| 1. A rare c. 1890 classical head antique ophthalmophantome that was made by Josef Leiter (1830-1892), Vienna, Austria. It is signed on the pivot armature: LEITER / IN WIEN. The mask phantom was invented ca. 1827 by Dr. Albert Sachs (1803-1835), an ophthalmologist practicing in Berlin, and it was used to teach ophthalmic surgery with practice upon cadaver's eyes or pig's eyes (similar in size to the human eye and readily available). The orbs are held in place by spring-loaded concave disks. Both of these porte-oeils (eye carriers) are present. The set-screw at the center of the throat allows the head to be tilted back to various positions. This Augustan style bust is the most desirable of the various types of antique ophthalmo-phantomes. An identical Leiter ophthalmophantome is in the collection of the Science Museum (Wellcome), London. SOLD |
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| 2. A magnificent set of c. 1820-40 Old Paris porcelain portrait antique apothecary jars. The jar to the left has the profile bust of Hippokrates (Hippocrates) and that on the right shows Galen, both physicians from the Ancient World. The heads are represented as carved marble busts. These antique pharmacy vases a devanture are monumental and stand 28" high. The side handles are highly modeled ram's heads and the lid finials are pinecones. A scarce and monumental set of antique pharmacy show jars. | 
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| 3. A very rare set of c. 1790s antique Perkins tractors with original case. Each galvanic metallic tractor is marked: PERKINS / PATENT / TRACTORS. Elisha Perkins (1741-1799), of Plainfield, Connecticut, received the first medical patent issued under the Constitution of the United States, in 1796, for this device. The Perkins' tractors were medical quackery, of course, but Perkinism promised electrotherapeutic cures for pains in the head, face, teeth, breast, side, stomach, back, rheumatism and some gouts. The son of Elisha Perkins, Benjamin Douglas Perkins (1774-1810), was the great promoter of the tractors, most notably in England. He also opened the market to the veterinary trade by authoring a pamphlet, The Family Remedy; or, Perkins's Patent Metallic Tractors, For the Relief of Topical Disease of the Human Body: And of Horses, 1800. For a decade the use of tractors was a rage...even George Washington is said to have bought a set. James Gillray, the English social critic and cartoonist, famously spoofed the use of the Perkins' invention, in 1801, which he labeled the Rod of Aesculapios [sic] (the Greek and Roman god of medicine, Aeskulapios or Aesculapius). For a history of the Perkins' metallic tractors, please click here and here. Also, see Bennion, pp. 167-168. SOLD |
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| 4. A very rare antique Wutzer surgical instrument for radical cure of hernia. For details on its use, please see this link. |
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| 5. An important c. 1819 first model antique Laennec monaural stethoscope that is ~32 cm / ~12.5" long. The tube was turned from a single piece of wood and the threads work perfectly. The plug fits both fully and snugly into the throat of the female-threaded section. This iconic Laennec stethoscope is by all measures a remarkable example. |
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| 6. An exquisite and magnificent set of antique phrenology calipers made by IR (James Redpath or John Robb) and hallmarked three times for Edinburgh, 1825. The case is engraved on the lid: To / GEORGE COMBE, Esqr. / FROM / Ladies who attended his Lectures / On / PHRENOLOGY, / IN / 1825 & 1826. The arc is further engraved: To George Combe Esqr. Ladies who attended his Classes of 1825 & 1826. The instrument is assembled from four pieces. Note the decorated ball finial on one caliper tip for placing within the ear to serve as a standard point of measurement. For a biography of the phrenologist George Combe (1788-1858), please see this link. A nearly identical instrument is pictured in Combe's book, Elements of Phrenology, 1824. This may have been the maker's model. Combe remarks that such a set can be made so that it comes-apart for fitting into a small pocket case. SOLD |
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7. A high quality 19th century bronze bust of Hippokrates (Hippocrates), the Greek physician and Father of Medicine. The portrait is dated 1854, stands 13.5" tall with marble plinth, and weighs over 15 pounds. |
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| 8. A fine c. 1850 antique embalming set by Favre, Paris. The set is complete and includes three pumps, two handles for the largest pump, 8 nozzles, four valves, a trocar, a straight razor, and a pair of scissors. Several valves are marked FAVRE A PARIS, and the lock keeper is hand-engraved: Favre 1. Rue de l'Ecole de Medicine. The handsome mahogany case has brass fixtures and a red wool interior. Civil War period embalming sets are rare. |
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