The Story For the first half of the 20th century, the threat of paralysing poliomyelitis (polio) was an annual threat to Canadians and much of the developed world. Over the decades polio epidemics became increasingly severe and the average age of people affected rose. For many sufferers, the virus paralysed the muscles in the limbs, … More Iron Lung (From the Collection #26)
The Story Special obstetrical dolls have been used to teach midwives about the mysteries of childbirth since at least the 18th century. The most famous of these mannequins, also known as a ‘phantom’ is perhaps la machine of Madame du Coudray, the renowned midwife to King Louis XV of France. The Musée Flaubert in Rouen, … More Fetal Teaching Model (From the Collection #23)
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 Wax models (moulages) were important clinical teaching tools in many European and North American hospitals well into the 1940s. Joseph Towne (1806 –1879) was a British moulageur and sculptor who is best known for the creation of wax anatomical models, many of which still survive today and are on display in the Guy’s … More Infant Vaccination Model (From the Collection #21)
The Story Cherry Ames is the central character in a series of 27 mystery novels with hospital settings published by Grosset & Dunlap between 1943 and 1968. Helen Wells (1910-1986) wrote volumes 1-7 and 17-27, and Julie Campbell Tatham (1908-1999), wrote volumes 8-16. During the Second World War, the series encouraged girls to become nurses … More Cherry Ames, Student Nurse [Novel] (From the Collection #18)
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 Medal set belonging to Nursing Sister Ann Baillie (1888-1942), ARRC, who enlisted with the Canadian Army Medical Corps in 1915 and served overseas in Egypt and France as a member of No. 7 (Queen’s) General Hospital. This set includes, from left to right: the Royal Red Cross, Class 2 (ARRC) awarded on 1 … More Nursing Sister’s War Medals (From the Collection #20)
The Story More than 4000 women served as military nurses during the Second World War playing a vital role in the care and comfort of wounded soldiers, sailors, and airmen. As commissioned officers known by rank and title as Nursing Sisters, they served as fully-integrated members of the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps, the Royal … More Nursing Sister’s Military Uniform (From the Collection #17)
The Story First undertaken in 1935 by Portuguese neuropsychiatrist Dr. Antonio Egas Moniz, leucotomy involves the removal of brain tissue from the pre-frontal lobe in order to treat psychoses. His initial approach was improved upon with the use of a leucotome, invented by Canadian neurosurgeon Dr. Kenneth G. McKenzie in the 1940s. The leucotome is … More Leucotome (From the Collection #15)
The Story Trepanning, also known as trephining, dates back at least 7000 years to the Neolithic period. Derived from the Greek meaning to auger or to bore, trepanning is a surgery in which a piece of the skull is removed by incising the skull with a knife or, after the discovery of metallurgy, drilling a … More Hey’s Saw (From the Collection #14)
