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: 1950s

Dodrill GMR Heart

“The Mechanical Heart” also known as the Michigan Heart had the ability to bypass the right and left side of the patient’s heart allowing surgeons a “dry” field on which to work. The Dodrill-GMR heart project was a collaborative effort led by Dr.
Description
“The Mechanical Heart” also known as the Michigan Heart had the ability to bypass the right and left side of the patient’s heart allowing surgeons a “dry” field on which to work. The Dodrill-GMR heart project was a collaborative effort led by Dr. Forest Dewey Dodrill of Harper Hospital in Detroit, Michigan and General Motors Research Laboratory.
The Dodrill-GMR Heart was used in the first successful open heart operation July 3, 1952. The patient, a forty-one year old male, had a deformed mitral valve which was successfully repaired
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1952
ca 1952
ID Number
MG.M-06790
accession number
203312
catalog number
M-06790

Poliomyelitis Vaccine Evaluation Registration Card, No 1

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1954
associated organization
National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis
associated person
Salk, Jonas E.
Kerr, Randall V.
maker
IBM
ID Number
MG.221419.11
accession number
221419
catalog number
221419.11

Sewell Heart Pump

This heart pump was built by William H. Sewell (-1993) and William W. L. Glenn (1914-2003), and was intended for physiological experiments. The pump was made from an Erector© Set, glass cylinders, cannula and rubber tubing.
Description
This heart pump was built by William H. Sewell (-1993) and William W. L. Glenn (1914-2003), and was intended for physiological experiments. The pump was made from an Erector© Set, glass cylinders, cannula and rubber tubing. All that remains today is the erector set.
Sewell built the pneumatically powered pump for his medical thesis at Yale University. He graduated in 1950. The object of the pump was to by-pass the right side of a dog's heart, and to look for any abnormalities the pump may have caused to the heart or the blood.
A cannula was inserted into the animal’s jugular vein and maneuvered into the right auricle and finally into the vena cava. Compressed air was used to pump blood through the dog's system. The first experiment took place in June 1949. The artificial heart worked and the dog made a complete recovery.
The total cost of the pump came to $24.80. The most expensive part at $9.00 was the erector set and motor.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1950
associated dates
1959 01 06 / 1959 01 06
ID Number
MG.M-08015
accession number
223384
catalog number
M-08015

Hufnagel Plastic Intracardiac Valve

This is a prototype of an artificial heart valve invented by pioneering heart surgeon Dr. Charles Hufnagel (1916-1989). Instead of an interior ball to help the blood flow in one direction, this valve has a tri-leaflet insertion.
Description (Brief)
This is a prototype of an artificial heart valve invented by pioneering heart surgeon Dr. Charles Hufnagel (1916-1989). Instead of an interior ball to help the blood flow in one direction, this valve has a tri-leaflet insertion. In 1952 Hufnagel and his team at Georgetown University invented and implanted the first successful artificial heart valve in a human. Hufnagel experimented with various materials but settled on polymethylmethacrylate, a hard, clear plastic more popularly known by the trade name of Plexiglas or Lucite.
The museum's collection of Hufnagel valves shows some of the early designs tested when first trying to produce a workable artificial heart valve.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1940s-1950s
maker
Hufnagel, Charles A.
ID Number
MG.M-11582.01
accession number
267860
catalog number
M-11582.01

Tri-Immunol - Diphtheria-Tetanus Toxoids (Alum-Precipitated) and Pertussis Vaccine, Combined - 1.5 cc, 1 immunization

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1949
expiration date
1950-09-21
maker
Lederle Laboratories Division, American Cyanimid Company
ID Number
MG.M-06544
catalog number
M-06544
accession number
183169

Salk Polio Vaccine, MEF-1 Strain

Jonas Salk first tested his polio vaccine on humans in July 1952 when he inoculated thirty children at the D. T. Watson Home for Crippled Children near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Description
Jonas Salk first tested his polio vaccine on humans in July 1952 when he inoculated thirty children at the D. T. Watson Home for Crippled Children near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. These children had already had polio, so Salk's test was designed to prove that his vaccine would create a higher level of immunity than a natural infection. Salk also tested his vaccine on residents of the Polk State Home and on himself and members of his laboratory staff.
This vial contains residue of polio vaccine from these first tests. The polio virus exists in hundreds of different strains, all of which fall into three major types. A complete vaccine must contain a strain from each of these three types. However, the children at the Watson Home received only one type of vaccine matching the strain of their original polio infection. This vial is labeled for the MEF-1 strain (Type II). The MEF-1 polio virus strain was originally isolated in 1942 from incidents of poliomyelitis occurring among the Middle East Forces of the British Army, in Cairo, Egypt.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1952
maker
Salk, Jonas E.
ID Number
MG.221419.06
catalog number
221419.06
accession number
221419

