Sources for Identification of Antique Medical Instruments in Print and on the Internet |
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Suzanne M. ShultzVersion 2.0 Published May 2002 Version 1.0 Published 2000 |
Director
of Library Services Philip A. Hoover, M.D. Library York Hospital Correspondence address: WellSpan Health at York Hospital 1001 South George Street York PA 17405 Phone: (717)851-2495 FAX: (717)851-2487 work email (does not accept attachments):sshultz@wellspan.org |
The internet has become an invaluable tool for medical librarians in answering
reference questions both for the professional and consumer clients they serve.
What the internet lacks in efficiency, comprehensiveness and reliability is
made up in speed, cost effectiveness and relative currency. There are, however,
some questions that still require refined searching or in-depth expertise that
is not entirely available on the internet. The search for identification, use,
value and historical context of antique medical instruments is one such field
where the marriage of print and electronic sources provides the inquirer with
the best of both worlds. This paper will review both print sources and internet
websites that may be consulted on medical antiques.
Three search engines, Google, WiseNut, and Fast were selected based on total
and relative size.(1) The same search strategy "+medical +antiques"
was performed on each search engine. This was to insure that all results would
have both of the words in the title, although not necessarily in that order
or next to each other. The first 20 hits were examined for each search engine.
Duplication among results within a single search engine and between the search
engines occurred. For example, Michael Echols http://www.braceface.com/medical
appeared four times in the first twenty hits within Google and two times each
in WiseNut and Fast. A few dead links or connection errors occurred. Eliminating
both the duplicates and dead or inappropriate links, a core group of useful
sites was found (Table 1).
There is a small but growing list of excellent books on medical instruments
and a number of journal articles that are rather more specific. The books listed
in this paper were selected from title holdings of several large medical libraries,
subject searches of antiquarian book sites online, current book sites online,
catalogs of various publishers known for historical works and recommendations
from some online antique medical instrument dealers. The journal article selections
included for this paper were chosen from Medline and Histline searches and bibliographic
citations in books and journal articles. Other sources that may be consulted
for further information are early instrument catalogs, museums and curators,
as well as history of medicine librarians.
Books:
1. Bennion, Elisabeth. Antique Dental Instruments. London: Sotheby's, 1986.
An essential book for identification of dental instruments, it is one of the
few reliable sources available on the subject. Like Bennion's book on medical
instruments, it is illustrated and includes a directory of dental instrument
makers, a bibliography and an index.
2. Bennion, Elisabeth. Antique Medical Instruments. London, Sotheby Park Bernet,
1979. An absolutely essential book for the study and identification of antique
medical instruments pre 1870, this book contains a most detailed directory of
surgical instrument makers. It also includes information on spectacles, dental
and veterinary instruments, and invalid feeding utensils. Illustrations are
in both color and black and white; there is an extensive bibliography and a
glossary.
3. Dammann, Gordon. Pictorial Encyclopedia of Civil War Medical Instruments
and Equipment. (Missoula, MT: Pictorial Histories Publishing Company, 1983)
Two volumes: volume 1 (100 pages) and volume 2 (96 pages), this book includes
photographs, notes and a bibliography. There are some later printings that carry
more recent dates.
4. Das, Kedarnath. Obstetric Forceps: Its History and Evolution. [Leeds, 1993]
(San Francisco, CA: Norman Publishing, 1993)
5. Davis, Audrey B. Medicine and Its Technology; An Introduction to the History
of Medical Instrumentation. (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1981) This monograph
is primarily a bibliographic resource on medical instruments and collection.
6. Davis, Audrey B. and Appel, Toby. Bloodletting Instruments in the National
Museum of History and Technology. (Washington DC: Smithsonian Institution Press,
1979)
7. Davis, Audrey B. and Dreyfuss, Mark S. The Finest Instruments Ever Made:
A Bibliography of Medical, Dental, Optical and Pharmaceutical Trade Literature
1700-1939. (Arlington, MA: Medical History Publishing Associates, 1986) This
bibliography is a history of technology in medicine; it is indexed.
