Science & Mathematics

Chemical Balance

The Museum's collections hold thousands of objects related to chemistry, biology, physics, astronomy, and other sciences. Instruments range from early American telescopes to lasers. Rare glassware and other artifacts from the laboratory of Joseph Priestley, the discoverer of oxygen, are among the scientific treasures here. A Gilbert chemistry set of about 1937 and other objects testify to the pleasures of amateur science. Artifacts also help illuminate the social and political history of biology and the roles of women and minorities in science.

The mathematics collection holds artifacts from slide rules and flash cards to code-breaking equipment. More than 1,000 models demonstrate some of the problems and principles of mathematics, and 80 abstract paintings by illustrator and cartoonist Crockett Johnson show his visual interpretations of mathematical theorems.

Place: United States

Diffraction Grating

Charles A. Young, professor of astronomy at the College of New Jersey (later Princeton University), acquired this diffraction grating in 1877. The speculum metal plate measures 2⅞ inches square, with the grating measuring almost 12 inches square. It is marked "Aug.
Description
Charles A. Young, professor of astronomy at the College of New Jersey (later Princeton University), acquired this diffraction grating in 1877. The speculum metal plate measures 2⅞ inches square, with the grating measuring almost 12 inches square. It is marked "Aug. 24, 1877; 5,760 per inch; 11,280 spaces, D. C. Chapman; 175, 2 Ave. N. Y." Daniel C. Chapman was the mechanic who operated the ruling engine designed and built by Lewis M. Rutherfurd.
Ref: D. J. Warner, "Lewis M. Rutherfurd: Pioneer Astronomical Photographer and Spectroscopist," Technology and Culture 12 (1971): 190-216.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1877
maker
Rutherfurd, Lewis Morris
ID Number
PH.328884
accession number
277637
catalog number
328884

Intron A; Interferon Alfa-2B Recombinant, 25 million IU

Intron A is an injectible recombinant pharmaceutical used to treat hairy cell leukemia.Recombinant pharmaceuticals are created by inserting genes from one species into a host species, often yeast or bacteria, where they do not naturally occur.
Description (Brief)
Intron A is an injectible recombinant pharmaceutical used to treat hairy cell leukemia.
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 white blood cell interferons are inserted into bacteria. Interferon is a substance that is naturally made by the body to fight infections and tumors. Bacteria produce the interferons, which are harvested and used as the active ingredient in Intron A.
Object consists of a cardboard box containing a second box, two glass bottles (one of the active pharmaceutical and one of the dilutent), and two product inserts.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1988
product expiration date
1988-07
maker
Schering Corporation
ID Number
1987.0781.06
catalog number
1987.0781.06
accession number
1987.0781

Innoculating Turntable

This inoculating turntable consists of a circular platform that rotates on its base. A petri dish was placed on the turntable, which was spun by hand.
Description (Brief)
This inoculating turntable consists of a circular platform that rotates on its base. A petri dish was placed on the turntable, which was spun by hand. This allowed a laboratory technician to streak bacteria onto the dish in even concentric circles.
It was used in the laboratories at Genentech, a biotechnology company.
Source:
Fischer Scientific. “Fischer Scientific Inoculating Turntables.” http://www.fishersci.com/ecomm/servlet/fsproductdetail_10652_791058__-1_0
Location
Currently not on view
user
Genentech, Inc.
maker
Fisher Scientific Company
ID Number
2012.0198.53
accession number
2012.0198
catalog number
2012.0198.53

Humulin N, NPH, human insulin (recombinant DNA origin) isophane suspension

Humulin is human insulin used for treating diabetes. Prior to its development, diabetics used insulin isolated from pig and cow pancreases.
Description (Brief)
Humulin is human insulin used for treating diabetes. Prior to its development, diabetics used insulin isolated from pig and cow pancreases. Developed by Genentech, the first American biotechnology company, Humulin was licensed to Eli Lilly and became the first marketable product created through recombinant DNA technology. Its licensing by the FDA in October 1982 also made it the first recombinant pharmaceutical approved for use in the United States.
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 insulin are inserted into bacteria. Bacteria produce insulin, which is harvested and used as the active ingredient in Humulin.
Humulin N is formulated to have a slower onset of action than regular insulin and a longer duration of activity (slightly less than 24 hours).
Object consists of a white cardboard box with black and red printing. Box contains two product inserts and one clear round glass bottle with an orange plastic cap and a white label. Bottle contains a pinkish substance suspended in a clear solution.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1987
maker
Eli Lilly and Company
ID Number
1987.0790.01
accession number
1987.0790
catalog number
1987.0790.01

