MEDICAL ANTIQUES
Nowadays we are so used to local and general anaesthetics, unless we are in the medical profession we seldom feel or see the instruments used on our bodies. This is all a comparatively recent state of affairs. Two hundred years ago things were very different. In 1811 the writer Fanny Burney felt every movement of the surgeon's knife during an operation. The same was true of sailors and soldiers enduring amputations. Ether and chloroform were not used until the 1840's. Many operations until the late 1800's had a high mortality rate – as late as the 1880's over 80% of caesarean births resulted in the death of the mother.
Epidurals are now taken for granted, but the first was not used until the 1930's.
Sad and gruesome though this history seems, medical antiques have become an interesting field of study and collecting. If nothing else they underline our incredible medical progress in a few generations. Some items like the
Others can be admired for their craftsmanship, like pill making equipment
and early laboratory equipment.
Horner's Antique and Collectors' Auction on 20th June 2009 at our Acle Gallery offered many interesting items related to medicine. From a local collection these included a mahogany case of C19th obstetrical instruments by a leading maker, the sort of equipment carried by every Victorian doctor. More decorative were a number of eyebaths, feeding cups, and a quantity of packaging and bottles.
As usual with Horner's sales there were a large number of books and works of art of local interest, including some excellent taxidermy. From further away came a
The auction was held at Acle Gallery on Saturday June 20th. For full sale results, visit our catalogues and results pages.