8. Edmonson, James M. American Surgical Instruments - An Illustrated History
of their Manufacture and a Directory of Instrument Makers to 1900. (San Francisco,
CA: Norman Publishing, 1997) This scholarly work is advertised as the "most
comprehensive and authoritative directory to date of surgical instrument makers
in the United States pre 1900." There are 280 illustrations mainly in black
and white, but with a section of color plates, all accompanied by detailed notes
on maker and description. There is an extensive bibliography.
9. Edmonson, James M. Nineteenth Century Surgical Instruments; A Catalogue of
the Gustav Weber Collection at the Howard Dittrick Museum of Historical Medicine.
(Cleveland: Cleveland Health Science Library, 1986)
10. Hibbard, Bryan M. The Obstetrician's Armamentarium: Historic Obstetric Instruments
and Their Inventors. (San Francisco, CA: Norman Publishing, 2000) With 350 pages
and 500 illustrations of obstetric instruments from the earliest time to the
19th century, this book was not yet released at the time this paper was written.
11. Ricci, James Vincent. The Development of Gynaecological Surgery and Instruments.
A comprehensive review of the evolution of surgery and surgical instruments
for the treatment of female diseases from the Hippocratic age to the antiseptic
period. (Philadelphia: Blakiston, 1949) This 594 page book with 236 plates was
reissued by Norman Publishing in 1990.
12. Scientific Instrument Symposium. Nineteenth-century Scientific Instruments
and Their Makers: Papers presented at the Fourth Scientific Instrument Symposium,
Amsterdam, 23-26 October 1984. Edited by P.R. deClercq. (Leiden: Museum Boerhaave,
1985)
13. Snowden and Brother. An Illustrated Wholesale Catalogue of Surgical and
Dental Instruments. [Philadelphia, 1860] bound with John Weiss and Son. Catalogue
of Surgical Instruments, Apparatus, Appliances [London 1863] (San Francisco,
CA: Norman Publishing, 1997) Of interest to American Civil War collectors, the
companies represented by these two catalogues were the primary suppliers of
surgical and other medical supplies for the war.
14. Tiemann, George. American Armamentarium Chirurgicum. [reprint] (San Francisco
CA: Norman Publishing, 1989) This book is comprised of descriptions of all the
instruments the company produced, illustrations of the instruments and the surgical
procedures in which the instruments were used.
15. Thompson, Charles J.S. The History and Evolution of Surgical Instruments.
(New York: Schuman, 1942) The original press run was limited to 1000 copies.
A facsimile reprint edition was issued by Mansfield Centre in 1999.
16. White, Samuel S. The Samuel S. White Catalog of Dental Instruments and Equipment.
[reprint 1876 edition] (San Francisco, CA: Norman Publishing, 1995) This is
a reprint of 408 catalog pages of nineteenth century dental instruments and
supplies.
17. Wilbur, Keith. Antique Medical Instruments. 4th ed. (Pennsylvania: Schiffer,
2000) A compilation of medical instruments from the physician's bag to the medical
office, this book, like all of Wilbur's books, is hand drawn and hand lettered.
The text is written calligraphically and the nearly 1500 illustrations are drawings.
18. Young, Anne Mortimer. Antique Medicine Chests, or Glyster, blister and purge.
(London: Vernier Press, 1994) This unusual and scarce little book is a guide
to the history of domestic medicine chests (the predecessors of bathroom cabinets)
and their contents, including bottles and pharmaceutical paraphernalia with
illustrations. This 77 page book is primarily British in orientation.
Journal Articles:
1. Alexander, Leslie L. and Atkins, Nora M.L. Lincoln's last legacy: a narrative
of the president's obscured autopsy instruments. Journal of the National Medical
Association. 90(6):378-381, June 1998. This paper traces the history of the
surgical instruments used at the autopsy of Abraham Lincoln from 1865 until
their presentation to the National Museum of American History in 1983. Illustrations
and references.
2. American surgical instrument industry, 1880-1916. The impact of European
importation and asepsis. Proceedings of the Sixth Symposium of the European
Association of Museums of History of Medical Sciences. Leiden, 1992.
