Medical Antiques

[Charlie Noodles]

Does anyone here collect medical antiquities? Perhaps old books, instruments, patent medicines etc.

 

[Lucky Strike]

I don't collect, but I've seen some stuff.

For your viewing pleasure -

Zeiss microscopes:

Big Steindorff microscope, revolving lenses:

A few pharmaceutical bottles:

Lab stuff:

 

[Lucky Strike]

Pharmaceutical scales:

And cabinets to keep it all in:

 

[Lefty]

The best sites I've seen in a while:
http://www.boneroom.com/
http://www.radio-guy.net/index.html

 

[Brian Sheridan]

The vice-president of the medical school I worked at collects old medical equipment and displayed them in the school. She actually had some old "leech" jars. Yuck! Actually, the instruments were pretty cool but mostly look like devices for torture.

 

[PrettySquareGal]

I love Victorian quack medicine contraptions but can't afford to collect them.

 

[MrNewportCustom]

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of making a delivery to a dentist's home. He had a couple old dental chairs out back and some truly evil looking implements framed and on the wall of the bathroom. Unfortunately, I had no oportunity to photograph anything.


Lee

 

[freebird]

My eye doctor used to have a display of old glasses, etc in his outer office. He's moved and I didn't have the forethought to snap a photo of them.

 

[Warbaby]

I don't collect, but I have quite a few vintage and antique medical and dental implements that I use for my restoration work. Collecting may be in the future because I recently acquired a surgeon's amputation kit from the 1860s. The box is walnut with inlaid brass binding, 16" long. Unfortunately, the bone saw and most of the small implements are missing. There are three knives with gutta percha handles, blades are hollow ground and still have a razor sharp edge. The blades are stamped ZEITZ NEW YORK. They're really gorgeous knives - someone who's into dismemberment would kill for a set of knives like these.

I also know a bit of its history - it was originally owned by an itinerant doctor in Ohio in the 1860s, who was known as Dr. Beargrease because he not only wore it as a hair pomade, but prescribed it for a variety of ailments.

I haven't yet decided whether I'm going to begin a search for the missing implements, thereby putting me at risk of becoming a collector, leave it as it is and maybe trade it to someone who's already a collector, or remove the interior and put the box to better use, saving the beautiful knives in case I ever decide to become a homicidal maniac.

The box is a lot darker in color than these photos, but I had to lighten them to show any detail. The blades aren't yellow - that's a reflection. The smallest knife in the set isn't in the photo because the blade is broken off where it joins the handle and it's sitting on my workbench awaiting restoration.

 

[Lucky Strike]

A couple of evil looking implements; "bleeders". The small ("cataract"?) blade at the end is meant to puncture a vein, to draw significant amounts of blood from the patient. They were still in use by amateur vets in the early 20th century.

And a comb for lice, for imparting a licer tone:

A once saw a "lobotomy kit" for sale - in a travelling case!

 

[Nick D]

I have a Renu-Life from the early/mid 1920s, four attachments for it, and it still works! It's also got the catalogue of avaliable attachments (some of which make me cringe), the certificate, and, best of all, the handbook describing how to use it and the things it cures. Acne, baldness, TB, some cancers, menopause, and that's just for starters!

I've got some pictures of it somewhere. I'll post them if I can find them.