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.

Newsweek Magazine

“Newsweek” Magazine, 84 pages, February 22, 1982, $1.50.
Description
“Newsweek” Magazine, 84 pages, February 22, 1982, $1.50. Pages 50-56 in the Business Section is entitled “To Each His Own Computer.” The lead picture is James Egan standing next to a display of computers and software in the New York City ComputerLand store.
James Egan, Joseph Alfieri, Robert Kurland, and Thomas Vandermeulen of Facks Computer, Inc. were the owners of the first ComputerLand store in Manhattan.
ComputerLand was a nationwide chain of retail computer stores. They opened their first store in 1976 in Hayward, California. By 1990 most stores had closed and in early 1999 the company officially disbanded.
The objects in accession 2017.0321 and non-accession 2017.3153 are related.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1982
ID Number
2017.3153.08
nonaccession number
2017.3153
catalog number
2017.3153.08

Painting - Numbers in a Spiral

Some of Crockett Johnson's paintings reflect relatively recent research. Mathematicians had long been interested in the distribution of prime numbers.
Description
Some of Crockett Johnson's paintings reflect relatively recent research. Mathematicians had long been interested in the distribution of prime numbers. At a meeting in the early 1960s, physicist Stanislaw Ulam of the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory in New Mexico passed the time by jotting down numbers in grid. One was at the center, the digits from 2 to 9 around it to form a square, the digits from 10 to 25 around this, and the spiral continued outward.
Circling the prime numbers, Ulam was surprised to discover that they tended to lie on lines. He and several colleagues programmed the MANIAC computer to compute and plot a much larger number spiral, and published the result in the American Mathematical Monthly in 1964. News of the event also created sufficient stir for Scientific American to feature their image on its March 1964 cover. Martin Gardner wrote a related column in that issue entitled “The Remarkable Lore of the Prime Numbers.”
The painting is #77 in the series. It is unsigned and undated, and has a wooden frame painted white.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1965
painter
Johnson, Crockett
ID Number
1979.1093.51
catalog number
1979.1093.51
accession number
1979.1093

The Proven Route to Biopharmaceutical Approval Poster

This color poster depicts "the proven route to biopharmaceutical approval" as a series of steps on a path riddled with potential pitfalls. It advertises the testing services offered by Microbiological Associates Inc.
Description (Brief)
This color poster depicts "the proven route to biopharmaceutical approval" as a series of steps on a path riddled with potential pitfalls. It advertises the testing services offered by Microbiological Associates Inc. The poster was collected at the BioEast conference in 1994.
Biopharmaceuticals are a class of drugs produced by organisms, cells, or biological systems that have been modified by scientists in order to create molecules useful as medicines or diagnostics. Typically these drugs are proteins, nucleic acids, or antibodies.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1994
ID Number
1994.3125.06
nonaccession number
1994.3125
catalog number
1994.3125.06

Painting - Euclidian Values of a Squared Circle

To "square" a figure, according to the classical Greek tradition, means to construct, with the aid of only straightedge and compass, a square equal in area to that of the figure. The Greeks could square numerous figures, but were unsuccessful in efforts to square a circle.
Description
To "square" a figure, according to the classical Greek tradition, means to construct, with the aid of only straightedge and compass, a square equal in area to that of the figure. The Greeks could square numerous figures, but were unsuccessful in efforts to square a circle. It was not until the 19th century that the impossibility of squaring a circle was demonstrated.
This painting is an original construction by Crockett Johnson. It begins with the assumprion that the circle has been squared. In this case, Crockett Johnson performed a sequence of constructions that produce several additional squares, rectangles, and circles whose areas are geometrically related to that of the original circle. These figures are produced using traditional Euclidean geometry, and require only straightedge and compass.
The painting on masonite is #102 in the series. It has a blue-black background and a metal frame. It shows various superimposed sections of circles, squares, and rectangles in shades of light blue, dark blue, purple, white and blue-black. It is unsigned. See 1979.3083.02.13.
References: Carl B. Boyer and Uta C. Merzbach, A History of Mathematics (1991), Chapter 5.
Crockett Johnson, "A Geometrical Look at the Square Root of Pi," Mathematical Gazette 54 (February, 1970): pp. 59–60.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1970
painter
Johnson, Crockett
ID Number
1979.1093.69
catalog number
1979.1093.69
accession number
1979.1093