3. Anon. Dissecting Instruments. Boston Medical and Surgical Journal 12:226,
1835; Anon. Cupping Instruments. Boston Medical and Surgical Journal 18:163,
1838; Anon. Surgical Instruments. Boston Medical and Surgical Journal 23:133,
1841; Anon. Cupping Apparatus. Boston Medical and Surgical Journal 26: 273,
1842. Under the heading "Medical Miscellany," each of these citations
is a single paragraph description of one instrument, no picture, with purchasing
information. The name of the inventor or manufacturer and his location are given.
4. Brodman, Estelle. The doctor's tools: from saddlebag to hospital. Caduceus
1(3): 1-37, Autumn 1985. This is a well-written overview of pioneer medicine
in America, complete with illustrations of medical advertisements and photographs
of early diagnostic and therapeutic instruments. The paper covers diseases encountered
on the frontier and such treatment options as pharmaceuticals and bleeding.
Various sectarian medical practices which achieved prominence in America in
the 1800s are capsulized. A brief history of the theories of disease causation
and the rise of the hospital as the site of primary medical care at the turn
of the 20th century complete the article. Twelve references are included.
5. Burns, Dixon N. and Calache, Lisa D. An evaluation of some early obstetrical
instruments. Caduceus 3(1):33-40, Spring 1987. This brief review of the development
of obstetrics, including four illustrations of various groups of instruments
is a good starting point for the uses of obstetrical tools.
6. Davis, Audrey B. Historical studies of medical instruments. History of Science
16: 107-133, 1978. Closely resembling a bibliographic essay, this paper reviews
the sources using some specific examples from which a scholar might locate information
about medical instruments. There are more than 70 reference notes.
7. Davis, Audrey B. and Glenner, Richard A. Collecting dental antiques. Bulletin
of the History of Dentistry 39:11-16, April 1991. This paper describes the exhibit
of several offices of American dentists and some dental items (in excess of
4500) held by the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. Other
organizations' collections of dental materials are briefly reviewed. The paper
contains one photo and is lightly referenced.
8. Dittrick, Howard. The equipment, instruments and drugs of pioneer physicians
of Ohio. Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Quarterly. 48: 198-210, 1939
9. Edmonson, James M. Learning from the artifact: surgical instruments as resources
in the history of medicine and medical technology. Caduceus 9(2):87-98, Autumn
1993. A searching examination of clues yielded from the study and interpretation
of artifacts, this paper looks at makers, forms, manufacturers' marks and patents.
Illustrations are from the Dittrick Museum's Gustav Weber collection of surgical
instruments. Notes and a selected bibliography are included.
10. Edmonson, James M. Asepsis and the transformation of surgical instruments.
Transactions and Studies of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia. 5th series.
13(1):75-91, Spring 1991. This paper reviews, citing specific examples, the
evolution (some say revolution) of surgical instrument design that occurred
with the introduction of antisepsis. Illustrations and notes accompany the article.
11. Edmonson, James M. Documentation of instruments and their makers. Watermark
16:63-65, Fall 1993. This is a short, informative outline of the process by
which an instrument may be identified. There are no illustrations or references.
12. Edmonson, James M. Medical objects for the non-specialist: the interpretative
challenge. Proceedings of the Second Symposium of the European Association of
Museums of History of Medical Sciences. London, 1984. Pp. 117-119. An essay
on the Dittrick Museum's display, description, evaluation and interpretation
(meaning and function) of medical instruments, this paper has no references.
13. Goler, Robert I. Visual and artifactual materials in the history of early
American Medicine. New York State Journal of Medicine. 87:14-22, 1987. This
paper provides a general historical approach to the importance of material culture
as evidence of past medical activities which broadly includes, but is not limited
to, medical instruments. Other "materials" mentioned are pathological
and anatomical specimens, medical account books, inventories, pharmaceuticals,
bottles, medical textbooks, paintings and such mundane items as bedpans and
false teeth. Illustrations and references are included.
14. Hagopian Ellen J. Mann, Christian. Galibert, Lou-Ann. Steichen, Felician
M. The history of thoracic surgical instruments and instrumentation. Chest Surgery
Clinics of North America. 10(1):9-43, Feb 2000.
