Medicine Cabinet Of Curiosities
Every now and then I come across something quite fascinating at my job. Some of the more interesting finds are medical related. For some reason, "medicine," and all it's accoutrements, invokes a very visceral response. Probably because, on some level, we're all morbidly fascinated with the inner workings of our own bodies.
Some more recent finds here have included two early 20th Century medical sanitizers (one complete with instruments), the cardboard container for dental anesthesia, some catgut sutures, and a bit of quackery known as "Kompo Bile Salts."
The sanitizers were a bit of a chore, because neither of them are marked by a maker, so one had to go on general description...which initially resulted in the first sanitizer being mislabeled a fish kettle; good thing it didn't get sold under that name! Can you imagine the shear disgusting gross-ness of boiling a fish in the device used to sanitize medical paraphernalia??! *cue endless dry heaving*
Let the above story be a warning to you - always do your research!
So how did it come about that we determined the true identity of the above previously misidentified piece? We got a second, of course, and the second was labeled by it's previous owner. This lead to some hasty emailing of experts to find out who was correct...of course it wasn't me (yes, that's right, I can be wrong from time to time - but don't get excited, it happens but rarely).
The second sanitizer was of particular interest as it contained some actual medical instruments. My colleague was convinced they are OB/GYN, but I wasn't so sure...so of course I agonized over them until I found proof to back me up. But the presence of them is both *squee* inducing and vomit inducing (I think it's the fact that they were clearly used...there's a big difference between brand new and used...).
Some more recent finds here have included two early 20th Century medical sanitizers (one complete with instruments), the cardboard container for dental anesthesia, some catgut sutures, and a bit of quackery known as "Kompo Bile Salts."
The sanitizers were a bit of a chore, because neither of them are marked by a maker, so one had to go on general description...which initially resulted in the first sanitizer being mislabeled a fish kettle; good thing it didn't get sold under that name! Can you imagine the shear disgusting gross-ness of boiling a fish in the device used to sanitize medical paraphernalia??! *cue endless dry heaving*
BELOW: Early 20th Century medical sanitizer originally misidentified as a fish kettle (feel free to Google "antique fish kettle" to see why it was an honest mistake). Click photos for larger image.
Let the above story be a warning to you - always do your research!
So how did it come about that we determined the true identity of the above previously misidentified piece? We got a second, of course, and the second was labeled by it's previous owner. This lead to some hasty emailing of experts to find out who was correct...of course it wasn't me (yes, that's right, I can be wrong from time to time - but don't get excited, it happens but rarely).
BELOW: The second sanitizer which lead to the true identification. Note that this one has legs; the first one appears to have had legs also.
The second sanitizer was of particular interest as it contained some actual medical instruments. My colleague was convinced they are OB/GYN, but I wasn't so sure...so of course I agonized over them until I found proof to back me up. But the presence of them is both *squee* inducing and vomit inducing (I think it's the fact that they were clearly used...there's a big difference between brand new and used...).
BELOW: Sanitizer contents from left: two urethral catheters (the far left appears to be the one that was originally attached to the tubing *hurk* [medical tubing is the worst!]); three urethral sounds (dilators) - 1 Pratt and 2 Dittel; and a catheter needle?
Other medical curiosities in the shop include the following:
According to the January 1914 edition of "Oral Hygiene: Journal for Dentists" (don't knock it, from what I've seen, thus far, it looks to be quite interesting!), 'Novrenin contains Adrenalin and Novocaine in approximately the proportions recommended for local anesthesia by Dr. Hermann Prinz, of St. Louis, in his well-known book on "Dental Materia Medica and Therapeutics." It meets the demand for a reliable local anesthetic without cocaine.' Of course this was simply an add for the stuff, but a "prominent dental practitioner" claims it's the best local anesthetic he's gotten hold of in years!
Other medical curiosities in the shop include the following:
According to the January 1914 edition of "Oral Hygiene: Journal for Dentists" (don't knock it, from what I've seen, thus far, it looks to be quite interesting!), 'Novrenin contains Adrenalin and Novocaine in approximately the proportions recommended for local anesthesia by Dr. Hermann Prinz, of St. Louis, in his well-known book on "Dental Materia Medica and Therapeutics." It meets the demand for a reliable local anesthetic without cocaine.' Of course this was simply an add for the stuff, but a "prominent dental practitioner" claims it's the best local anesthetic he's gotten hold of in years!
BELOW: Just the carton, not the actual drug (yes, that does suck).