Cholera Vaccine Containing Vibrio Cholera - India Strains - 8 Billion per cc. - 1 vial, 1.5 cc. size, 1 immunization

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1949
expiration date
1950
maker
Lederle Laboratories Division, American Cyanimid Company
ID Number
MG.M-06545
catalog number
M-06545
accession number
183169

Poliomyelitis Vaccine - CT-716 - Eli Lilly and Co.

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1955
expiration date
1955-07-18
maker
Eli Lilly and Company
ID Number
MG.M-06833
catalog number
M-06833
accession number
207394

Aortic Valve Dilator

This aortic dilator designed by the donor Charles P. Bailey, M.D. (1911-1993) was used to widen calcified aortic leaflets, allowing blood to flow more freely through the Mitral valve. In 1948 Dr.
Description (Brief)
This aortic dilator designed by the donor Charles P. Bailey, M.D. (1911-1993) was used to widen calcified aortic leaflets, allowing blood to flow more freely through the Mitral valve. In 1948 Dr. Bailey a pioneering cardiac surgeon was the first to attempt an operation for Mitral commissurotomy. Upon reaching the heart Dr. Bailey slipped a finger inside the heart and opened the leaflets with a small knife. The surgery was performed "blind" going into the heart with his index finger with a blade attached and widening the valve. Bailey first four patients did not survive but the fifth patient was a success. First successful June 10, 1948.
After World War II physicians in Britain and the United States returned to the question of operating on the mitral valve to relieve stenosis. In Boston Dwight Harken, Russell Brock in England Horace Smithy in Charleston, SC.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1951
maker
George P. Pilling and Son Company
ID Number
MG.M-11606
catalog number
M-11606
accession number
267869

Poliomyelitis Vaccine from Field Trials

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1954
ID Number
MG.221419.13
accession number
221419
catalog number
221419.13

Catarrhalis Combined Vaccine - Bacterial Vaccine

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1949
expiration date
1950-05-22
maker
Lederle Laboratories Division, American Cyanimid Company
ID Number
MG.M-06535
catalog number
M-06535
accession number
183169

DeWitt's Vaporizing Balm

The indications or uses for this product as provided by the manufacturer are:To sooth nasal passagesCurrently not on view
Description
The indications or uses for this product as provided by the manufacturer are:
To sooth nasal passages
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
ca 1950
maker
E. C. DeWitt and Company
ID Number
MG.293320.1318
catalog number
293320.1318
accession number
293320

Hufnagel Intracardiac Valve

This is an example of the first artificial heart valve developed by pioneering heart surgeon Dr. Charles Hufnagel. The interior ball was made of hollow methylmethacrylate. The ball made so much noise the wearer could be heard walking down the hall.
Description
This is an example of the first artificial heart valve developed by pioneering heart surgeon Dr. Charles Hufnagel. The interior ball was made of hollow methylmethacrylate. The ball made so much noise the wearer could be heard walking down the hall. Hufnagel later replaced the noisy ball with ones coated with silicone. They proved to be considerably quieter.
Hufnagel, invented the plastic implantable heart valve in 1947. The ridged valve was first implanted in a human in 1952 at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C. Hufnagel experimented with various materials but settled on polymethyl methacrylate, a hard, clear plastic more popularly known by the trade name of Plexiglas or Lucite.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1940s-1950s
maker
Hufnagel, Charles A.
ID Number
MG.M-11582.04
accession number
267860
catalog number
M-11582.04

Bisodol

The indications or uses for this product as provided by the manufacturer are:Upset stomach due to excess acidityCurrently not on view
Description
The indications or uses for this product as provided by the manufacturer are:
Upset stomach due to excess acidity
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
ca 1950
maker
Whitehall Laboratories
ID Number
MG.293320.1184
accession number
293320
catalog number
293320.1184

