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: 1980s

U-100 N, NPH Iletin II, Isophane Purified Pork Insulin Suspension, 10cc, CP-310P

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1982
maker
Eli Lilly and Company
ID Number
1982.0153.24
accession number
1982.0153
catalog number
1982.0153.24

Acupuncture Instrument Set

Acupuncture has gone in and out of fashion over the centuries in both China and the West. Part of a 2,000-year-old system of medicine that originated in China, acupuncture spread across Asia and the world with the migration of Asian peoples.
Description
Acupuncture has gone in and out of fashion over the centuries in both China and the West. Part of a 2,000-year-old system of medicine that originated in China, acupuncture spread across Asia and the world with the migration of Asian peoples. In 2002, there were about 15,000 licensed acupuncturists in the United States.
Despite its continuous currency in Asian cultures, acupuncture did not gain a wide audience in the United States until the 1960s and 1970s. The revival of interest came on the heels of reports from several American physicians traveling in China, New York Times reporter James Reston's dramatic 1971 acupuncture treatment following an emergency appendectomy while in China, and Richard Nixon's historic 1972 visit.
Acupuncture involves the application of very small needles inserted at specific points on the skin. The needles work to balance the body's flow of qi (pronounced chee). According to Taoist religious teachings, qi encompasses the fundamental life force that flows throughout the universe.
As practiced today, acupuncture is an East-West hybrid. Its transnational character emerged in the early 20th century as Western influence became more pronounced in medical schools in mainland China in the decades before the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC). In those years of the Chinese Republic, traditional Chinese medicine was discouraged as intellectual elites pressed for modernization and practitioners felt imperialist pressures from the West and Japan. After 1949, the communist PRC regime encouraged traditional Chinese medicine, and the system developed as understood today through the establishment of several medical schools and training sites. Later, traditional practitioners cautiously welcomed Western, allopathic knowledge in the 1960s and 1970s as overseas Chinese, trained in the West, returned home with scientific ideas.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1988
maker
Hwa To Brand
ID Number
1989.0196.082
catalog number
1989.0196.082
accession number
1989.0196

Philippines, 1.50 P - Postage Stamp Commemorating Smallpox Target Zero - Global Eradication of Smallpox

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1966 - 1980
ID Number
1985.3109.079
nonaccession number
1985.3109
catalog number
1985.3109.079

LifeScan OneTouch

Dark gray blood glucose monitor with blue and white logo on front, LCD display panel, and operating button. Manufacturer's label on the back with serial number, PA435659.Currently not on view
Description
Dark gray blood glucose monitor with blue and white logo on front, LCD display panel, and operating button. Manufacturer's label on the back with serial number, PA435659.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
about 1989
maker
LifeScan Inc.
ID Number
2014.0140.15
accession number
2014.0140
catalog number
2014.0140.15

Malaysia, 15 cents - Postage Stamp Commemorating the Global Eradication of Smallpox

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1966 - 1980
ID Number
1985.3109.064
nonaccession number
1985.3109
catalog number
1985.3109.064

Bag Balm Antiseptic

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1983
maker
Dairy Association Company, Inc.
ID Number
1997.0051.02
accession number
1997.0051
catalog number
1997.0051.02

Minshan Hotel Bath Gel - Sichuan

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1988
ID Number
1989.0196.114
catalog number
1989.0196.114
accession number
1989.0196

M-M-R II - Measles Mumps Rubella Virus Vaccine - Live, MSD - 1 Single Dose 0.5 mL Vial

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1985
expiration date
1985-03-28
maker
Merck Sharp and Dohme
ID Number
2017.0291.11
catalog number
2017.0291.11
accession number
2017.0291