Solar Spectrum

“PHOTOGRAPHIC MAP OF THE SOLAR SPECTRUM / MADE BY PROF. H. A. ROWLAND, JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY.” This is from the first series, and extends from 36.8 to 41.25 units.Henry A.
Description
“PHOTOGRAPHIC MAP OF THE SOLAR SPECTRUM / MADE BY PROF. H. A. ROWLAND, JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY.” This is from the first series, and extends from 36.8 to 41.25 units.
Henry A. Rowland, the first professor of physics at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md., produced a photographic map of the solar spectrum using concave diffraction gratings made with his own ruling engine. The first edition, published in 1886, covered the region from wave-length 3100 to 5790. The scale of these maps was much greater than the maps of Angstrom or Rutherfurd, and they showed many more spectral lines.
Ref: “Photograph of the Normal Solar Spectrum. Made by Professor H. A. Rowland,” Johns Hopkins University Circular 5 (1886).
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1886
maker
Rowland, Henry A.
ID Number
PH.322957.02
accession number
249200
catalog number
322957.02

Intron A; Interferon Alfa-2B Recombinant, 5 million IU

Intron A is an injectible recombinant pharmaceutical used to treat hairy cell leukemia.Recombinant pharmaceuticals are created by inserting genes from one species into a host species, often yeast or bacteria, where they do not naturally occur.
Description (Brief)
Intron A is an injectible recombinant pharmaceutical used to treat hairy cell leukemia.
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 white blood cell interferons are inserted into bacteria. Interferon is a substance that is naturally made by the body to fight infections and tumors. Bacteria produce the interferons, which are harvested and used as the active ingredient in Intron A.
Object consists of a cardboard box containing a second box, two glass bottles (one of the active pharmaceutical and one of the dilutent), and two product inserts.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1988
product expiration date
1988-03
maker
Schering Corporation
ID Number
1987.0781.01
accession number
1987.0781
catalog number
1987.0781.01

Fresnel Lighthouse Lens

In the early nineteenth century, lighthouses in the United States were considered inferior to those in France and England.
Description
In the early nineteenth century, lighthouses in the United States were considered inferior to those in France and England. American mariners complained about the quality of the light emanating from local lighthouse towers, arguing that European lighthouses were more effective at shining bright beams of light over long distances. While American lighthouses relied on lamps and mirrors to direct mariners, European lighthouses were equipped with compact lenses that could shine for miles.
In 1822, French scientist Augustin-Jean Fresnel was studying optics and light waves. He discovered that by arranging a series of lenses and prisms into the shape of a beehive, the strength of lighthouse beams could be improved. His lens—known as the Fresnel lens—diffused light into beams that could be visible for miles. Fresnel designed his lenses in several different sizes, or orders. The first order lens, meant for use in coastal lighthouses, was the largest and the strongest lens. The sixth order lens was the smallest, designed for use in small harbors and ports.
By the 1860s, all of the lighthouses in the United States were fitted with Fresnel lenses. This lens came from a lighthouse on Bolivar Point, near Galveston, Texas. Galveston was the largest and busiest port in nineteenth-century Texas. Having a lighthouse here was imperative – the mouth of the bay provided entry to Houston and Texas City, as well as inland waterways. The Bolivar Point Light Station had second and third order Fresnel lenses over the years; this third order lens was installed in 1907. Its light could be seen from 17 miles away.
On 16-17 August 1915, a severe hurricane hit Galveston. As the storm grew worse, fifty to sixty people took refuge in the Bolivar Point Light Station. Around 9:15 PM, the light’s turning mechanism broke, forcing assistant lighthouse keeper J.B. Brooks to turn the Fresnel lens by hand. By 10 PM, the vibrations from the hurricane were so violent that Brooks began to worry the lens might shatter. He ceased turning the lens, trimmed the lamp wicks and worked to maintain a steady light through the night. The next morning, Brooks left the lighthouse to find Bolivar Point nearly swept away by the water.
Bolivar Point Light Station used this Fresnel lens until 1933. It was donated to the Smithsonian Institution by the National Park Service.
date made
1822
late 1800s
all United States lighthouses outfitted with Fresnel lenses
1860s
lens used during a severe hurricane at Bolivar Point
1917-08-16 - 1917-08-17
donated to Smithsonian
1933
inventor
Fresnel, Augustin Jean
ID Number
TR.335567
catalog number
335567
accession number
1977.0626

