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

Comb, Electrophoresis

This white plastic electrophoresis comb has 17 tines.
Description (Brief)
This white plastic electrophoresis comb has 17 tines. Scientists at Genentech, a biotechnology company, made this comb themselves in the late 1970s by cutting it out of a sheet of plastic.
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
2012.0198.16
accession number
2012.0198
catalog number
2012.0198.16

Recombinant DNA Notebook

In a series of experiments between 1972 and 1974 Stanley Cohen, Herbert Boyer, and their colleagues, at Stanford University and the University of California, San Francisco, developed techniques that formed the basis of recombinant DNA technology and helped spur the birth of the b
Description (Brief)
In a series of experiments between 1972 and 1974 Stanley Cohen, Herbert Boyer, and their colleagues, at Stanford University and the University of California, San Francisco, developed techniques that formed the basis of recombinant DNA technology and helped spur the birth of the biotechnology industry.
This notebook was used by Stanley Cohen in his lab at Stanford University from January of 1972 through 1978 in his study of plasmids—a specific form of DNA found in some organisms, especially of bacteria. It chronicles his research on creating recombinant plasmids, starting with his efforts to break plasmids through mechanical shearing and following through his ground-breaking experiments employing restriction enzymes with Herbert Boyer.
While not technically a lab notebook—one containing a log of daily experiments—the notebook contains extra information on experiments, many sketches and maps of recombinant plasmids, and outlines for papers to be published (including on p. 51 the “Outline for Recombination Paper” that would become the paper “Construction of Biologically Functional Bacterial Plasmids In Vitro” published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of the Sciences in 1973.)
Scientists knew since 1959 that bacteria contain extra loops of DNA called “plasmids” in addition to their chromosome. In nature, bacteria can swap these plasmids with one another, quickly transferring beneficial genes like those that code for antibiotic resistance. By the early 1970s, investigators had isolated several plasmids as well as special enzymes known as “restriction endonucleases” that worked like scissors to cut open the loops of plasmids. Boyer had expertise with restriction endonucleases, and Cohen studied plasmids. After meeting at a conference in 1972, the two decided to combine their research efforts. Following preliminary experiments in 1973, the Cohen-Boyer team was able to cut open a plasmid loop, insert a gene from different bacteria and close the plasmid. This created a recombinant DNA molecule—a plasmid containing recombined DNA from two different sources.
Next, they inserted the plasmid into bacteria and demonstrated that the bacteria could use the new genes. They had created the first genetically modified organisms. A year later, the team used this technique to insert a gene from a frog into bacteria, proving that it was possible to transfer genes between two very different organisms. The technology for creating these “molecular chimeras” was patented on December 2, 1980 (U.S. Patent 4,237,224.)
The concept that genes from one organism could be inserted into another and still work was the foundation for the biotechnology industry, which emerged a few years later. Biotech companies use recombinant DNA to insert genes coding for useful products into bacteria and other organisms, turning them into tiny factories for making things from medicine to industrial chemicals. The earliest application of this technology was in the pharmaceutical industry. Learn more about this by searching for “Recombinant Pharmaceuticals” in our collection.
Source: Accession File
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1972-1978
used date
1972-1974
referenced
Boyer, Herbert
user
Cohen, Stanley N.
maker
Cohen, Stanley
ID Number
1987.0757.01
catalog number
1987.0757.01
accession number
1987.0757
patent number
4,237,224

Antitoxin, Baby BIG (Botulism Immune Globulin)