Bachelor's Button Preserved in Plastic

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1938-10-27
ID Number
AG.A.7592
catalog number
A.7592
accession number
198812

Form Board, Healy Pictorial Completion Test II

William Healy and Grace Fernald of Chicago used puzzles to study to abilities of delinquent children. This one shows one day in the life of a schoolboy. It was given to soldiers who failed the Army group examinations.This test is in a black, cloth-covered paper box.
Description
William Healy and Grace Fernald of Chicago used puzzles to study to abilities of delinquent children. This one shows one day in the life of a schoolboy. It was given to soldiers who failed the Army group examinations.
This test is in a black, cloth-covered paper box. It consists of two nearly square boards which are displayed next to one another. Each board has a cloth backing. A picture printed on paper is attached to the front. The pictures show a total of eleven scenes from the life of a schoolboy. Each scene has a square hole cut in it. The teat also has sixty square wooden pieces that fit into the holes in the boards. Each piece has a picture on the front and is numbered on the back. The pieces fit, ten to a row, into a wooden rack with six long indentations. Places on the rack are numbered from 1 to 60. A piece of black cloth nailed to the bottom front of the rack allow it to be removed from the box. The test also contains a blue pamphlet: William Healy, Manual for Pictorial Completion test II Cat. No. 46235, Chicago: C.H. Stoelting.
This test is a version (differing, at least, in its box) of a test described in; C.H. Stoelting, Apparatus, Tests and Supplies, Chicago, 1936, p. 157. See also C.H. Stoelting, List 350, Apparatus and Supplies for Practical Mental Classification Used by Dr. William Healy, p. 7 in Stoelting’s publication Psychology and Physiology Apparatus and Supplies, Chicago, 1921.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1917
maker
C. H. Stoelting Company
ID Number
1990.0570.03
accession number
1990.0570
catalog number
1990.0570.03

Pansy Preserved in Plastic

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1939
ID Number
AG.A.7551
accession number
198812
catalog number
A.7551

Painting - Reciprocation

In this oil or acrylic painting on masonite, Crockett Johnson illustrates a theorem presented by the Greek mathematician Pappus of Alexandria (3rd century AD). Suppose that one chooses three points on each of two line straight segments that do not intersect.
Description
In this oil or acrylic painting on masonite, Crockett Johnson illustrates a theorem presented by the Greek mathematician Pappus of Alexandria (3rd century AD). Suppose that one chooses three points on each of two line straight segments that do not intersect. Join each point to the two more distant points on the other lines. These lines meet in three points, which, according to the theorem, are themselves on a straight line.
The inspiration for this painting probably came from a figure in the article "The Great Mathematicians" by Herbert W. Turnbull found in the artist's copy of James R. Newman's The World of Mathematics (p. 112). This figure is annotated. It shows points A, B, and C on one line segment and D, E, and F on another line segment. Line segments AE and DB, AF and DC, and BF and EC intersect at 3 points (X, Y, and Z respectively), which are collinear. Turnbull's figure and Johnson's painting include nine points and nine lines that are arranged such that three of the points lie on each line and three of the lines lie on each point. If the words "point" and "line" are interchanged in the preceding sentence, its meaning holds true. This is the "reciprocation," or principle of duality, to which the painting's title refers.
Crockett Johnson chose a brown and green color scheme for this painting. The main figure, which is executed in seven tints and shades of brown, contains twelve triangles and two quadrilaterals. The background, which is divided by the line that contains the points X, Y, and Z, is executed in two shades of green. This color choice highlights Pappus' s theorem by dramatizing the line created by the points of intersection of AE and DB, AF and DC, and BC and EC. There wooden frame painted black.
Reciprocation is painting #6 in this series of mathematical paintings. It was completed in 1965 and is signed: CJ65.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1965
referenced
Pappus
painter
Johnson, Crockett
ID Number
1979.1093.02
catalog number
1979.1093.02
accession number
1979.1093