Eco RI

This silver metal canister once contained Eco RI, an enzyme commonly used in molecular biology.
Description (Brief)
This silver metal canister once contained Eco RI, an enzyme commonly used in molecular biology. Eco RI belongs to a class of enzymes known as restriction enzymes, which are useful for their ability to cleave DNA only at locations containing specific sequences of nucleotides, the small chemical units that make up the longer DNA molecule. Eco RI recognizes the sequence GAATTC and will cut between the G and first A.
This particular canister of Eco RI was used to create recombinant DNA molecules at Genentech, a biotechnology company, in the early 1980s.
Source:
National Library of Medicine Medical Subject Headings. “Deoxyribonuclease EcoRI.” http://www.nlm.nih.gov/cgi/mesh/2011/MB_cgi?mode=&term=Eco-RI
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1985-03
user
Genentech, Inc.
ID Number
2012.0198.27
accession number
2012.0198
catalog number
2012.0198.27

Activase for intravenous use, 100 mg; Alteplase recombinant

Activase is a recombinant pharmaceutical that is administered intravenously. Approved by the FDA on November 13, 1987, it contains tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), an enzyme that helps dissolve blood clots.
Description (Brief)
Activase is a recombinant pharmaceutical that is administered intravenously. Approved by the FDA on November 13, 1987, it contains tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), an enzyme that helps dissolve blood clots. Although Activase was originally developed to treat heart attack (acute myocardial infarction), it is now also used to treat stroke (acute ischemic stroke) and blood clots in the lungs (pulmonary embolism).
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 tPA are inserted into cultured Chinese hamster ovary cells. The ovary cells produce tPA, which is harvested and used as the active ingredient in Activase.
Object consists of a white cardboard box with red and blue printing. Box contains two round, clear glass bottles, two product inserts, and one "Transofix" transfer device. One bottle contains sterile water for injection and has a plastic magenta lid and white label with black print. One bottle contains Activase and has plastic blue lid, a white label with blue and red printing and a white plastic base. The Transofix device is used to mix the sterile water and powdered Activase to reconstitute the medicine for administration.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
before 1994
maker
Genentech, Inc.
ID Number
2012.0046.42
catalog number
2012.0046.42
accession number
2012.0046

Microscope

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1968
maker
Bausch & Lomb Optical Company
ID Number
MG.M-12196
accession number
272522
catalog number
M-12196

Humulin R, REGULAR

Humulin is human insulin used for treating diabetes. Prior to its development, diabetics used insulin isolated from pig and cow pancreases.
Description (Brief)
Humulin is human insulin used for treating diabetes. Prior to its development, diabetics used insulin isolated from pig and cow pancreases. Developed by Genentech, the first American biotechnology company, Humulin was licensed to Eli Lilly and became the first marketable product created through recombinant DNA technology. Its licensing by the FDA in October 1982 also made it the first recombinant pharmaceutical approved for use in the United States.
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 insulin are inserted into bacteria. Bacteria produce insulin, which is harvested and used as the active ingredient in Humulin.
Humulin R is considered to be "regular" insulin and has had nothing added to change the speed or length of its action. It takes effect rapidly and has a relatively short duration of activity (6 to 8 hours), as compared with other insulin formulations.
Object is a sealed white cardboard box with black and red printing.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
before January 1995
maker
Eli Lilly and Company
ID Number
2012.0046.48
catalog number
2012.0046.48
accession number
2012.0046