The California Department of Health Service and the Massachusetts Public Health Biologic Laboratories jointly developed Baby BIG (Botulism Immune Globlulin) antitoxin to treat infants infected with infant botulism.
Description (Brief)
The California Department of Health Service and the Massachusetts Public Health Biologic Laboratories jointly developed Baby BIG (Botulism Immune Globlulin) antitoxin to treat infants infected with infant botulism. In adults and older children, botulism infection is the result of ingesting food containing botulinum toxin produced by botulism bacteria growing in food. Infant botulism on the other hand, occurs when babies ingest bacterial spores and the bacteria colonize their large intestines. The disease is rare enough to have qualified for “orphan disease” status in 1989, which helped provide funding for the development of Baby BIG.
While botulism antitoxin has been produced commercially in the United States since 1940, using it to treat infants carried risks. Historically, antitoxin was derived from the blood serum of horses who had been injected with the botulinum toxin. Blood serum from these inoculated horses contained protective antibodies, which when injected into infected humans worked as an immune-response boosting antitoxin. (For more on equine botulism antitoxin see object 2001.0131.02 Vial, botulism anti-toxin.) Although generally successful in treating botulism, the horse-derived antitoxin serum sometimes induced allergic responses or serum sickness in patients, a complication that could be particular harmful for already ill infants.
For this reason, doctors preferred to use human-derived rather than horse-derived serum in the treatment of infants. Human-derived serum was first developed by the U.S. Army in the late 1970s and became available for public use in the early 1980s. With the start of the Gulf War, however, the military source of the antitoxin dried up as reserves were diverted to prepare for possible biological warfare attacks. In 1991 the California Department of Health Service and the Massachusetts Public Health Biologic Laboratories began work to develop their own human-derived botulism antitoxin. CDHS collected blood plasma from volunteers on its staff, who had already been inoculated against botulism for workplace safety. Their antibody-rich blood plasma formed the basis of the drug Baby BIG, which the FDA gave final approval for commercial sale for the treatment of infant botulism in 2003.
“Human Botulism Immune Globulin for the Treatment of Infant Botulism.” Stephen S. Arnon et al. New England Journal of Medicine. Vol. 354, No. 5. 2 February 2006. p.462.
“Creation and Development of the Public Service Orphan Drug Human Botulism Immune Globulin.” Stephen S. Arnon. Pediatrics. Vol. 119, No. 4. 4 April 2007.
“Summary Basis of Approval: Botulism Immune Globulin Intravenous (Human) (BIG-IV)” U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
http://www.fda.gov/downloads/biologicsbloodvaccines/bloodbloodproducts/approvedproducts/licensedproductsblas/fractionatedplasmaproducts/ucm117169.pdf
“Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Infant Botulism.” Infant Botulism Treatment and Prevention Program, Division of Communicable Disease Control, California Department of Public Health. http://www.infantbotulism.org/
Location
Currently not on view
date made
2004
product expiration date
2004-05-12
maker
Massachusetts Public Health Biologic Laboratories
Cangene Corporation
ID Number
2004.0134.01
accession number
2004.0134
catalog number
2004.0134.01

Light Box

This UV light box was used in the lab of Stanley Cohen at Stanford University in his research on recombinant DNA. UV light boxes are used to help visualize results from of DNA and RNA analysis through gel electrophoresis.
Description (Brief)
This UV light box was used in the lab of Stanley Cohen at Stanford University in his research on recombinant DNA. UV light boxes are used to help visualize results from of DNA and RNA analysis through gel electrophoresis. Molecules subjected to gel electrophoresis create a pattern of bands on a gel medium as they move. Scientists can interpret the pattern to obtain the results of the analysis. However, because the bands of molecules are naturally colorless, they must be dyed to be made visible. Dyes that fluoresce under UV radiation are commonly used. This UV light box was used to provide illumination behind the dyed bands, causing them to fluoresce so that they could be photographed and interpreted.
For more information on the Cohen/Boyer experiments with recombinant DNA see object 1987.0757.01
Source:
Accession File
Location
Currently not on view
user
Cohen, Stanley N.
ID Number
1987.0757.39
catalog number
1987.0757.39
accession number
1987.0757

