The Story Lord Joseph Lister revolutionized surgery in the late 19th century by introducing antiseptic methods. These drastically reduced the incidence of infection and death, enabling the field of surgery to expand rapidly. In the 1860s, mortality rates for surgeries were at 45-50% due to infection. Rates of infection were especially high in trauma cases, … More Carbolic Steam Sprayer (From the Collection #24)
The Story This tin-glazed earthenware basin marks the beginning of an era. At a time not long before germ theory was established in the 19th century, this washbasin played an important role in reducing puerperal (childbed) fever amongst new mothers in hospital. This antiseptic midwifery basin originates from the obstetrical clinic at the Vienna General … More Midwifery Washbasin (From the Collection #22)
The Story In the 1800s medical students and physicians often kept lecture notes and practical information in small bound notebooks. This particular volume contains handwritten recipes for medications, financial accounts, and personal comments. This book is also important for its association with its first owner. Dr. Jennie Gray Wildman (c 1863-1953) is a member of … More Physician’s Treatment Book (From the Collection #19)
The Story An early form of ‘doctor’s bag’, a wooden medicine chest was designed to hold instruments and drug supplies. Some were finely crafted from imported woods and brass and had fitted drug bottles. Wealthier families also kept their own medicine chests for home use. Such appears to be the case with this particular chest. … More Medicine Chest (From the Collection #10)
The Story Before mass-production began in the nineteenth centuries and even into the beginning of the twentieth century, pharmacists created medicines in-house. For centuries they rolled pills by hand. This labour-intensive process began with a doctor’s prescription that indicated the weight of every ingredient needed to produce one pill as well as the number of … More Pill Machine (From the Collection #12)
The Story Enemas were a mainstay of medicine for centuries. This enema syringe, also known as a clyster, reflects the early nineteenth-century belief in the benefits of purging the body on a regular basis. This example is made of wood and pewter, but enema syringes could also be of such materials brass and ivory. Whether … More Enema Syringe (From the Collection #7)
The Story Seton needles first became popular in the 15th century as a means of producing counter-irritation. This approach to medical treatment believes that the creation of a superficial irritation on the body, through such means as cupping, blistering, or the use of seton needles, will distract the body from other irritations, reducing the primary … More Seton Needle (From the Collection #3)
The Story Carl Baunscheidt (1809-1873), a German mechanic and inventor, first produced the lebenswecker in 1848. Translated most directly as “life awakener”, the lebenswecker is comprised of six parts (a wooden cap, head cover, shaft, and plunger, and a metal needle head and spring), and is used to pierce the skin without drawing blood. Baunscheidt … More Lebenswecker (From the Collection #1)
Considered by many as the founder of modern nursing, British social reformer Florence Nightingale (1820-1910) was one of the most well-known female voices on health care in the 19th century. In this blog entry, I outline what Florence Nightingale believed was the most important consideration of nursing – the ventilation and good air of a patient’s room – and will explore how this advice recurs and develops in the ensuing forty years in home advice manuals. … More Good Air and Bad Air: The Importance of Ventilation
Mrs. Beeton’s Book of Household Management: A Complete Cookery Book (1861) was perhaps the most well-known and referred-to home advice manual of its time. It was originally published in 24 separate parts from 1859 to 1861, and then compiled as a bound book in 1861, soon becoming a staple in most Victorian homes. … More Domestic Nursing: An Introduction to Maintaining the Sick-Room