Roferon-A, Interferon alfa-2a recombinant, injectable solution 0.5mL

Roferon-A is an injectible, recombinant pharmaceutical used to treat different types of leukemia, malignant melanoma, multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, AIDS-related sarcoma, and hepatitis.
Description (Brief)
Roferon-A is an injectible, recombinant pharmaceutical used to treat different types of leukemia, malignant melanoma, multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, AIDS-related sarcoma, and hepatitis. It was discontinued in October 2007, as new therapies for the diseases it treated were developed.
Recombinant pharmaceuticals are created by inserting genes from one species into a host species, often yeast or bacteria, where they do not naturally occur. The genes code for a desired product, and therefore the genetically modified host organisms can be grown and used as a kind of living factory to produce the product. In this case, genes coding for human interferon are inserted into bacteria. Interferon is a substance that is naturally made by the body to fight infections and tumors. Bacteria produce the interferon, which is harvested and used as the active ingredient in Roferon-A.
Object consists of a sealed white cardboard box with red and black printing. Box contains one multiple-dose vial.
Location
Currently not on view
product expiration date
1988-07-01
maker
Hoffmann-La Roche
Roche Laboratories
ID Number
1987.0786.01
accession number
1987.0786
catalog number
1987.0786.01

Pegasus Perfume

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1988
ID Number
1989.0196.025
catalog number
1989.0196.025
accession number
1989.0196

Maldives, 2 R - Postage Stamp Commemorating the World Eradication of Smallpox and Edward Jenner

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1966 - 1980
ID Number
1985.3109.063
nonaccession number
1985.3109
catalog number
1985.3109.063

Togo, 5 F - Postage Stamp Commemorating World Eradication of Smallpox and Edward Jenner

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1966 - 1980
ID Number
1985.3109.081
nonaccession number
1985.3109
catalog number
1985.3109.081

Wyvac Rabies Vaccine (Human Diploid-Cell Strain) Subvirion Antigen - 1 Dose With One Ampule of Diluent - Wyeth

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
after 1982
date of revision of paper insert
1982-08-09
maker
Wyeth Laboratories Inc.
ID Number
2007.0171.08
catalog number
2007.0171.08
accession number
2007.0171

Iraq, 25 fils - Postage Stamp Commemorating the International Announcement for the Eradication of the Smallpox & Backing Nursing

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1966 - 1980
ID Number
1985.3109.072
nonaccession number
1985.3109
catalog number
1985.3109.072

RhoGAM Rho(D) Immune Globulin (Human)

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1986
expiration date
1986-06-27
maker
Ortho Pharmaceutical Corporation
ID Number
1988.0655.02
accession number
1988.0655
catalog number
1988.0655.02

Vigorol Liquid Hair Relaxer For Medium to Fine Hair

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1980
maker
Nicholas Laboratories, Inc.
ID Number
2010.0213.035
accession number
2010.0213
catalog number
2010.0213.035

Roferon-A, Interferon alfa-2a recombinant, injectable solution, 1mL

Roferon-A is an injectible, recombinant pharmaceutical used to treat different types of leukemia, malignant melanoma, multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, AIDS-related sarcoma, and hepatitis.
Description (Brief)
Roferon-A is an injectible, recombinant pharmaceutical used to treat different types of leukemia, malignant melanoma, multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, AIDS-related sarcoma, and hepatitis. It was discontinued in October 2007, as new therapies for the diseases it treated were developed.
Recombinant pharmaceuticals are created by inserting genes from one species into a host species, often yeast or bacteria, where they do not naturally occur. The genes code for a desired product, and therefore the genetically modified host organisms can be grown and used as a kind of living factory to produce the product. In this case, genes coding for human interferon are inserted into bacteria. Interferon is a substance that is naturally made by the body to fight infections and tumors. Bacteria produce the interferon, which is harvested and used as the active ingredient in Roferon-A.
Object consists of a sealed white cardboard box with red and black printing. Box contains 10 single-use, 1 mL vials.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1988
product expiration date
1988-04-01
maker
Hoffmann-La Roche
Roche Laboratories
ID Number
1987.0786.02
accession number
1987.0786
catalog number
1987.0786.02