De Fonbrune Microforge; Sensaur M4-67

This microforge was used at Genentech, a biotechnology company.Laboratory technicians use microforges to heat and shape glass in order to create very small, delicate instruments for work with living cells under a microscope.
Description (Brief)
This microforge was used at Genentech, a biotechnology company.
Laboratory technicians use microforges to heat and shape glass in order to create very small, delicate instruments for work with living cells under a microscope. This model was designed to “provide seven different basic operations for transforming fine capillary tubing, solid glass rods, and various fusible materials into an endless variety of micro-tools.” These micro-tools typically come in the form of extremely fine needles, pipettes, or hooks. They are used to manipulate or inject living cells under a microscope.
The need for the microforge developed after the invention of the micromanipulator, a tool designed to hold and manipulate tools under a microscope with a precision greater than that of the human hand.
Sources:
Curtin Scientific Company. “mini-maker!” Southwest Retort 22:9, May 1970. http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc111167/m1/24/
Institut Pasteur “Pierre de Fonbrune.” http://www.pasteur.fr/infosci/archives/fnb0.html
Location
Currently not on view
date made
about 1970
user
Genentech, Inc.
maker
Curtin Matheson Scientific, Inc.
ID Number
2012.0198.61
accession number
2012.0198
catalog number
2012.0198.61
maker number
V58092
model number
MF-67
serial number
46590

Activase, 50 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 one round clear glass bottle with blue plastic cap and white label. Bottle is about 1/3 full of white powder. Box also contains bubblewrap and one insert. Package indicates that the box once also contained 50mL of sterile water for preparing injection solutions.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1987
maker
Genentech, Inc.
ID Number
1987.0789.03
accession number
1987.0789
catalog number
1987.0789.03

Bendix Family Radiation Measurement Kit

This Family Radiation Measurement Kit was manufactured by the Bendix Corporation of Cincinnati, Ohio during the early 1960s and retailed for around $25. The Bendix kit was one of the first commercially available radiation detection devices designed for home use.
Description
This Family Radiation Measurement Kit was manufactured by the Bendix Corporation of Cincinnati, Ohio during the early 1960s and retailed for around $25. The Bendix kit was one of the first commercially available radiation detection devices designed for home use. It was marketed during the Cold War years, when families were encouraged to build fallout shelters and prepare for the possibility of nuclear war.
The Bendix kit contained three main parts: the Charger (CD V-756), the Ratemeter (CD V-736), and the Dosimeter (CD V-746). The Ratemeter was placed in an area of possible radiation, and after a minute, a reading was taken giving the dose rate in roentgens (a unit of measurement for exposure to radiation) per minute. If the meter didn’t move, the Ratemeter could be left out for an additional nine minutes and the reading taken in roentgens per hour. The Dosimeter measured the total amount of radiation exposure on a scale of zero to 600 roentgens and could be clipped to a belt or pocket. It was used after the Ratemeter indicated that radiation was present. The charger was used to re-zero the Ratemeter and Dosimeter between readings.
The kit also came with an instruction sheet which included a graph of the typical effects of radiation exposure. According to this graph, a dose of 75 roentgens causes vomiting in about 10% of people; a dose of 100 causes hair loss in at least 10%; a dose over 200 is severe enough to require medical care in 9 out of 10 cases; and a dose of 450 roentgens is the median lethal dose (fatal to 50%). Survivors are unlikely when exposure reaches 600 roentgens.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
early 1960s
maker
Bendix
ID Number
1993.3152.01
catalog number
1993.3152.01
nonaccession number
1993.3152

Duostat power supply

This power supply was used in the Stanley Cohen lab at Stanford University to run an electrical current through a vertical chamber for gel electrophoresis (see object 1987.0757.14).
Description (Brief)
This power supply was used in the Stanley Cohen lab at Stanford University to run an electrical current through a vertical chamber for gel electrophoresis (see object 1987.0757.14). 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 molecules by separating them out according to their length using an electrical current.
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.
maker
Beckman Instruments
ID Number
1987.0757.27
catalog number
1987.0757.27
accession number
1987.0757
serial number
8933

Diffraction Grating

This concave metal grating probably belonged to Samuel Pierpont Langley, director of the Allegheny Observatory and professor of astronomy at the Western University of Pennsylvania (now the University of Pittsburgh).
Description
This concave metal grating probably belonged to Samuel Pierpont Langley, director of the Allegheny Observatory and professor of astronomy at the Western University of Pennsylvania (now the University of Pittsburgh). It probably came to Washington in 1887 when Langley became the third Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution.
The inscription reads "plate polished and corrected by J. A. Brashear Pittsburgh, Mar. 1886 Radius 64 Ruled by Schneider on Rowland engine Johns Hopkins University April 1886 - lines to in temp-".
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1886
maker
Rowland, Henry A.
Brashear, John A.
ID Number
PH.316718
catalog number
316718
accession number
227592