15. Kirkup John R. The historical instrument collection at the Royal College
of Surgeons of England. Journal of Medical Biography 1(1): 52-8, Feb 1993.
16. Kirkup John R. The historical instrument collection: notes and queries.
Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England 81(1 suppl):5-7, Jan 1999.
17. Kirkup, John R. From flint to stainless steel: observations on surgical
instrument composition. Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England 75(5):
365-74, Sept 1993.
18. Kirkup John R. The history and evolution of surgical instruments. Annals
of the Royal College of Surgeons of England I. Introduction. 63:279-285, 1981;
II. Origins: function: carriage: manufacture. 64:125-132, 1982; III. Handles.
65:269-273, 1983; IV. Probes and their allies. 67:56-60, 1985; V. Needles and
their penetrating derivatives. 68:29-33, 1986;VI. The surgical blade: from fingernail
to ultrasound. 77:380-8, 1995;VII. Spring forceps (tweezers), hooks and simple
retractors. 78:544-52, 1996;VIII. Catheters, hollow needles and other tubular
instruments. 80:81-90, 1998; IX. Scissors and related pivot-controlled cutting
instruments. 80:422-32, 1998; X. Clamps and related pivot-controlled forceps.
81:420-8, 1999. All of the papers in this continuing series are exquisitely
written and very informative; illustrations amplify the text.
19. Miller, Genevieve. Eighteenth century cataract instruments. Bulletin of
the Cleveland Medical Library. 25 (2): 343-45, April 1979.
20. Riall, Charles T. Surgical instrument makers. Journal of the Operating Room
Research Institute. April 1983. Pp. 36-39.
21. Riall, Charles T. and Hilzinger F. Surgical and medical devices and their
origins. Chapter XVIII. Surgical Instrument Manufacturers. Journal of the Operating
Room Research Institute. 3(2): 34-9, February 1983.
22. Sachs, Michael. Auth, Marcus. Encke, Albrecht. Historical development of
surgical instruments exemplified by hemostatic forceps. World Journal of Surgery.
22(5): 499-504, May 1998.
23. Wolverton, Nan. Instruments of intervention in early American medicine.
The Magazine Antiques. CLVI (1): 98-101, July 1999.
Internet Sources:
Collecting:
1. Echols, Michael. Civil War Instrument Makers, Identification, Fakes and Information.
http://www.braceface.com/medical/Civil_War_Surgical_Instruments.htm
Last updated 3/4/2002. This seven page review of Civil War medical instruments
includes illustrations of instruments and shows how to locate the instrument
maker marks. A list of known makers of Civil War instrument kits along with
some photographs on identification of fakes is useful.
2. Echols, Michael. Personal Notes on Collecting Medical Antiques; miscellaneous
information to help new medical collectors.
http://braceface.com/medical/Medical_Collecting_Notes.htm
Last updated 4/8/2002. This essay is a personal journey into medical collecting
beginning with the spark of interest, progressing to reference sources, collection
specialization, dating and condition of instruments. Ten pages.
3. Greenspan, Robert. CollectingTips.
http://www.collectmedicalantiques.com/tips.html
Last updated ??. This six-page summary of tips introduces the author and gives
some personal background on his collecting adventure. His column is organized
in an FAQ format with simple, straight-forward answers to the questions we all
ask from time to time, i.e., How old is this medical instrument and what is
it worth? Dr. Greenspan also mentions some common errors made by collectors
and dealers. Six pages.
4. Medical Antiques.Com
http://medicalantiques.com/
Douglas Arbittier, M.D., of Watertown, New York, and Michael Echols, D.D.S.
of Ft. Myers, Florida, provide information on medical, surgical, dental, apothecary
and bloodletting instruments in this "ongoing educational project"
that includes both photos and articles. Features include 1. Private collection
photos and information, 2. Articles about medical antiques, 3. Dealer/seller
services, 4. References on collection values, identification reference books,
and 5. Links to museums and other websites.
