New Exhibit on the History of Medical Tech to Open at Bruce Museum, Nov. 24

Greenwich, CT - A new exhibition opens on November 24 at the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, CT, that presents a thought-provoking examination of how far medical technology advanced across the nineteenth century – and how once-revolutionary concepts and instruments became commonplace.

The exhibition will showcase approximately 100 artifacts from the collection of M. Donald Blaufox, MD, PhD, ranging from surgical tools to quack patent medicines to early x-ray tubes, telling the story of how various branches of diagnostic and therapeutic medicine evolved.

“The Dawn of Modern Medicine exhibition will open our visitors’ eyes to the remarkable history of medical instruments,” says Dr. Daniel Ksepka, Curator of Science at the Bruce Museum. “Early in the nineteenth century, doctors were still bleeding patients, and electricity and radioactivity were thought to have great health benefits. By the beginning of the twentieth century, we had sterilization, x-rays, blood pressure measurement, and countless other medical tools that we take for granted today.”

As new discoveries and inventions transformed the field of medical practice, the appearance of diagnostic and surgical instruments changed dramatically. Before the Germ Theory of Disease was accepted, medical instruments were ornately crafted from beautiful materials but could not be sterilized. Post-operative infection killed many patients. As the concept of sterilization became understood, stainless steel tools replaced instruments made of wood, ivory, and ebony.

Says Dr. Blaufox of the unmatched collection of historic diagnostic instruments he has assembled over the past four decades: Some objects “were acquired simply because they have some medical significance, others for their beauty, but all of them because they help to understand the evolution of medicine over the centuries.” More of the collection can be viewed at the online Museum of Historical Medical Artifacts, https://www.mohma.org, created by Blaufox.

Dr. Blaufox is Professor and University Chairman Emeritus of the Department of Nuclear Medicine at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine as well as a former Chairman of the American Board of Nuclear Medicine. He is the author of 292 peer reviewed articles and book chapters on Nuclear Medicine, Hypertension, and Medical History. He has authored or edited 25 books; His latest books are Blood Pressure Measurement: An Illustrated History, and An Ear to the Chest: The Evolution of the Stethoscope. 

The Dawn of Modern Medicine: Selections from the Medical Artifact Collection of M. Donald Blaufox, MD, PhD,will be on display in the Museum’s Science Gallery through April 7, 2019. The Bruce Museum is grateful for support of this exhibition from the Charles M. and Deborah G. Royce Exhibition Fund and the Connecticut Office of the Arts.

The attached press release provides further details about the exhibition. Also attached are three images of devices and objects from the exhibition; below is the caption/credit information for each image:

Lister Spray machine:  Lister Spray machine, developed around 1880 by Arnold and Sons. From the M. Donald Blaufox Collection. Photo courtesy of the Dittrick Medical History Museum.

Medical Chest and Contents: Medical Chest and Contents, c. 1850. Mahogany box with medicines in glass bottles, scales, and weights. This chest belonged to Dr. C. Winslow, a doctor and pharmacist. On loan from theWarren Anatomical Museum. Photo courtesy of M. Donald Blaufox

X-ray Tube and Transformer: X-ray Tube and Transformer, c. 1900. 25 in. x 14 in. x 23 in. On loan from the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History. Photo courtesy of M. Donald Blaufox