Long-Period Vertical Seismometer (WWSSN)

Working at the Lamont Geological Observatory, a Columbia University facility in Palisades, N.Y., Frank Press and his mentor, Maurice Ewing, developed seismometers that responded to surface waves of long-period and small-amplitude, whether caused by explosions or by earthquakes.
Description
Working at the Lamont Geological Observatory, a Columbia University facility in Palisades, N.Y., Frank Press and his mentor, Maurice Ewing, developed seismometers that responded to surface waves of long-period and small-amplitude, whether caused by explosions or by earthquakes. The first long-period vertical seismometer at Lamont came to public attention in early 1953 with news that it had recorded waves from a large earthquake that had recently occurred at Kamchatka, in the Soviet Union. A painting of a subsequent but similar Lamont instrument appeared on the cover of Scientific American in March 1959.
This example was made for the World Wide Standard Seismological Network. Established in 1961, the WWSSN was designed to detect underground nuclear tests and generate valuable information about the earth’s interior and its dynamic processes. The WWSSN was a key component of VELA Uniform, a Cold War project that was funded by the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA), a branch of the Department of Defense. It was managed by the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey and then by the U.S. Geological Survey. That agency transferred this instrument to the Smithsonian in 1999.
Each of the 120 WWSSN stations had an instrument of this sort. This example was used in Junction City, Tex. It would have been linked to a matched galvanometer (such as 1999.0275.09) and a photographic drum recorder (such as 1999.0275.10). The “Sprengnether Instrument Co.” signature refers to a small shop in St. Louis, Mo., that specialized in seismological apparatus.
Like other long-period vertical seismometers developed at Lamont, this one was built around a “zero-length spring” of the sort that had been proposed in 1934 by Lucien LaCoste, a graduate student in physics at the University of Texas, and later incorporated into the gravity meters manufactured by LaCoste & Romberg.
Ref: United States Coast and Geodetic Survey, Instrumentation of the World-Wide Seismograph System, Model 10700 (Washington, D.C., 1962)
Ta-Liang Teng, “Seismic Instrumentation,” in Methods of Experimental Physics, vol. 24 part B, Geophysics (1987), pp. 56-58.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1961-1962
maker
W. F. Sprengnether Instrument Co.
ID Number
1999.0275.03
catalog number
1999.0275.03
accession number
1999.0275

Humulin R, Regular, insulin human injection, USP, recombinant DNA origin

Humulin is human insulin used for treating diabetes. Prior to its development, diabetics used insulin isolated from pig and cow pancreases.
Description (Brief)
Humulin is human insulin used for treating diabetes. Prior to its development, diabetics used insulin isolated from pig and cow pancreases. Developed by Genentech, the first American biotechnology company, Humulin was licensed to Eli Lilly and became the first marketable product created through recombinant DNA technology. Its licensing by the FDA in October 1982 also made it the first recombinant pharmaceutical approved for use in the United States.
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 insulin are inserted into bacteria. Bacteria produce insulin, which is harvested and used as the active ingredient in Humulin.
Humulin R is considered to be "regular" insulin and has had nothing added to change the speed or length of its action. It takes effect rapidly and has a relatively short duration of activity (6 to 8 hours) as compared with other insulin formulations.
Object consists of a white cardboard box with black and red printing. Box contains two product inserts and one round clear glass bottle with an orange plastic cap and a white label. Bottle contains a yellowish, clear solution.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1987
maker
Eli Lilly and Company
ID Number
1987.0790.03
accession number
1987.0790
catalog number
1987.0790.03

Engraved printing plate "Scolopax meridionalis, Zaporina umbrina"