Iowa's Biotech Express Banner

In 1987 the Iowa Biotechnology Consortium, a joint effort of Iowa State University, the University of Iowa, and the Iowa Department of Economic Development arranged the Iowa Biotech Showcase to promote the state as a center for biotechnology research and industry.
Description (Brief)
In 1987 the Iowa Biotechnology Consortium, a joint effort of Iowa State University, the University of Iowa, and the Iowa Department of Economic Development arranged the Iowa Biotech Showcase to promote the state as a center for biotechnology research and industry. At that time Iowa hoped to take advantage of the economic benefits promised by the expanding interest in biotechnology. Representatives from 50 businesses listened to presentations from researchers and agriculture companies about Iowa’s potential for becoming biotech’s answer to Silicon Valley. A train called the Iowa Biotech Express, on which this banner hung, served as a highlight of the event, transporting attendees between two of the state’s major research institutions, the campuses of Iowa State and the University of Iowa.
Sources:
Accession File
“Iowa Ties Rebound to Biotech Express.” Wechsler, Lorraine. The Scientist. October 19, 1987. Accessed online. http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/9038/title/Iowa-Ties-Rebound-to-Biotech-Express/
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1987
ID Number
1991.0396.01
catalog number
1991.0396.01
accession number
1991.0396

Painting - Square Roots of One, Two and Three

Crockett Johnson much enjoyed constructing square roots of numbers geometrically. He offered the following account of this painting, as well as the figure shown: "Let AN and BN be 1.
Description
Crockett Johnson much enjoyed constructing square roots of numbers geometrically. He offered the following account of this painting, as well as the figure shown: "Let AN and BN be 1. Then the diagonal AB is the square root of 2, because it is the hypotenuse of a right triangle with sides of length √1 and √1. The large right triangle √1 plus √2 adds up to a hypotenuse of √3. The compass traces pronounce a statement and also declare its proof. The square root of 2 is 1.4142 . . . and the square root of 3 is 1.7321 . . . Their decimals run on and on but as produced by the compass and blind straightedge both numbers are quite as finite as 1. The triangle embodies three dimensions of the cube. CB is any edge, AB is a face diagonal, and AC is an internal diagonal." Crockett-Johnson described the source of the painting as "Artist's Construction, or Anybody's."
The triangle with three sides equal to the lengths of interest is painted white. Remaining segments of the construction are in dark gray and purple, with a black background. The painting has a brown wooden frame.
The painting is #66 in the series and is signed: CJ69. For a related painting, see #45 (1979.1093.32).
Reference: "Geometric Geometric [sic] Paintings by Crockett Johnson" NMAH Collections.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1969
painter
Johnson, Crockett
ID Number
1979.1093.41
accession number
1979.1093
catalog number
1979.1093.41

Refracting Telescope

This is a refracting telescope on a pillar-and-tripod stand. The achromatic objective has an aperture of slightly more than 2 inches. The tube is 29 inches long and, with eyepieces, extends to 32½ inches.
Description
This is a refracting telescope on a pillar-and-tripod stand. The achromatic objective has an aperture of slightly more than 2 inches. The tube is 29 inches long and, with eyepieces, extends to 32½ inches. The “Ed LUTZ / Paris” inscription on the eyepiece is that of Édouard Lutz, an optical instrument maker who showed his wares at the international exhibitions held in Paris in 1878 and 1889.
The federal Bureau of Education was formed in 1867 and charged with providing educational information to the states and territories. To this end it collected apparatus and text-books from around the world, and recommended that funds be provided for the organization of an educational museum and the exchange of educational “appliances.” It mounted an extensive display at the World’s Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exposition in New Orleans in 1885, but folded soon thereafter. This telescope was among its instruments. It came to the Smithsonian in 1910, a transfer from the U.S. Department of the Interior.
Ref: “Catalogue of the Educational Museum. U.S. Bureau of Education. Sketch of the Origin, Growth, and Objects of the Museum,” in accession file, NMAH.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
late 19th century
maker
Lutz, Edouard
ID Number
PH.261258
catalog number
261258
accession number
51116

Mohr Measuring Pipette

The 19th-century German pharmacist Karl Friedrich Mohr developed calibrated pipettes for adding specific amounts of one liquid to another. The Fisher Scientific Company sold Mohr pipettes like this one for routine or educational work, as its catalog number 13-665.
Description
The 19th-century German pharmacist Karl Friedrich Mohr developed calibrated pipettes for adding specific amounts of one liquid to another. The Fisher Scientific Company sold Mohr pipettes like this one for routine or educational work, as its catalog number 13-665. From the mid-1960s, they were sold under the FISHER-brand label, as this example was. It is a style K, having a capacity of 5 milliliters, divided to 1/10 of a milliliter and calibrated at a temperature of 20 degrees centigrade.
Fisher also sold a range of pipettes manufactured by other firms such as the Kimble Glass Company and Corning Glass Company. Mohr pipettes were among the goods that could be purchased for high school chemistry and biology classes in the late 1950s and 1960s with matching funds from the U.S. government.
Location
Currently not on view
producer
Mohr, Karl Friedrich
maker
Fisher Scientific Company
ID Number
1998.0020.12
catalog number
1998.0020.12
accession number
1998.0020

