AMA VICDOC Autumn 2024 - Magazine - Page 12
T
he exhibition, Tools of Trade, is a carefully
curated selection of more than 20 everyday
objects that doctors used in conducting
their medical practice such as stethoscopes,
medical kits and microscopes. Many were used by
early doctors of the Port Phillip District and date
to the mid-late nineteenth century.
“These items are significant as they give us
insight into the day-to-day lives of doctors and
how they carried out their profession, but also
reflect science and technology of the time,”
says curator Jacqueline ( Jacky) Healy.
The monaural stethoscopes on display might look
outmoded to us now, but at the time they were state
of the art – and not without controversy.
“Before the invention of this type of stethoscope,
doctors would roll up a paper tube and use it as a
funnel. Many doctors thought this was quite adequate
and didn’t like the new devices. We selected these
for inclusion as the stethoscope is an enduring
symbol of the physician’s trade,” explains Jacky.
Made primarily of wood, with one end larger
than the other and a hollow cavity in between,
monaural stethoscopes enabled a physician to listen
to a patient’s chest without having to place their ear
improperly close (important especially regarding
women patients) and are the precursor to today’s
binaural stethoscope design.
And then there are the amputation kits. While
older versions are ornate and crafted from materials
like wood, bone, and ivory, more later versions are far
more utilitarian – either purely metal, or with a metal
blade which could be detached from its handle.
“This shift in form from decorative to utilitarian
reflects a hugely important development in medical
science of the time – germ theory. They show us that
people began to understand that germs existed and
posed risks, and that medical instruments needed
to be made of non-porous materials that could be
thoroughly and properly cleaned,” says Jacky.
Similarly, the Burroughs & Wellcome medical
kit on display shows how doctors conducted their
business at this time, and how health care was
accessed in society.
“Hospitals were for the poor – if you were more
well to do the doctor came to you. Supplies like these
were an essential part of a colonial era doctor’s kit, as
they travelled to their patients and needed to be able
to prepare and dispense prescriptions on the spot.”
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AMA VI C TO RIA
» 01/ Top left: This foetal
stethoscope dates from circa
1890. Made from wood and
ivory, it stands roughly 20cm
tall and was used for foetal
heart rate monitoring. Where
the stethoscope has a flat bell
ideal for hearing heartbeats
through the chest, the fetoscope
has a rounded bell, which is
more sensitive for hearing a
baby's heartbeat through a
woman's belly.
» 02/ Top right: This Complete
Antidote Case dates from
circa 1900 includes bottles
of zinc sulphate, potassium
bromide, dialysed iron, chlorai,
magnesii sulphas (epsom salts),
calcined magnesia, tannin, oil
of turpentine and dialysed iron,
along with a small vial of
egotin (bonjean), along with
a syringe needle, rubber hose
and a cylindrical glass tube.
» 03/ Below: This surgical
instruments kit was
manufactured by W. Pepys
sometime between 1750
and 1863. It contains various
instruments with either ebony
or ivory handles and is an
example of the type of kit
in production and use before
the advent of germ theory.
These items are significant
as they give us insight
into the day-to-day lives
of doctors and how they
carried out their profession,
but also reflect science and
technology of the time