5. Scientific and Medical Antiques
http://www.utmem.edu/~thjones/sci_ant.htm
A depository of information regarding scientific and medical antiques, this
site has three major options; 1. What's New, 2. Learn About, and 3. Buying and
Selling. "What's new" is a potpourri of antique dealers, book dealers
and museums. "Learning about" scientific and medical antiques includes
books and periodicals for reference, organizations and on-line sources. "Buying
and selling" is comprised of lists of dealers, upcoming shows and auctions,
and a few cautions for the novice (or even the experienced) medical instrument
shopper on collecting.
6. American Artifacts: Scientific, Medical and Mechanical Antiques; Antique
Medical Instruments
http://americanartifacts.com/smma
American Artifacts is a journal published in Taneytown, Maryland, that is devoted
to a variety of antique instruments. The website main page presented 12 choices
from farm and surveying instruments to U.S. Patents searching. By selecting
antique medical instruments, an online catalog containing about 16 different
devices and tools (with photographs) is presented. Two other useful and attractive
features include a list of online articles from American Artifacts and a schedule
of upcoming antique scientific instrument shows (which was somewhat outdated).
Catalogs, Shops and Dealers:
1. Medical Antiques: an Antique Medical, Surgical and Dental Resource Site /
Alex Peck Antique Scientifica
http://www.antiquescientifica.com/
This is probably the best initial access point for those interested in medical
antiques and collectibles. Alex Peck, with more than twenty years of experience,
is recognized as one of the most knowledgeable dealers and historians in the
field.
The opening page includes address, phone and email contact information and six
clickable choices: Archives, Articles, Collecting Alerts, Reference Books, Sale
Catalog and Wants. The opening page also includes an extensive list and description
of items that are sought for purchase and a series on Medical Antiques Introduction
that is under development. "Archives " provides a group of high quality
photographs of medical items and a detailed description of each including date,
history, provenance if known, name of maker/manufacturer and owner and reference
source. There were 28 pages the day this site was viewed. "Articles"
contained 5 pages of outstanding examples of medical items; the first item is
an 1850s Tiemann General Operating Set shown together as a set , followed by
a series of individual photographs of some of the components of the kit. "Collecting
Alerts" (five pages) offers a photographic array of incorrectly identified
medical instruments, misdated antiques and outright fakes. Each item is described,
its correct usage noted and date more accurately calculated. Fakes are revealed
and the materials from which they were fashioned are properly identified, e.g.
ink erasers offered as Civil War surgeon's knives. "Reference Books"
lists ten classic medical instrument books and catalogs which can be purchased
through Alex Peck. "Sale Catalogs" is comprised of 21 pages of photographed
and meticulously identified medical items for sale varying from busts, photographs,
and books to artificial eye and surgical kits. None of the items are priced.
"Wants" brings you back to the home or start page where the list of
items sought for purchase resides.
2. Medical Antiques Online Contents
http://antiquemed.com/tableofcon.html
Eight selections including 1. Historic speeches, essays and articles, 2. References
(books), 3. Links (goes to the History of the Health Sciences Online Resources
page), 4. Dealers, 5. Feedback, 6. Sale, 7. Looking to buy, and 8. Register
in the Guestbook, comprise the website. At the time this page was accessed,
it had not been updated since May 2001.
3. Medical Antiques, Ed Welch's Antiques: Maine Antique Dealer
http://www.metiques.com/catalog/medscientific.html
Items are listed for sale in Medical, Dental, Mortuary, and Death and Dying
categories. There are few items pictured or described. There is no currency
date on the website but there is contact information by e-mail, phone or fax.
4. Stone Bridge Antiques: Medical Collectibles
http://www.stonebridgeantiques.com/medical.html
Stone Bridge Antiques lists a small number of medical items with photographs,
descriptions and price. Items vary in size and price from fleams to a complete
Civil War vintage surgical amputation kit (sold) and antique physicians' office
furniture. Although no date is apparent on the site (although the copyright
date is current,) address and phone numbers as well as email rapidly connects
to the dealer. The page also supplied links to other antique dealers.