This engraved printing plate was prepared to print an image of "Scolopax meridionalis, Zapornia umbrina" (now Galinago shicklandii - Cordilleran snipe and Porzana porzana - Spotted Crake) for the publication "United States Exploring Expedition, During the Years 1838, 1839, 1840,
Description (Brief)
This engraved printing plate was prepared to print an image of "Scolopax meridionalis, Zapornia umbrina" (now Galinago shicklandii - Cordilleran snipe and Porzana porzana - Spotted Crake) for the publication "United States Exploring Expedition, During the Years 1838, 1839, 1840, 1841, 1842," Volume 8, Mammalogy and Ornithology, plate 35, in the edition Philadelphia : J. B. Lippincott & Co., 1858. The engraving was produced by W. H. Dougal after W. E. Hitchcock.
Description
William H. Dougal (1822–1895) of New York and Washington, D.C. (after 1844) engraved this copper printing plate after drawings by William E. Hitchcock. The image depicts the Scolopax meridionalis (now Galinago shicklandii, or Cordilleran snipe) and Zapornia umbrina (now Porzana porzana, or Spotted Crake). The engraved illustration was published as Plate 35 in Volume VIII, Mammalogy and Ornithology, by John Cassin, 1858.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1858
publisher
Wilkes, Charles
original artist
Hitchcock, W. E.
graphic artist
Dougal, William H.
printer
Sherman, Conger
author
Cassin, John
maker
Peale, Titian Ramsay
ID Number
1999.0145.415
catalog number
1999.0145.415
accession number
1999.0145

Drawing, Gene Therapy

In January 1991, at the age of nine, Cindy Cutshall became the second patient to participate in the National Institutes of Health’s first human gene therapy trial.
Description (Brief)
In January 1991, at the age of nine, Cindy Cutshall became the second patient to participate in the National Institutes of Health’s first human gene therapy trial. Around the time of her treatment, she made this colored pencil drawing depicting a “good gene” and a “bad gene,” signing the bottom right corner with her initials.
To learn more about the first NIH gene therapy trials, see object
1999.0008.01, the blood cell separator.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1991-1992
maker
Cutshall, Cindy
ID Number
1992.0072.03
catalog number
1992.0072.03
accession number
1992.0072

Power Supply, ISCO MODEL 494

This power supply was used to provide an electric current for gel electrophoresis and electroelution in the lab at Genentech, a biotechnology company, in the early 1980s.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This power supply was used to provide an electric current for gel electrophoresis and electroelution in the lab at Genentech, a biotechnology company, in the early 1980s.
Location
Currently not on view
user
Genentech, Inc.
ID Number
2012.0198.59
catalog number
2012.0198.59
accession number
2012.0198

Humulin N, NPH

Humulin is human insulin used for treating diabetes. Prior to its development, diabetics used insulin isolated from pig and cow pancreases.
Description (Brief)
Humulin is human insulin used for treating diabetes. Prior to its development, diabetics used insulin isolated from pig and cow pancreases. Developed by Genentech, the first American biotechnology company, Humulin was licensed to Eli Lilly and became the first marketable product created through recombinant DNA technology. Its licensing by the FDA in October 1982 also made it the first recombinant pharmaceutical approved for use in the United States.
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 insulin are inserted into bacteria. Bacteria produce insulin, which is harvested and used as the active ingredient in Humulin.
Humulin N is formulated to have a slower onset of action than regular insulin and a longer duration of activity (slightly less than 24 hours).
Object is a sealed white cardboard box with black and red printing.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
before 1995
maker
Eli Lilly and Company
ID Number
2012.0046.43
accession number
2012.0046
catalog number
2012.0046.43

