiologist working with Louis Pasteur in Paris, designed a filter that could remove bacteria from water. The inscriptions on this example read "F. Societe du Filtre Chamberland Systeme Pasteur. H. B.
Description
In 1884, Charles Chamberland (1851-1908), a microbiologist working with Louis Pasteur in Paris, designed a filter that could remove bacteria from water. The inscriptions on this example read "F. Societe du Filtre Chamberland Systeme Pasteur. H. B. & Cie / 58 Rue Notre-Dame-de-Lorette Paris Choisy-le-Roi" and "Made in France / Controle."
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1884
maker
H.B. & Cie.
Hautin, Boulenger and Company
ID Number
MG.M-02833
catalog number
M-02833
accession number
109831

Syringe Kit

The case lid is stamped "ANTITOXIN SYRINGE.” The date of April 7, 1891 is stamped on the barrel. This was designed and manufactured by Anton Molinari in Woodbridge, N.J.Ref: Anton Molinari, “Piston for Syringes,” U.S. Patent 449,883 (April 7, 1891).Currently not on view
Description
The case lid is stamped "ANTITOXIN SYRINGE.” The date of April 7, 1891 is stamped on the barrel. This was designed and manufactured by Anton Molinari in Woodbridge, N.J.
Ref: Anton Molinari, “Piston for Syringes,” U.S. Patent 449,883 (April 7, 1891).
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1920
patent date
1891-04-07
ID Number
MG.M-07851
catalog number
M-07851
accession number
223292

Blood Glucome Meter

date made
ca 1995
maker
Johnson & Johnson
ID Number
2001.0031.02.01
accession number
2001.0031
catalog number
2001.0031.02.01

Dental Scaling Set

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1985.0407.02
accession number
1985.0407
catalog number
1985.0407.02

DeWans Depilatory - Especially for facial use

Square-sided, colorless glass jar with black metal screw-on lid. Dark blue printing on jar depicts a female silhouette with arms raised above head.
Description
Square-sided, colorless glass jar with black metal screw-on lid. Dark blue printing on jar depicts a female silhouette with arms raised above head. Printed on jar: "DeWans Depilatory / Especially for facial use / Contains Strontium Sulfide / Net contents 3 ounces / Read Directions Carefully." Jar is mostly full of a white powder.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1950 - 1954
ID Number
2019.0244.02
catalog number
2019.0244.02
accession number
2019.0244

Dr. Hobson's Anti Skeeter Talc

Gold colored tin with dark green and medium green printing. Tin is flask-shaped and has a twist-open shaker top. Stylized mosquitoes are depicted on the sides of the tin. Directions specify: "To keep Mosquitoes away, apply freely to all exposed parts of the body.
Description
Gold colored tin with dark green and medium green printing. Tin is flask-shaped and has a twist-open shaker top. Stylized mosquitoes are depicted on the sides of the tin. Directions specify: "To keep Mosquitoes away, apply freely to all exposed parts of the body. Repeat when necessary or as the odor of the Anti Skeeter Talc lessens. REVISION 1926 / NET CONTENTS 3 1/4 oz."
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1926 - 1930
maker
Pfeiffer Chemical Company
ID Number
2019.0244.01
catalog number
2019.0244.01
accession number
2019.0244

Dr. Harter's medicine dosing glass

Eight-sided cup made colorless, molded glass with a pedestal foot. A mold seam is apparent on the underside of the foot. The cup bears a molded impression of the Dr. Harter's logo - a larger crescent moon, containing the word "Harter's" and with the word "Dr" above it.
Description
Eight-sided cup made colorless, molded glass with a pedestal foot. A mold seam is apparent on the underside of the foot. The cup bears a molded impression of the Dr. Harter's logo - a larger crescent moon, containing the word "Harter's" and with the word "Dr" above it. The cup also has an impression of the Dr. Harter's Wild Cherry Bitters bottle - a square bottle with a label bearing a similar crescent moon.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Dr. Harter Medicine Company
ID Number
2019.0244.03
catalog number
2019.0244.03
accession number
2019.0244