Painting - One Surface and One Edge (Möbius)

Most geometric surfaces have a distinct inside and outside. This painting shows one that doesn’t. Take a strip of material, give it a half-twist, and attach the ends together. The result is a band with only one surface and one edge.
Description
Most geometric surfaces have a distinct inside and outside. This painting shows one that doesn’t. Take a strip of material, give it a half-twist, and attach the ends together. The result is a band with only one surface and one edge. Mathematicians began to explore such surfaces in the nineteenth century. In 1858 German astronomer and mathematician August Ferdinand Möbius (1790–1868), who had studied theoretical astronomy under Carl Friedrich Gauss at the University of Goettingen, discovered the one-sided surface shown in the painting. It has come to be known by his name. As often happens in the history of mathematics, another scholar, Johann Benedict Listing, had found the same result a few months earlier. Listing did not publish his work until 1861.
If one attaches the ends of a strip of paper without a half twist, the resulting figure is a cylinder. The cylinder has two sides such that one can paint the outside surface red and the inside surface green. If you try to paint the outside surface of a Möbius band red you will paint the entire band red without crossing an edge. Similarly, if you try to paint the inside surface of a Möbius band green you will paint the entire surface green. A cylinder has an upper edge and a lower edge. However, if you start at a point on the edge of a Möbius band you will trace out its entire edge and return to the point at which you began. Since Möbius's time, mathematicians have discovered and explored many other one-sided surfaces.
This painting, #34 in the series, was executed in oil on masonite and is signed: CJ65. The strip is shown in three shades of gray based on the figure’s position. The shades of gray, especially the lightest shade, are striking against the rose-colored background, and this contrast allows the viewer to focus on the properties of the Möbius band. The painting has a wooden frame.
Crockett Johnson's painting is similar to illustrations in James R. Newman's The World of Mathematics (1956), p. 596. However, the figures are not annotated in the artist's copy of the book.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1965
referenced
Moebius, August Ferdinand
painter
Johnson, Crockett
ID Number
1979.1093.23
catalog number
1979.1093.23
accession number
1979.1093

Telescope

The introduction of silvered-glass mirrors—easier to figure and more durable than solid metal ones—made reflecting telescopes popular, especially with amateur astronomers.This example is marked "John Browing London." It has a simple alt-azimuth mount.
Description
The introduction of silvered-glass mirrors—easier to figure and more durable than solid metal ones—made reflecting telescopes popular, especially with amateur astronomers.
This example is marked "John Browing London." It has a simple alt-azimuth mount. The aperture is 4.25 inches; the tube is 38.5 inches long.
John Browning was a young instrument maker when he issued A Plea for Reflectors, Being a Description of the New Astronomical Telescopes with Silvered-Glass Specula (London, 1867). He offered telescopes with mirrors made by the retired schoolteacher, George Henry With.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1867
maker
Browning, John
ID Number
PH.327566
accession number
267874
catalog number
327566

Holtz-type influence machine

People from ancient times knew that rubbing certain materials and then touching something caused a spark. Studying what is called electrostatics laid the groundwork for understanding electricity and magnetism.
Description (Brief)
People from ancient times knew that rubbing certain materials and then touching something caused a spark. Studying what is called electrostatics laid the groundwork for understanding electricity and magnetism. Natural philosophers, scientists, and instrument makers created many ingenious devices to generate electrostatic charges starting in the 1600s. These machines varied in size and technique but all involved rotary motion to generate a charge, and a means of transferring the charge to a storage device for use.
Many early electrostatic machines generated a charge by friction. In the later 19th century several designs were introduced based on induction. Electrostatic induction occurs when one charged body (such as a glass disc) causes another body (another disc) that is close but not touching to become charged. The first glass disc is said to influence the second disc so these generators came to be called influence machines.
This machine—with two plates, one fixed and one that rotates--was made by Heinrich Ruhmkorff (1803-1877) of Germany in his Paris workshop. He is best known for the development of an induction coil still known as a Ruhmkorff coil. Designed by Wilhelm Holtz (1836–1913) four glass rods mounted on a mahogany base support two glass discs about 22" (56 cm) in diameter. The operator cranks driving pulleys to spin one plate. An extra set of combs are set at right angles to the ones typically seen in the basic Holtz design. One plate has two holes and paper tabs.
Research indicates this 2-plate machine may have been purchased by Joseph Henry for research use at the Smithsonian. Another Ruhmkorff machine with four plates designed in the 1870s is catalog #328747.
This machine was repaired in late 1958 and the parts replaced included the stationary plate, stationary plate holding-support screw, stationary plate positioning knob and ferrule, and the drive belts for the rotating plate The original glass plates are in storage.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1875
ca 1870
associated person
Holtz
maker
Ruhmkorff, Heinrich Daniel
ID Number
EM.311761
catalog number
311761
accession number
152769