Actimmune, Interferon gamma-1b injection

Actimmune is a recombinant pharmaceutical used to treat children and adults with chronic granulomatous disease (CGD, an immune system disorder) and severe, malignant osteopetrosis (a disease which causes bones to become extremely dense and can lead to blindness, scoliosis, and a
Description (Brief)
Actimmune is a recombinant pharmaceutical used to treat children and adults with chronic granulomatous disease (CGD, an immune system disorder) and severe, malignant osteopetrosis (a disease which causes bones to become extremely dense and can lead to blindness, scoliosis, and a number of other problems).
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 Actimmune.
Object is a plastic clamshell-style box with tabs for opening labeled "HOLD" and "LIFT." Box contains 12 single-dose vials, which are round, clear glass bottles with blue plastic tops and white labels with black and green printing.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
before November 1993
maker
Genentech, Inc.
ID Number
2012.0046.49
accession number
2012.0046
catalog number
2012.0046.49

Vaisala Dropsonde

This example is identical to the many dropsondes that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) dropped into and around Hurricane Katrina as that storm crossed the Gulf of Mexico in the late summer of 2005.
Description
This example is identical to the many dropsondes that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) dropped into and around Hurricane Katrina as that storm crossed the Gulf of Mexico in the late summer of 2005. These instruments provided information that scientists used to gauge the size, strength and speed of this storm.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
2003
maker
Vaisala, Inc.
ID Number
2007.0213.1
accession number
2007.0213
catalog number
2007.0213.1

Engraved printing plate "Ichthyology, Pl."

This engraved printing plate was prepared to print an image showing four fish species in the never published Volume 21-22, Ichthyology, part of the series of publications the "United States Exploring Expedition, During the Years 1838, 1839, 1840, 1841, 1842." The plate images wer
Description (Brief)
This engraved printing plate was prepared to print an image showing four fish species in the never published Volume 21-22, Ichthyology, part of the series of publications the "United States Exploring Expedition, During the Years 1838, 1839, 1840, 1841, 1842." The plate images were engraved by W. H. Dougal after Joseph Drayton.
Description
William H. Dougal (1822–1895) of New York and Washington, D.C., (after 1844) engraved this copper printing plate depicting four species of fish documented by the U.S. Exploring Expedition. The illustrations were to be published in Volumes XXII and XXIII, Ichthyology, by Louis Agassiz. Dougal engraved 26 of the 28 plates for this volume which was never printed.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1849
1862
publisher
Wilkes, Charles
original artist
Drayton, Joseph
graphic artist
Dougal, William H.
author
Agassiz, Louis
ID Number
1999.0145.435
accession number
1999.0145
catalog number
1999.0145.435

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
1987.0781.02
catalog number
1987.0781.02
accession number
1987.0781

Humulin 50/50

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 50/50 is an intermediate-acting insulin combined with the more rapid onset of action of regular human insulin. The duration of activity may last up to 24 hours following injection. Due to declining use, Humulin 50/50 was discontinued in 2009.
Object is a sealed white cardboard box with black and red printing.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
before May 1995
maker
Eli Lilly and Company
ID Number
2012.0046.47
catalog number
2012.0046.47
accession number
2012.0046

Intron A; Interferon Alfa-2B Recombinant, 10 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
1987.0781.03
accession number
1987.0781
catalog number
1987.0781.03

Engraved woodblock of the "View of Marble Canyon (from the Vermillion Cliffs)"

This engraved woodblock of a “View of Marble Canyon (from the Vermillion Cliffs)” was prepared by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published as Figure 63 (p.180) in Report of the Exploration of the Colorado River of the West and Its Tributaries.
Description
This engraved woodblock of a “View of Marble Canyon (from the Vermillion Cliffs)” was prepared by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published as Figure 63 (p.180) in Report of the Exploration of the Colorado River of the West and Its Tributaries. Explored in 1869, 1870, 1871, and 1872, under the direction of the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution by John Wesley Powell (1834-1902). The image depicts the “Colorado River [and] the Eastern Kaibab Displacements, appearing as folds [and] faults.”
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1875
1875
publisher
Bureau of American Ethnology
printer
Government Printing Office
author
Powell, John Wesley
graphic artist
Nichols, H. H.
block maker
V. W. & Co.
ID Number
1980.0219.1355
catalog number
1980.0219.1355
accession number
1980.0219

