MEDICAL ANTIQUES ARCHIVES
All pictures and text on this site are copyrighted ©1982-2024 Alex Peck. All rights reserved.
PAGE 65
________________________________
A rare c. 1880 classical head ophthalmophantome that was made by George Pilling and Son, Philadelphia. It is signed by Pilling twice on the cast iron base and on each porte-oeil (eye carrier). The mask phantom was invented ca. 1827 by Dr. Albert Sachs (1803-1835), an ophthalmologist practicing in Berlin, and it was used to teach ophthalmic surgery with practice upon cadaver's eyes or pig's eyes (similar in size to the human eye and readily available). The orbs are held in place by spring-loaded concave disks that push them against a ring of prongs. Both of these removable sockets are present. The set screw at the center of the throat allows the head to be tilted back to various positions. This Augustan style bust is the most desirable of the various types of antique ophthalmo-phantomes, and it was offered by John Reynders & Co., New York, in the 1880s, as illustrated in their catalogue.
___________________________________
An 1840s sixth-plate antique medical daguerreotype of a man posed prominently holding the book Philosophy of Health by Larkin B. Coles, M.D. (1803-1856). The medical book was first published in 1848 and went through many editions. A copy of the 1850 printing of the book is included with the photograph.
___________________________
A pair of 1930s Massachusetts General Hospital operating room scrub caps. The upper cap is from the MGH Amphitheater Operating Room and is marked: MGH / AMPH 1-30. The lower cap is from the MGH Baker Memorial Hospital Operating Room and is marked: MGH / BMOR 10-35. The original Baker Memorial Hospital was built in 1930 and demolished in 1992. The caps belonged to Dr. Fiorindo A. Simeone (1908 - 1990), a noted thoracic and vascular surgeon and teacher. His career took him from Harvard Medical School, MGH, U.S. Army Medical Corps during WWII, a return to MGH, Western Reserve, and Brown. To read Dr. Simeone's biography, please click this link and scroll-down to page 7.
_______________________________________
A c. 1870 Stokes' antique monaural stethoscope with a percussor incorporated into the earpiece. The hammer's rubber ring is original.
_____________________________
A c. 1900 Tiemann's pattern antique bullet forceps with locking mechanism.
__________________________________
A medical school lecture ticket to attend classes on surgery and surgical anatomy at the Medical Institute of Baltimore for the academic year of 1851-52. The ticket was issued to James M. Clarke for the class taught by John R.W. Dunbar, M.D. The vignette features a cadaver on a table.
_________________________________
An outstanding American Civil War soldier's memorial with handsome engraved vignettes (bombardment of Ft. Sumter, The Capitol, an eagle, Liberty, Justice, a battle scene), and an attached photograph of John Byers, a private in the 8th Michigan Volunteer Infantry. According to the text of the memorial, Byers died on 11 December 1861 ...in a private home...at Crab Orchard, Kentucky, ...Taken with inflamation [sic] of the lungs. All the details particular to Byers are written in a fine and fancy hand-calligraphy.
_______________________________________
A very scarce L.N. Fowler antique phrenology bust with the address 107 Fleet Street, London. The American phrenologist Lorenzo Niles Fowler (1811-1896) established his first London office at this address in 1863. Between 1864 and 1875, the east end of Fleet Street was rearranged with the construction of Ludgate Circus. Subsequently, in the 1870s, Fowler began using the name of the nearby new and prominent intersection in his advertisements. He moved to the Imperial Buildings directly on the Circus around 1879. According to Crellin's account of the phrenology busts in the extensive medical holdings of the Wellcome Institute, no Fowler Fleet Street bust is catalogued. (The Wellcome does have busts with the 337 Strand (Fowler's publisher William Tweedie's office) and the Ludgate Circus addresses.) This dealer has been handling Staffordshire Fowler phrenology busts for 30 years and this is the only example ever encountered of one with the Fleet Street address. The ceramic Fowler antique phrenology head is in fine condition and it is a true collector's piece.
_______________________________
A c. 1800 Napoleonic Wars era antique circular amputation set by Evans, London.
____________________________________
An early 20th century Sonar antique ear trumpet marked: HARRYS / DEPOSE / PARIS. The antique hearing device has a decorative grill and an overall faux tortoiseshell finish.
_____________________________
A c. 1880 antique lithotomy scoop by Katsch, Munich, with ebony handle.
_______________________________
An antique Liston amputation knife by Wade & Ford, New York. The knife is in excellent condition with the blade retaining its original bright polished steel. (The blade looks dark in the photo due to the way the light is reflected.) The surgical knife is just shy of 15" long and the handle is ebony.
________________________________
A c. 1850 antique circular amputation knife by John Weiss & Son, London. The pressed-horn handle is embossed: WEISS LONDON. This large capital amputation knife is illustrated in the John Weiss & Son catalogue of 1863.
_________________________
An early 20th century Coffeyville, Kansas, brickworks DON'T SPIT ON SIDEWALK brick. For the story of this brick and its history in the fight against tuberculosis, please click here.
_________________________________
Page 65
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42. 43. 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. 49. 50. 51. 52. 53. 54. 55. 56. 57. 58. 59. 60. 61. 62. 63. 64. 65.
Home Page Collecting Alerts Reference Books Wants