Gerber Variable Scale

H. Joseph Gerber founded the Gerber Scientific Company in Hartford, Connecticut in 1948 to help produce his scientific instruments, especially the Gerber Variable Scale.
Description
H. Joseph Gerber founded the Gerber Scientific Company in Hartford, Connecticut in 1948 to help produce his scientific instruments, especially the Gerber Variable Scale. In later years the company produced a wide array of equipment including computer controlled fabric cutter and precision lens grinding equipment. The Gerber Variable Scale was a mechanical computational device that consisted of two springs that expanded and contracted together to give proportional scales. These scales were used to multiply curves by constants and perform computations on graphs and curves to help reduce oscillograph and telemetry data. This is an early model variable scale made in the late 1940's, given to Eddie Gipstein—Gerber's first employee—as a going away present when he took a new job. The mathematics collection in the Division of Medicine and Science contains many more examples of scale rules, and the Archives Center has a large Gerber collection.
Location
Currently not on view (case)
date made
ca 1946
ID Number
1994.3104.01
nonaccession number
1994.3104
catalog number
1994.3104.01

Painting - Archimedes Transversal

The construction of regular polygons using straightedge and compass alone is a problem that has intrigued mathematicians from ancient times.
Description
The construction of regular polygons using straightedge and compass alone is a problem that has intrigued mathematicians from ancient times. Crockett Johnson was particularly interested in the construction of regular seven-sided figures or heptagons, which require not only a compass but a marked straight edge. The mathematician Archimedes reportedly proposed such a construction, which was included in a treatise now lost. Relying heavily on Thomas Heath's Manual of Greek Mathematics, Crockett Johnson prepared this painting.
Archimedes had reduced the problem of finding a regular hexagon to that of finding two points that divided a line segment into two mean proportionals. He then used a construction somewhat like that of the painting to find a line segment divided as desired. Crockett Johnson's papers include not only photocopies of the relevant portion of Heath, but his own diagrams.
The painting is #104 in the series. It is in acrylic or oil on masonite., and has purple, yellow, green and blue sections. There is a black wooden frame. The painting is unsigned and undated. Relevant correspondence in the Crockett Johnson papers dates from 1974.
References: Heath, Thomas L., A Manual of Greek Mathematics (1963 edition), pp. 340–2.
Crockett Johnson, "A construction for a regular heptagon," Mathematical Gazette, 59 (March 1975): pp. 17–18.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1974
referenced
Archimedes
painter
Johnson, Crockett
ID Number
1979.1093.71
catalog number
1979.1093.71
accession number
1979.1093

Protropin; somatrem for injection

Protropin is an injectable, recombinant pharmaceutical that is used to treat children with growth problems stemming from an inability to produce their own growth hormone.Recombinant pharmaceuticals are created by inserting genes from one species into a host species, often yeast o
Description (Brief)
Protropin is an injectable, recombinant pharmaceutical that is used to treat children with growth problems stemming from an inability to produce their own growth hormone.
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 growth hormone are inserted into bacteria. Bacteria produce the growth hormone, which is harvested and used as the active ingredient in Protropin.
Object consists of a sealed cardboard box with light blue, dark blue, and black printing. Box contains two vials Protropin and one vial Bacteriostatic Water for injection.
date made
ca 1987
maker
Genentech Inc.
ID Number
1987.0789.02
accession number
1987.0789
catalog number
1987.0789.02