Salk Polio Vaccine, Saukett Strain

Jonas Salk first tested his polio vaccine on humans in July 1952 when he inoculated thirty children at the D. T. Watson Home for Crippled Children near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Description
Jonas Salk first tested his polio vaccine on humans in July 1952 when he inoculated thirty children at the D. T. Watson Home for Crippled Children near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. These children had already had polio, so Salk's test was designed to prove that his vaccine would create a higher level of immunity than a natural infection. Salk also tested his vaccine on residents of the Polk State Home and on himself and members of his laboratory staff.
This vial contains residue of polio vaccine from these first tests. The polio virus exists in hundreds of different strains, all of which fall into three major types. A complete vaccine must contain a strain from each of these three types. However, the children at the Watson Home received only one type of vaccine matching the strain of their original polio infection. This vial is labeled for the Saukett strain (Type III).
Researchers isolated this strain from James Sarkett who contracted polio when he was ten years old. However the label on the sample taken from Sarkett was misread as “Saukett.” In scientific and medical research the strain continues to be referred to as the “Saukett strain.”
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1952
maker
Salk, Jonas E.
ID Number
MG.221419.05
catalog number
221419.05
accession number
221419

Poliomyelitis Vaccine - Types 1, 2 and 3

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1955
expiration date
1955-02-19
maker
Wyeth Laboratories
ID Number
MG.M-06835.02
catalog number
M-06835.02
accession number
207395

Undulant Fever Vaccine - Bacterial Vaccine - Made from Brucella abortus and Brucella suis

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1949
expiration date
1950-04-08
maker
Lederle Laboratories Division, American Cyanimid Company
ID Number
MG.M-06539
catalog number
M-06539
accession number
183169

Poliomyelitis Vaccine - Types 1, 2, and 3

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1955
expiration date
1955-04-01
maker
Pitman-Moore, Inc.
ID Number
MG.M-06834
catalog number
M-06834
accession number
207396

Influenza Virus Vaccine - Types A and B - Refined and Concentrated - 1 Vial, 1cc.

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1949
expiration date
1950-03-06
maker
Lederle Laboratories Division, American Cyanimid Company
ID Number
MG.M-06548
catalog number
M-06548
accession number
183169

Poliomyelitis Vaccine - Types 1, 2 and 3

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1955
expiration date
1955-02-19
maker
Wyeth Laboratories
ID Number
MG.M-06835.01
catalog number
M-06835.01
accession number
207395

Salk Polio Vaccine, Mahoney Strain

Jonas Salk first tested his polio vaccine on humans in July 1952 when he inoculated thirty children at the D. T. Watson Home for Crippled Children near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Description
Jonas Salk first tested his polio vaccine on humans in July 1952 when he inoculated thirty children at the D. T. Watson Home for Crippled Children near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. These children had already had polio, so Salk's test was designed to prove that his vaccine would create a higher level of immunity than a natural infection. Salk also tested his vaccine on residents of the Polk State Home and on himself and members of his laboratory staff.
This vial contains residue of polio vaccine from these first tests. The polio virus exists in hundreds of different strains, all of which fall into three major types. A complete vaccine must contain a strain from each of these three types. However, the children at the Watson Home received only one type of vaccine matching the strain of their original polio infection. This vial is labeled for the Mahoney strain (Type I).
The Mahoney strain of the polio virus was isolated in 1941 from three children in the Mahoney family of Akron, Ohio. The children themselves were asymptomatic although they had been in contact with some serious cases of poliomyelitis.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1952
maker
Salk, Jonas E.
ID Number
MG.221419.04
catalog number
221419.04
accession number
221419

Oravax - Oral Bacterial Vaccine

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1956
expiration date
1956-03-15
maker
Wm. S. Merrell Company
ID Number
1985.0475.888
accession number
1985.0475
catalog number
1985.0475.888

Canine-Distemper Vaccine - Inactivated Virus, Vacuum-Died

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1952
expiration date
1952-04-10
maker
American Cyanamid Company. Lederle Laboratories Division
ID Number
1985.0475.845
accession number
1985.0475
catalog number
1985.0475.845

Gold Medal Haarlem Oil Capsules

The indications or uses for this product as provided by the manufacturer are:A diuretic to the kidneysCurrently not on view
Description
The indications or uses for this product as provided by the manufacturer are:
A diuretic to the kidneys
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1950
collection
Reid Drugstore
maker
Gold Medal Haarlem Oil Co.
ID Number
1984.0351.101
accession number
1984.0351
catalog number
1984.0351.101

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