The Davis & Geck Company was founded in 1909 by Charles T. Davis, Fred A. Geck, Frank C. Bradeen and Benjamin F. Hirsch; though only Davis and Hirsch remained with the company for any length of time. In the early days, their production facility was in the back room of a livery stable located on Carleton Avenue in Brooklyn, NY. Why is this notable? Because they were in the business of producing sterile sutures...
"In 1909, the year that the Davis and Geck Company was founded, most hospitals were sterilizing their own catgut sutures, frequently through the use of a chemical solution. The process was imperfect, and frequently resulted in infections or operative delays. In 1913 the Davis and Geck Company introduced the Calustro-thermal process for the heat sterilization of suture tubes after the sutures were sealed inside. This provided hospitals with a reliable product, and saved time in the operating room as well." - Davis and Geck Company Records, Dodd Center, UConn.
In 1922, Davis And Geck marketed the eyeless Atraumatic needles, which had the sutures attached directly to the needle. But by this time the company was already in some distress as Davis had become embroiled in a murder investigation - on 17 February 1921, he shot and killed a police detective! To add to that, Davis' mental health was questioned as he seemed to believe that Kaiser Wilhelm was trying to assassinate him...he was found guilty of the murder and sentenced to 10-20 in prison. But that wasn't the end of his troubles as in 1930, the company was sold to the American Cyanamid Corporation for $3 Mill, in an ownership dispute with Davis' estranged wife.
The Davis & Geck Company was founded in 1909 by Charles T. Davis, Fred A. Geck, Frank C. Bradeen and Benjamin F. Hirsch; though only Davis and Hirsch remained with the company for any length of time. In the early days, their production facility was in the back room of a livery stable located on Carleton Avenue in Brooklyn, NY. Why is this notable? Because they were in the business of producing sterile sutures...
"In 1909, the year that the Davis and Geck Company was founded, most hospitals were sterilizing their own catgut sutures, frequently through the use of a chemical solution. The process was imperfect, and frequently resulted in infections or operative delays. In 1913 the Davis and Geck Company introduced the Calustro-thermal process for the heat sterilization of suture tubes after the sutures were sealed inside. This provided hospitals with a reliable product, and saved time in the operating room as well." - Davis and Geck Company Records, Dodd Center, UConn.
In 1922, Davis And Geck marketed the eyeless Atraumatic needles, which had the sutures attached directly to the needle. But by this time the company was already in some distress as Davis had become embroiled in a murder investigation - on 17 February 1921, he shot and killed a police detective! To add to that, Davis' mental health was questioned as he seemed to believe that Kaiser Wilhelm was trying to assassinate him...he was found guilty of the murder and sentenced to 10-20 in prison. But that wasn't the end of his troubles as in 1930, the company was sold to the American Cyanamid Corporation for $3 Mill, in an ownership dispute with Davis' estranged wife.
BELOW: Kalmerid Catgut sutures: the box (left) and a vial with the suture.
Davis & Geck weren't the only company to have problems...In 1936, the Dr. W. A. Link Medicine Co was on trial for the misbranding of it's Kompo Bile Salts. Bile salts are "a mixture of sodium salts of the bile acids and cholic and chenodeoxycholic acids synthesized in the liver as a derivative of cholesterol. Their low surface tension contributes to the emulsification of fats in the intestine and their absorption from the GI tract." - medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com
According to the judgment, the US attorney for the Northern District of Texas filed against Joe W. Link (trading under Dr. blah, blah, blah), alleging a shipment of Kompo Bile Salts, in violation of the FDA, was misbranded. This charge was based on an analysis of the tablet components and the fact that the enclosed circular contained "false and fraudulent" statements regarding the curative or therapeutic effects of the tablets. Link was subsequently found guilty and fined $300.
Davis & Geck weren't the only company to have problems...In 1936, the Dr. W. A. Link Medicine Co was on trial for the misbranding of it's Kompo Bile Salts. Bile salts are "a mixture of sodium salts of the bile acids and cholic and chenodeoxycholic acids synthesized in the liver as a derivative of cholesterol. Their low surface tension contributes to the emulsification of fats in the intestine and their absorption from the GI tract." - medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com
According to the judgment, the US attorney for the Northern District of Texas filed against Joe W. Link (trading under Dr. blah, blah, blah), alleging a shipment of Kompo Bile Salts, in violation of the FDA, was misbranded. This charge was based on an analysis of the tablet components and the fact that the enclosed circular contained "false and fraudulent" statements regarding the curative or therapeutic effects of the tablets. Link was subsequently found guilty and fined $300.
BELOW: The offending article, in the flesh, as it were.
Kommentarer
Trackback
