University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics Medical Museum

Scope of Collections

Adrienne Drapkin
Peer Review Status: Not peer reviewed

1. Permanent Collection: consists of objects and other items (photographs, documents, books, etc.) which are significant or related to the mission and collecting objectives of the Museum. The three-dimensional artifact collections are approximately 3,000 strong. Some of the major categories are:

• Ophthalmology, including optical lenses, color-blindness test kits, stereoscopes, spectacles, ophthalmoscopes, surgical instruments, etc.
• Dentistry, including examination chairs, impression trays, dental forceps, etc.
• Phlebotomy, including fleams, cupping devices, counter-irritation devices, etc.
• Surgical Instruments, including approximately 250 items such as WWII surgical field kits, forceps, saws, ligature needles, retractors, etc.
• UIHC History, including a time capsule from the first hospital building (1898), yearbooks, portraits, programs, diplomas, journals, etc.
• Diagnostic Equipment, including approximately 150 items such as stethoscopes, early sphygmomanometers, microscopes, X-ray equipment, blood-glucose testing devices, reflex hammers, etc.
• Obstetrics/Gynecology, including fetal stethoscopes, forceps, cranial crushers, specula, an ether inhaler
• Cardiology, including an early portable EKG, heart valves, mold for prosthetic blood vessels, documentation of the purchase of the first EKG at UIHC in 1919, etc.
• Otolaryngology, including a monochord, otoscopes, bronchoscopes, hearing aids, etc.
• Miscellaneous, including a 1930s examining chair used in the film "Field of Dreams," caned-seat wheelchair, syringe and hypodermic sets, examination tables, WWII first-aid kit, and appointment cards and an iron lung.

Other categories include Anesthesiology, College of Medicine (approximately 15-20% of our collection is on permanent loan from The University of Iowa College of Medicine), General Medicine, Homeopathic Medicine, Internal Medicine, Nursing, Orthopedics, Pathology, Pediatrics, Pharmaceuticals, Psychiatry, Radiology, Therapeutic Devices, and Urology. The photograph collection consists of several hundred photographs and negatives, mostly reproductions of historical photographs. It also includes approximately 20 framed, original College of Medicine class portraits. Images of current medical procedures (heart surgery, eye exam) and equipment (CAT scanning machines, operating room) are also a part of the collection. These images are used to enhance the text presented in exhibits, and by health care professionals in presentations. The manuscripts and documents collection includes approximately 330 medical and nursing texts, medical record books, physician's journals, photo albums, etc., and over 100 booklets and documents.

2. Education Collection: consists of objects and other items which are related to the mission of the Museum but are either in relatively poor condition or represent unnecessary duplication of items in the permanent collection. This collection is used for educational programs and demonstrations to groups of all ages. The education collection was started in 1995 so it is currently small, but growing.

3. Archives: consists of any and all documentation related to the history of the Medical Museum. The archives include all correspondence, policies and procedures, financial records, and any other documentation relevant to the institutional history of the UIHC Medical Museum. These records are used by appropriate parties for research on the Museum and its history within the UIHC and the University of Iowa.

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Last Modified: February 28, 1997