The Story Throughout the 1800s, tuberculosis (also called phthisis, consumption, or TB) was a leading cause of death in the industrialised world. Treatments focused on bed rest, a nourishing diet, and fresh air. Canada’s first tuberculosis sanatorium opened in 1897 as a hospital where patients in the early stages of lung disease could rest and … More Pocket Sputum Flask (From the Collection #25)
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 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 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 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 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)
The Story Prior to the 1900s, complicated births, particularly where there was a disproportion between the size of the woman’s pelvis and the foetus’ head, often meant the death of the baby and the mother. Instruments for removing a dead or ailing foetus from within the mother were used to attempt to save the mother’s … More Cranioclast (From the Collection #16)