Gene Cloning

This framed sign in a lightbox was created for Genentech, a biotechnology company. The sign has a black background and a graphic depiction of the gene cloning process and its use in making recombinant proteins.
Description (Brief)
This framed sign in a lightbox was created for Genentech, a biotechnology company. The sign has a black background and a graphic depiction of the gene cloning process and its use in making recombinant proteins. It also features a large photographic image of a woman holding a test tube in the lower left hand corner.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
late 1980s to early 1990s
user
Genentech, Inc.
ID Number
2012.0198.58
catalog number
2012.0198.58
accession number
2012.0198

Syringe

In 1993 doctors administered gene therapy to three-day-old Zachary Riggins at the University of California at San Francisco, using this syringe.
Description (Brief)
In 1993 doctors administered gene therapy to three-day-old Zachary Riggins at the University of California at San Francisco, using this syringe. Zachary’s treatment was a slight variation on an earlier gene therapy trial first used on Ashanti DeSilva in 1990 (see object 1999.0008.01). Gene therapy refers to a kind of genetic engineering whereby sections of DNA (genes) are introduced into cells in order to treat disease. Zachary suffered from a genetic disorder known as ADA deficiency (also known as ADA-SCID or “bubble boy” syndrome), which led to his having a compromised immune system.
As soon as Zachary was born, doctors harvested blood stem cells from his umbilical cord to be used in gene therapy. They employed a modified virus to insert working copies of the ADA gene into his harvested cells, grew them for some time in the lab, and then injected the modified cells into Zachary’s bloodstream using this syringe. By focusing on stem cells, which are long–lived and give rise to other cells, doctors hoped that the treatment would provide a lasting cure. Previous attempts at gene therapy relied on cells which do not replicate, meaning that patients needed a new round of gene therapy each time the treated cells died off.
While the reintroduced stem cells did remain in the Zachary’s bloodstream for a long time, so few of them had been successfully transformed by the gene therapy that the treatment did not have the hoped-for impact.
Source:
Accession file
“Brave New Babies.” Leon Jaroff. Time Magazine.Vol. 175. No. 21. 31 May 1993.
“Engraftment of gene-modified umbilical cord blood cells in neonates with adenosine deaminase defieciency.” Donald B. Kohn et al. Nature Medicine. Vol. 1, Issue 10. October 1995. p. 1017.
“Gene Therapy: Treating the bubble babies.” Public Health Genetics Unit, Wellcome Trust. 21 November 2002. http://genome.wellcome.ac.uk/doc_wtd020936.html
The Forever Fix: Gene Therapy and the Boy Who Saved It. Ricki Lewis. New York: St. Martin’s Press. 2012.
Location
Currently not on view
date used
1993
associated date
1993-05
user
Blaese, R. Michael
patient
Riggins, Zachary
ID Number
1993.3179.01
catalog number
1993.3179.01
nonaccession number
1993.3179

Long-Period Horizontal Seismometer (WWSSN)

Working at the Lamont Geological Observatory, a Columbia University facility in Palisades, N.Y., Frank Press and his mentor, Maurice Ewing, designed 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, designed seismometers that responded to surface waves of long-period and small-amplitude whether caused by explosions or by earthquakes. Their horizontal seismometer was of the “garden-gate” form: here, the horizontal boom attaches to the lower end of a vertical post, and a diagonal wire extends from the upper end of the post to the outer end of the boom. The first example was installed in 1953.
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 stations in the WWSSN had two horizontal seismometers of this sort (one to capture the east-west component of the earth’s motions, and one to capture the north-south component). This example was used Junction City, Tx. 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 firm in St. Louis, Mo., that specialized in seismological instruments.
Ref: United States Coast and Geodetic Survey, Instrumentation of the World-Wide Seismograph System, Model 10700 (Washington, D.C., 1962).
W.F. Sprengnether Instrument Co., Inc., General Discription (sic) Long Period Horizontal Seismometer ([St. Louis], n.d.).
W.F. Sprengnether Instrument Co., Inc., Sprengnether Horizontal Component Seismometer, Series H ([St. Louis], n.d.).
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
Geotechnical Corporation
W. F. Sprengnether Instrument Co.
ID Number
1999.0275.04
catalog number
1999.0275.04
accession number
1999.0275