Diffraction Grating

This is one of the earliest concave metal diffraction gratings made on the ruling engine devised by Henry A. Rowland, professor of physics at The Johns Hopkins University. It measures 4 inches x 4.5 inches.
Description
This is one of the earliest concave metal diffraction gratings made on the ruling engine devised by Henry A. Rowland, professor of physics at The Johns Hopkins University. It measures 4 inches x 4.5 inches. The inscription reads "Rowland's concave grating Baltimore, May 12, 1882. 3610 lines to inch, radius 64". According to Rowland, it "was made for Professor Langley's experiments on the ultra-red portion of the spectrum, and was thus made very bright in the first spectrum. The definition seems to be very fine, notwithstanding the short focus and divides the 1474 line with ease."
At the time this grating was made, Samuel Pierpont Langley was serving as the director of the Allegheny Observatory and professor of astronomy at the Western University of Pennsylvania (now the University of Pittsburgh). He apparently brought this grating to Washington in 1887 when he became the third Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. And he apparently left it at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, an organization he established soon thereafter.
Ref: Henry A. Rowland, "Preliminary Notice of the Results accomplished in the Manufacture and Theory of Gratings for Optical Purposes," Philosophical Magazine 13 (1882): 469-474.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1882
maker
Rowland, Henry A.
ID Number
PH.316865
catalog number
316865
accession number
228767

Vertical Chamber for Gel Electrophoresis

This vertical chamber for gel electrophoresis was made in 1974 for the Stanley Cohen lab at Stanford University. Gel electrophoresis was one of the most important tools Cohen and Boyer used to analyze the effects of restriction enzymes on plasmids.
Description (Brief)
This vertical chamber for gel electrophoresis was made in 1974 for the Stanley Cohen lab at Stanford University. Gel electrophoresis was one of the most important tools Cohen and Boyer used to analyze the effects of restriction enzymes on plasmids. The technique allows a way to visualize and isolate molecules by separating them out according to their length using an electrical current (for power supply see object 1987.0757.27).
For more information on the Cohen/Boyer experiments with recombinant DNA see object 1987.0757.01
Sources:
Accession file
Location
Currently not on view
user
Cohen, Stanley N.
ID Number
1987.0757.14
catalog number
1987.0757.14
accession number
1987.0757

Multi-Plater Multiple Millipore Filtration Apparatus

This multipore filter multiplater was designed and used in the National Institute of Health lab of Dr.
Description (Brief)
This multipore filter multiplater was designed and used in the National Institute of Health lab of Dr. Marshall Nirenberg, a scientist who won the 1968 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work in helping to “crack the genetic code,” or to understand the way DNA codes for the amino acids that are linked to build proteins.
Part of Dr. Nirenberg's research involved making radioactively-labeled proteins. To analyze the proteins, Nirenberg had to separate them from the solution in which they were suspended. The first step in this process was to add trichloroacetic acid, which caused the proteins to form a solid, clumping together into a mass known as a precipitate. Next, the precipitate had to be separated from the rest of the solution. Originally separation was done by differential centrifugation, but that process was very time-consuming. Eventually, Nirenberg decided to try washing the precipitate over millipore filters under suction. The solution was pored over a millipore filter, trapping the precipitate but letting the solution drain through. Suction sped up the draining process. The first device he designed only was capable of handling one sample at a time, but later Philip Leder, who was then working with Dr. Nirenberg, designed this device to run large batches of the process. The mulitiple pores allowed suction to be applied to 45 samples at once.
The instrument was made in the NIH Instrument Fabrication section and was dubbed the "multi-plater" by Dr. Nirenberg. Compared to the centrifuge, it saved immense amounts of time, allowing the researchers to increase their output by more than five-fold.
The device has a four-legged steel base with tube connections for suction. The top portion, made of plastic, is in two parts and clamps onto the base. The bottom plastic part contains the 45 millipore filters. The top portion, which fits over it, has 45 holes connecting to the filters into which the precipitate is placed and then stoppered.
To learn more about Dr. Nirenberg’s efforts to crack the genetic code please see his jar of oligonucleotides, object number 2001.0023.02.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1963
maker
NIH Instrument Fabrication Section
ID Number
2001.0023.08
accession number
2001.0023
catalog number
2001.0023.08