5. Richard E. Cies Antiques
http://rcies.antiqnet.com/
http://www.richardcies.com/richardcies001.htm
http://www.medic-antiques.com/medicantiques001.htm
While there is no apparent date by which to time stamp the currency of this
site, some of the items offered are at auction on eBay. There are five clickable
choices beginning with Main or home which introduces Richard Cies, a dealer
who specializes in medical antiques from Silver Springs, Florida. (He also carries
19th Century and early Americana antiques.) Information on booking Mr. Cies
for lectures on such topics as "Civil War Medicine" or the "Development
of Medicine in the 19th Century," for example, or for exhibits and demonstrations
can be found under "Appear. " Under the "Historical Examples,"
Mr. Cies provides photographs and descriptions of 13 cased instrument kits of
apparent excellent quality. The online catalog contains a variety of medical
items, some of which are being offered on eBay. Each item is pictured, approximately
dated and described in two or three short sentences. By clicking on the small
photo, the individual items can be enlarged and more details, as well as price,
appear. This site is both interesting and informative.
Auctions:
17. eBay
http://www.ebay.com/
"The World's Online Marketplace," eBay is an online auction for almost
everything imaginable. By going to the index and selecting "Medical,"
one can view a very large number of items. These vary in age from the 1700s
to relatively recent (at the time this site was reviewed for inclusion), and
in type from medical instruments, cabinets and furniture to medical books, prints
and cards. There is a world of information available to the user with the patience
to sift through pages of offerings. The same caution in evaluating, selecting
and purchasing items should apply as if these items were being sold at a flea
market or estate sale.
Directories
1. Google, National Directory, and DMOZ Open directory project
http://directory.google.com/Top/Recreation/Antiques/Medical_and_Scientific
http://nationaldirectory.com/Recreation/Antiques/Medical_and_Scientific
http://dmoz.org/Recreation/Antiques/Medical_and_Scientific
These three directories appeared across the three search engines and are nearly
identical in content. The order in which the sites are presented varies slightly
but each has 43 entries, lists 3 organizations and includes a separate Slide
Rule listing. Many of the sites listed above can be found here and some additional
interesting ones.
2. Yahoo directory
http://sg.dir.yahoo.com/recreation/hobbies/collecting/Medical/
The Yahoo directory contains the smallest list, 8 sites, but it includes those
that have the broadest scope of medical antiques. It also has two unique listings
that do not appear in the three directories named above.
Civil War
1. Gunsight Antiques - Civil War Era Antiques
http://www.gunsightantiques.com/
Gunsight Antiques provides a broad range of CivilWar related items for purchase,
including scientific and medical instruments. Nineteen items were available
when this site was accessed for review. The owners of the site cater to museums,
historical societies and private collectors who focus on Civil War materials.
Information on ordering, mailing and e-mail addresses are included, as well
as links to five other internet sites on Civil War artifacts and collectibles.
2. The Horse Soldier
http://www.horsesoldier.com/
A family business located in Gettysburg, The Horse Soldier specializes in military
antiques from the Revolutionary War to World War I with a primary interest in
Civil War items. These include medical instruments. On the date of review, the
On-line catalog included nine medical items with full description and a few
pictures for inspection. These items all included prices. A "Soldier Genealogical
Research Service" is offered at this sight for those who would like to
know more about their ancestors or about the original owner of an object of
military memorabilia.
Conclusion:
A review of useful print and electronic sources for identification of antique
medical and dental instruments is presented. Because the internet constantly
changes, this list of sites is by no means inclusive; it is rather like a snapshot
of a moving picture. However, it does provide a starting point. The print sources
should be readily obtainable from most large medical libraries.
References:
Search Engine Showdown: The Users' Guide to Web Searching. http://searchengineshowdown.com Access date 4-9-2002
Table 1. Characteristics of the three search engines
examined for this paper
|
Google
|
WiseNut
|
Fast
|
|||||
 |
|||||||
| Good hits |
12
|
15
|
10
|
||||
|
|||||||
| Unique hits |
1
|
9
|
11
|
||||
|
|||||||
| Dead hits |
0
|
1
|
2
|
||||
|
|||||||
| Redundancies |
8
|
1
|
1
|
||||
|
|||||||
| Off subject |
0
|
2
|
1
|
||||
|
|||||||
| More science than medicine |
0
|
0
|
5
|
||||