| 233. A fine example of a solid gold Struthers Anatomy Prize medal, Aberdeen University, in its original fitted-case. Sir John Struthers, MD, LLD, FRCSE (1823-1899), who held the chair of anatomy at Aberdeen from 1863 to 1889, proposed, in 1889, an annual honor for best dissection by an undergraduate. The first winner was announced in 1893. Dr. Robert W. Reid (1851-1939) succeeded Struthers to the anatomy chair, and he awarded this particular prize medal to W. Marshall Phillip, M.C.B.M., in 1896. Dr. William Marshall Phillip (1872-1932) earned distinction as an efficient Medical Officer of Health of Colombo, Ceylon, for which he received the C.B.E. from King George V. The Struthers medal was made to a high standard by the jeweler Millar of Union Street, Aberdeen, and it measures 6cm by 5.3cm. For more information about and the Struthers Anatomy Prize and the remarkable career of Dr. Struthers, please see this link. Some biographical comments on Dr. Reid, who had a special interest in anthropology, are found at this link. Dr. Phillip's obituary is at this link. |
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| 234. The c. 1920 doctor's office sign of J. Guy Smith, M.D., who is believed to have practiced in the Canfield, Ohio, area. The frame is made of metal and the lettering is protected by a thick glass insert with scalloped border. |
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235. An unusual c. 1870 medical
dry cupping set that is finely cased with trade label and
fire-gilt brass lock marked by Jenner &
Knewstub, of 33 St. James’s Street, a rather high-end London company
active in the 1860s-80s. There is a
double-E monogram on the leather-covered lid, and the name COOKIE.
is gold-embossed on the interior lid velvet. The hinges and
corner braces are also fire-gilt. The visual impact makes a most
elegant presentation, and the set was clearly intended for use by an
upper class doctor or household. The cups are French-fitted and
not loose in their individual compartments. They also are
bigger than those typically found...the largest being 17 cm
long. The greater the volume of the cups, the
greater the vacuum when heated. The brass lamp retains its
original snuffer. This antique counter-irritation set was meant
for dry cupping only and never contained a scarificator.
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| 236. A c. 1860 antique amputation saw by Luer, Paris. The handle of this fine bow saw is ebony. |
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237. An antique obstetrical hook and crotchet marked by S. Maw, a London surgical instrument maker. The center handgrips are ebony. |
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238. A stereoview of a spoof dental extraction in a late 19th century dental office. Note the pedal dental engine (drill) to the left and the swan-necked arms on the purpose-built dental chair. The image is copyrighted 1890 and is from New York. Penciled on the back is the caption Oh, what a tooth. |
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| 239. A wool blanket embroidered: M.D. / U.S. Army. / 1942. A fine WW II U.S. Army Medical Department artifact. |
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| 240. An autograph letter from Charles Babbage (1791-1871), British political economist, mathematician, and the inventor of the first computing machines, which are the ancestors of the modern computer. The letter is dated 1 May 1840, and it is an invitation to attend one of Babbage's well-known salons. The invitee is Major Alfred Mordecai (1804-1887), who, at the time, was the U.S. Army's foremost ordnance expert and in Europe to examine arsenals and cannon foundries. Later, in 1852 and in Mordecai's hand, a notation is made on Charles Babbage's inventing of the Calculating Engine. |
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