Group Examination Beta

At the time of World War I, American psychologists hoped to extend intelligence testing from children to adults. They persuaded the U.S. Army to test its recruits in order to weed out those mentally unfit for duty overseas.
Description
At the time of World War I, American psychologists hoped to extend intelligence testing from children to adults. They persuaded the U.S. Army to test its recruits in order to weed out those mentally unfit for duty overseas. Tests were given to groups of soldiers, with paper and pencil replacing the puzzles and other objects used in earlier tests . Over 1.6 million soldiers took the exams. This 1918 form of the test was called the Army Beta Examination. It was designed for illiterates and those who spoke no English. Instructions were given by pantomime. In the portion of the test shown, inductees were asked to draw the missing part of the pictures.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1918
maker
Office of the Surgeon General. Division of Psychology
ID Number
1990.0334.02
accession number
1990.0334
catalog number
1990.0334.02

Comb, Electrophoresis

This white plastic electrophoresis comb is made from hard plastic and has 15 tines.Electrophoresis combs are used to create the wells in gels for electrophoresis, a technique that uses the electrical charges of molecules to separate them by their length.
Description (Brief)
This white plastic electrophoresis comb is made from hard plastic and has 15 tines.
Electrophoresis combs are used to create the wells in gels for electrophoresis, a technique that uses the electrical charges of molecules to separate them by their length. It is often used to analyze DNA fragments. When a gel is poured, a comb is inserted. After the gel solidifies, the comb is removed, leaving wells for samples.
Location
Currently not on view
user
Genentech, Inc.
ID Number
2012.0198.21
accession number
2012.0198
catalog number
2012.0198.21

Intron A; Interferon Alfa-2B Recombinant, 25 million IU

Intron A is an injectible recombinant pharmaceutical used to treat hairy cell leukemia.Recombinant pharmaceuticals are created by inserting genes from one species into a host species, often yeast or bacteria, where they do not naturally occur.
Description (Brief)
Intron A is an injectible recombinant pharmaceutical used to treat hairy cell leukemia.
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 white blood cell interferons are inserted into bacteria. Interferon is a substance that is naturally made by the body to fight infections and tumors. Bacteria produce the interferons, which are harvested and used as the active ingredient in Intron A.
Object consists of a cardboard box containing a second box, two glass bottles (one of the active pharmaceutical and one of the dilutent), and two product inserts.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1988
product expiration date
1988-07
maker
Schering Corporation
ID Number
1987.0781.05
accession number
1987.0781
catalog number
1987.0781.05

Experimental stockings

In 1928, the E. I. DuPont de Nemours Co. hired Wallace Carothers Ph. to conduct pure research in any area of chemistry he chose. His interest was in the construction of long chain polymers, similar to those found in nature.
Description
In 1928, the E. I. DuPont de Nemours Co. hired Wallace Carothers Ph. to conduct pure research in any area of chemistry he chose. His interest was in the construction of long chain polymers, similar to those found in nature. There was no product in mind when he and his team began their work, they simply wanted to learn as much about large molecules as possible. The work done by Carothers and his team lead to the discovery of polyesters and polyamides. DuPont went with the polyamides, and nylon was born. It was the first fiber produced entirely in the laboratory, and was introduced to the public in the form of women's stockings at the 1939 World's Fair. Nylon stockings went on sale May 15, 1940, and were a smashing success. Prior to the production of nylon stockings, American women wore stockings made of silk or rayon. By 1942, nylon stockings were taking twenty percent of the stocking market. With U.S. entry into World War Two, nylon was declared a defense material and withdrawn from the civilian market. Nylon's most famous use during the war was as a replacement for silk in parachutes. However, it was also used in ropes, netting, tire cord, and dozens of other items. So many uses were found for nylon that some referred to it as the "fiber that won the war." When the war ended, nylon stockings were brought back and quickly replaced silk and rayon in the stocking market.
This is the first pair of experimental nylon stockings made by Union Hosiery Company for Du Pont in 1937. The leg of the stocking is nylon, the upper welt, toe, and heel are silk, and cotton is found in the seam. The nylon section of the stocking would not take the silk dye, and dyed to black instead of brown.
Date made
ca 1937
1937
maker
Union Hosiery Co.
ID Number
TE.T12049
accession number
227591
catalog number
T12049

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