Artificial Eyes

Box of artificial eyes, with a label in the lid that reads “PROF. JAMES T. DAVIS / 127 EAST 15 ST. / NEW YORK.” James T.
Description
Box of artificial eyes, with a label in the lid that reads “PROF. JAMES T. DAVIS / 127 EAST 15 ST. / NEW YORK.” James T. Davis (1841-1899), who apparently followed in the footsteps of his father, advertised as “Inserter and only Maker of the Improved Artificial Human Eye, acknowledged to be the only correct imitation of nature in the world. Established 1849. Refers to the principal Oculists in the United States.”
Ref: “Artificial Human Eyes. How They Are Manufactured and Where,” New York Times (Feb. 21, 1874), p. 4.
James T. Davis ad in The Trow Directory Co.’s Business Directory of New York City 43 (1890), p. 33.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
unknown
ID Number
1984.0310.01
accession number
1984.0310
catalog number
1984.0310.01

Dentray Tooth Powder

A label on the front of this glass jar reads “DENTRAY / TOOTH POWDER.” That on the back reads in part “DENTRAY / TOOTH POWDER / MADE BY A DENTIST / Purest ingredients, harmless if swallowed. No grit, no pumice-cannot scratch the precious tooth enamel, nor hurt tender gums / . .
Description
A label on the front of this glass jar reads “DENTRAY / TOOTH POWDER.” That on the back reads in part “DENTRAY / TOOTH POWDER / MADE BY A DENTIST / Purest ingredients, harmless if swallowed. No grit, no pumice-cannot scratch the precious tooth enamel, nor hurt tender gums / . . . / DENTRAY COMPANY, N.Y. / MADE IN U.S.A.”
David Adolph Eolis (1886-1945) was an immigrant from Russia who settled in New York and identified as a chemist. In 1935, he obtained a patent for a powder dispenser (1,986,718), and a copyright on the term Dentray. In 1939 he obtained a patent for “composition and process of making powder from nacreous substances” (2,172,369).
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
MG.291116.178.01
accession number
291116
catalog number
291116.178.01

Keidel Vacuum Bleeding Tube - For the Quick and Aseptic Collection of Blood for the Wassermann and Other Reactions

An inscription on the cardboard box reads in part, “THE KEIDEL VACUUM BLEEDING TUBE / FOR THE QUICK AND ASEPTIC COLLECTION OF BLOOD FOR THE WASSERMANN AND OTHER REACTIONS.” The Wasserman test for syphilis was developed at the Robert Koch Institute for Infectious Diseases, in 1906
Description
An inscription on the cardboard box reads in part, “THE KEIDEL VACUUM BLEEDING TUBE / FOR THE QUICK AND ASEPTIC COLLECTION OF BLOOD FOR THE WASSERMANN AND OTHER REACTIONS.” The Wasserman test for syphilis was developed at the Robert Koch Institute for Infectious Diseases, in 1906, and named for August Paul von Wassermann (1866-1925), a German bacteriologist. Albert Keidel (1877-1942), a physician affiliated with the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, designed the form of this tube.
Ref: Albert Keidel, “A Sample Bleeding Tube for Obtaining Specimens for the Wasserman Reaction,” Journal of the American Medical Association 58 (1912): 1579.
Testing blood serum for the presence of antibodies required specialized tools and techniques for collecting blood samples without introducing contaminants. The Keidel Vacuum Bleeding Tube, introduced around 1915, provided one solution. Each sterile package contained a needle attached via a short rubber tube to a sealed glass vacuum tube. After the needle was inserted into the vein, the seal was broken, allowing blood to be drawn quickly into the glass tube. The sample could then be resealed and sent to the laboratory for testing. The Keidel device was marketed particularly for the Wassermann test—a serological test for syphilis developed in 1906. The diagnostic test aided public health departments in their efforts to control the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1915-1920
maker
Hynson, Westcott & Dunning, Incorporated
ID Number
2002.0224.16
catalog number
2002.0224.16
accession number
2002.0224