ComputerLand Photograph

This 8" x 10" black and white photograph shows four men with a ComputerLand poster behind them and a continuous feed matrix printer in front of them. James Egan is the man on the right.
Description
This 8" x 10" black and white photograph shows four men with a ComputerLand poster behind them and a continuous feed matrix printer in front of them. James Egan is the man on the right. The other men are likely his three partners, Joseph Alfieri, Robert Kurland, and Thomas Vandermeulen.
James Egan, Joseph Alfieri, Robert Kurland, and Thomas Vandermeulen of Facks Computer, Inc. were the owners of the first ComputerLand store in Manhattan.
ComputerLand was a nationwide chain of retail computer stores. They opened their first store in 1976 in Hayward, California. By 1990 most stores had closed and in early 1999 the company officially disbanded.
The objects in accession 2017.0321 and non-accession 2017.3153 are related.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2017.3153.04
nonaccession number
2017.3153
catalog number
2017.3153.04

Platform for spectroscope

This is part of the Société Genevoise spectroscope from Bowdoin College.This is part of the Société Genevoise spectroscope from Bowdoin College.Currently not on view
Description
This is part of the Société Genevoise spectroscope from Bowdoin College.
This is part of the Société Genevoise spectroscope from Bowdoin College.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1992.0477.07.04
catalog number
1992.0477.07.04
accession number
1992.0477

Goldenrod Preserved in Plastic

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
AG.A.7538
accession number
198812
catalog number
A.7538

Diskette with Text for First Ladies Exhibit Web Page

This 3 1/2" diskette contains the text used for the First Ladies page on the NMAH website.Web designer David McOwen, a member of the New Media Office at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, used these materials when designing sections of the NMAH website.The ent
Description
This 3 1/2" diskette contains the text used for the First Ladies page on the NMAH website.
Web designer David McOwen, a member of the New Media Office at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, used these materials when designing sections of the NMAH website.
The entire Smithsonian website is preserved by the Smithsonian Institution Archives.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2017.3148.04
nonaccession number
2017.3148
catalog number
2017.3148.04

Posilac Used Syringe Disposal System

Posilac is a recombinant pharmaceutical used to increase milk production in lactating dairy cows. Approved by the FDA in 1993, Posilac was the first biotechnology product offered for sale by Monsanto.
Description (Brief)
Posilac is a recombinant pharmaceutical used to increase milk production in lactating dairy cows. Approved by the FDA in 1993, Posilac was the first biotechnology product offered for sale by Monsanto. The company sold the rights to Elanco, a division of Eli Lilly and Company in 2008.
Its active ingredient, bovine growth hormone-also known as rBGH and rBST-has been at the center of ongoing controversy in the United States. Although deemed safe by the FDA, rBGH is banned in many other countries. American consumer groups have countered FDA claims of safety with concerns about possible health risks stemming from differences between milk produced by cows treated with rBGH and milk produced by untreated cows.
Recombinant pharmaceuticals like Posilac 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 bovine growth hormone are inserted into bacteria. Bacteria produce the somatotropin, which is harvested and used as the active ingredient in Posilac.
Object is a wearable harness whose function is to collect used syringes during mass administering of Posilac. Object consists of a woven black nylon belt with plastic buckle that is worn around the waist. Belt has multiple accessories, including a black nylon utility bag with a cinch top can be attached to the waist belt via two loops on the back of the bag and a black plastic shield with two round holes and four oblong holes. A waist belt can be woven through the larger oblong holes and the smaller oblong holes hold a black velcro-close belt. The shield and the velcro-close belt can be used to mount the syringe collector to the harness. (Syringe collector is not included.)
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Monsanto Company
ID Number
2012.0046.51
catalog number
2012.0046.51
accession number
2012.0046

Engraved woodblock of a "Haida totem post"

This engraved woodblock of a “Haida totem post” was prepared by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published as Figure 24 (p.68) in an article by Garrick Mallery (1831-1894) entitled “Pictographs of the North American Indians: a preliminary paper” i
Description
This engraved woodblock of a “Haida totem post” was prepared by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published as Figure 24 (p.68) in an article by Garrick Mallery (1831-1894) entitled “Pictographs of the North American Indians: a preliminary paper” in the Fourth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian, 1882-83.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1886
publisher
Bureau of American Ethnology
printer
Government Printing Office
author
Mallery, Garrick
block maker
J. J. & Co.
ID Number
1980.0219.1509
accession number
1980.0219
catalog number
1980.0219.1509

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