Roferon-A, Interferon alfa-2a recombinant, Sterile Powder for Injection

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 print.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1988
product expiration date
1988-06-01
maker
Hoffmann-La Roche
Roche Laboratories
ID Number
1987.0786.03
accession number
1987.0786
catalog number
1987.0786.03

Creeping Baby Doll Patent Model

This model demonstrates the invention of a mechanical crawling doll. It accompanied the patent submission of George Pemberton Clarke, who received U.S. patent No.
Description
This model demonstrates the invention of a mechanical crawling doll. It accompanied the patent submission of George Pemberton Clarke, who received U.S. patent No. 118,435 on 29 August 1871 for his “Natural Creeping Baby Doll.” The original patent office tag is still attached with red tape. Clarke’s patent was an improvement on the crawling baby doll patent of his associate Robert J. Clay (No. 112,550 granted 14 March 1871).
The doll’s head, two arms and two legs are made of painted plaster. The arms and legs are hinged to a brass clockwork body that actuates the arms and legs in imitation of crawling, but the doll moves forward by rolling along on two toothed wheels. A flat piece of wood is attached to top of the movement.
A commercial version of the doll is also in the collection. See also Catalog number 2011.0204.01a.
This mechanical toy is part of a fascinating continuum of figures built to imitate human life. This long Western tradition stretches from ancient Greece through the mechanical automatons of the Enlightenment, through wind-up toys to contemporary robots and other machines with artificial intelligence.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1871
patent date
1871-08-29
inventor
Clarke, George P.
ID Number
1984.0923.01
accession number
1984.0923
catalog number
1984.0923.01
patent number
118,435

Engraved printing plate "Ichthyology, Pl."

This engraved printing plate was prepared to print an image showing three species of shark in the never published Volume 21-22, Ichthyology, part of the series of publications the "United States Exploring Expedition, During the Years 1838, 1839, 1840, 1841, 1842." The plate image
Description (Brief)
This engraved printing plate was prepared to print an image showing three species of shark in the never published Volume 21-22, Ichthyology, part of the series of publications the "United States Exploring Expedition, During the Years 1838, 1839, 1840, 1841, 1842." The plate images were engraved by W. H. Dougal after Joseph Drayton.
Description
William H. Dougal (1822–1895) of New York and Washington, D.C., (after 1844) engraved this copper printing plate depicting three species of shark documented by the U.S. Exploring Expedition. The engraved illustrations were to be published in volumes XXII and XXIII, Ichthyology, by Louis Agassiz. Dougal engraved 26 of the 28 plates for this volume which was never printed.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1849
publisher
Wilkes, Charles
original artist
Drayton, Joseph
graphic artist
Dougal, William H.
author
Agassiz, Louis
ID Number
1999.0145.437
accession number
1999.0145
catalog number
1999.0145.437

Dutchman's Breeches Preserved in Plastic

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
AG.A.7577
accession number
198812
catalog number
A.7577

T4-DNA Ligase

This silver metal canister once contained T4-DNA ligase, an enzyme commonly used in molecular biology.
Description (Brief)
This silver metal canister once contained T4-DNA ligase, an enzyme commonly used in molecular biology. T4-DNA ligase helps create bonds between the ends of fragments of DNA.
This capability makes it useful in the laboratory when scientists want to combine DNA from two different sources in order to create recombinant DNA. This particular canister of T4-DNA ligase was used to create recombinant DNA molecules at Genentech, a biotechnology company, in the early 1980s.
Source:
Aehle, W. (2007). Enzymes in industry: Production and applications. Wiley-VCH.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1984-08
user
Genentech, Inc.
ID Number
2012.0198.26
accession number
2012.0198
catalog number
2012.0198.26

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