Mulford's Widal Test Outfit - for Practicing Physicians and Laboratories

Wood chest with latched, hinged lid. Paper label on top of lid. Additional paper label with list of contents of kit adhered to inside of chest lid. Chest contains: one 30 cc. bottle of Physiological Salt Solution, one 30 cc.
Description
Wood chest with latched, hinged lid. Paper label on top of lid. Additional paper label with list of contents of kit adhered to inside of chest lid. Chest contains: one 30 cc. bottle of Physiological Salt Solution, one 30 cc. bottle of Suspension of Sterilized Culture of Typhoid Bacillus, one 10 cc. dropping flask for Typhoid Culture with rubber bulb attached, one 10 cc. dropping flask for Salt Solution with rubber bulb attached, five graduated test tubes (one missing from original count) , one metal test tube holder (which holds six test tubes), three glass droppers (one has rubber bulb attached); one cardboard box with nine small capillary tubes for collecting serum, one needle in glass capillary tube, extra rubber bulbs and rubber stopper. Kit also contains one paper booklet with directions. One newspaper clipping - "Easy Method of Doing Widal's Reaction for Typhoid" / "Early Closure of War Wounds" - ca 1916, found in kit.
In 1896, French physician and bacteriologist Georges Fernand Isidore Widal introduced a blood test for typhoid that still bears his name. Scientists had observed that cholera bacteria would clump together when injected into animals that had been immunized against the disease. This clumping, called agglutination, resulted from the binding of antibodies in the blood serum to the bacterial antigens. The clumps were easily observed through a microscope. Widal devised a practical diagnostic technique for typhoid based on this phenomenon. He mixed a small sample of the patient’s blood serum with a suspension of typhoid bacilli, then used a microscope to examine a drop of the solution. If the cells clumped together, the patient had typhoid antibodies, which indicated either current infection or prior exposure to the disease.
In 1905, bacteriologist John Borden modified the Widal test in a way that freed practicing physicians from their reliance on the services of bacteriological laboratories. By 1912, the Mulford company was advertising a complete test outfit based on his modifications. The kit included a needle and glass capillary tubes for collecting blood from the earlobe, a bottle of salt solution for diluting the sample, a bottle of killed typhoid bacilli suspension, dropper bottles, test tubes, and a rack. The test required no microscope, as the bacterial clumping was visible to the naked eye, appearing as a small white mass at the bottom of the test tube.
date made
after 1905
maker
H. K. Mulford Company
ID Number
MG.M-07860
catalog number
M-07860
accession number
223292

Microtome Knife

The “Wilhelm Walb / Heidelberg” inscription in the lid of the case of this microtome knife is that of an important German cutler and surgical instrument maker, fl. 1880-1925.Currently not on view
Description
The “Wilhelm Walb / Heidelberg” inscription in the lid of the case of this microtome knife is that of an important German cutler and surgical instrument maker, fl. 1880-1925.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2017.0184.043
catalog number
2017.0184.043
accession number
2017.0184

Outdoor Girl Olive Oil Face Powder, Lido

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
after 1929
maker
Crystal Laboratories
ID Number
1979.0798.296
accession number
1979.0798
catalog number
1979.0798.296

Sample of Original Penicillin

In September 1928, British bacteriologist Alexander Fleming found something unusual growing in his laboratory. Mold had contaminated a plate of Staphylococci, disease-causing bacteria.
Description
In September 1928, British bacteriologist Alexander Fleming found something unusual growing in his laboratory. Mold had contaminated a plate of Staphylococci, disease-causing bacteria. Where the mold had spread, the bacteria had disappeared.
Further research revealed that the mold, Penicillium notatum, produced a substance harmful to microorganisms but relatively nontoxic to animals and humans. During World War II, British and American scientists expanded on Fleming's discovery to develop the powerful antibiotic penicillin.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1940s
referenced
Fleming, Alexander
maker
Fleming, Alexander
ID Number
MG.M-06668
catalog number
M-06668
accession number
198819

Syringe

Hypodermic syringe with steel case and needle designed by Charles Joseph Tagliabue in New York, and probably produced by the C. J. Tagliabue Mfg. Co. One inscription reads “PARKE DAVIS & CO. / PAT AUG 25 1885.” Another reads “PARKE, DAVIS & CO. / DETROIT, MICH.”Ref: Charles J.
Description
Hypodermic syringe with steel case and needle designed by Charles Joseph Tagliabue in New York, and probably produced by the C. J. Tagliabue Mfg. Co. One inscription reads “PARKE DAVIS & CO. / PAT AUG 25 1885.” Another reads “PARKE, DAVIS & CO. / DETROIT, MICH.”
Ref: Charles J. Tagliabue, “Syringe,” U.S. Patent 325,132 (Aug. 25, 1885).
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1898
maker
Parke, Davis and Company
Tagliabue, Charles J.
ID Number
MG.302606.230
accession number
302606
catalog number
302606.230

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