Bumper Sticker, THE AIDS CRISIS IS NOT OVER

Since the first reports thirty years ago, the illness has become chronic and manageable as effective multi-drug treatments have reduced mortality.
Description
Since the first reports thirty years ago, the illness has become chronic and manageable as effective multi-drug treatments have reduced mortality. The AIDS crises spurred new knowledge of retroviruses and the human immune system, the development of new laboratory techniques, and faster drug approval.
In addition, HIV and AIDS shifted sexual practices and the role of sex in identity. LBBT people (lesbians, gay, bisexual, transgender) became more accepted. Awareness of sexually transmitted infections made "safe sex" a familiar term and an expected behavior. AIDS drew attention to the interplay of poverty, race, and addiction with disease. The art and media created around the loss and tragedy profoundly influenced cultural practices and aesthetics.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1987
ID Number
1988.0537.15
catalog number
1988.0537.15
accession number
1988.0537

Guinée, 40 F - Postage Stamp Commemorating the Fight Against Smallpox and Measles - Guinea

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1966 - 1980
ID Number
1985.3109.048
nonaccession number
1985.3109
catalog number
1985.3109.048

Plasmid Tubes

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date used
1979-1980
ID Number
2013.0088.01
accession number
2013.0088
catalog number
2013.0088.01

Ireland, 11 - Postage Stamp Depicting a Country Doctor Vaccination of a Child

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1966 - 1980
ID Number
1985.3109.076
nonaccession number
1985.3109
catalog number
1985.3109.076

Ovutime Ovulation Predictor Test

The Ovutime Ovulation Test, which indicated the presence of the luteinizing hormone (LH) associated with ovulation, was on the market by 1986.
Description
The Ovutime Ovulation Test, which indicated the presence of the luteinizing hormone (LH) associated with ovulation, was on the market by 1986. According to claims on the package, the test “accurately predicts the time of ovulation up to 36 hours in advance.” Moreover, “Although OVUTIME provided valuable information about the time of ovulation, the results are not intended for contraception purposes.” The Ovutime Ovulation Test was distributed by Advanced Care Products, a Division of Ortho Pharmaceutical Corp.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
ca 1986
product expiration date
1986-12
maker
Advanced Care Products
Ortho Pharmaceutical Corporation
ID Number
1988.0655.17
catalog number
1988.0655.17
accession number
1988.0655

SEIU WORKS

A poster advertising the Service Employees International Union.Currently not on view
Description
A poster advertising the Service Employees International Union.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1984
copyright date
1984
affiliated union
Service Employees International Union
Congress of Industrial Organizations
American Federation of Labor
maker
Service Employees International Union
ID Number
1987.0522.01
accession number
1987.0522

Jarvik-7 Artificial Heart

This Jarvik-7 total artificial heart was used in the first authorized bridge to organ transplant operation. A bridge to transplantation is a temporary measure that replacs a failing heart with a mechanical pump while waiting for a human heart for implantation. Jack G.
Description
This Jarvik-7 total artificial heart was used in the first authorized bridge to organ transplant operation. A bridge to transplantation is a temporary measure that replacs a failing heart with a mechanical pump while waiting for a human heart for implantation. Jack G. Copeland, M.D, performed the surgery on August 29, 1985 at the University Medical Center, University of Arizona. The patient, 25 year old Michael Drummond, lived with the mechanical pump for nine days until a donor heart could be implanted. Later, Drummond kept the heart in his home before its donation to the Smithsonian.
Robert Jarvik (b. 1946) graduated from Syracuse University and earned a master’s degree in medical engineering from New York University. Then, at to the University of Utah Medical School, he earned an MD and was influenced by Wilhelm Johan Kolff, a Dutch-born physician who had developed a dialysis machine and was working on artificial organs. The first Jarvik-7 artificial heart was implanted in Barney Clark in 1982.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1985
associated date
1985-08-29
user
Drummond, Michael
designer
Jarvik, Robert
maker
Symbion, Inc.
ID Number
1987.0474.01
catalog number
1987.0474.01
accession number
1987.0474

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