This is an update to our post of a few years ago about the accession we received from Carney Hospital. We wanted to share one more item from this collection that contains a fascinating look into American medical history.
This book is undated, but we estimate it to be from sometime between 1900 and 1920. It was designed and sold as a record book, like a patient register or a phone book. However, the doctors and nurses instead used the book as their go-to guide for different medications and treatments. The advice included doses of different treatments, all arranged alphabetically by disease.
We admit that none of us are medical experts, and the writing sometimes descends into what could be called “doctor’s scribble,” with various medications we have never heard of. Check out this advice for “Nausea and Vomiting” as an example…
Nonetheless, for those who have some knowledge of medicine and medical history, it provides a valuable piece in the evolution of the way medicine has evolved and in the ways that we treat different maladies.
In addition to this usefulness, there are some specific store names with addresses included for preferred places to procure certain treatments. They even include specific names of stores with addresses. Check out this entry for “Hand Lotion.”
An address in Chicago for a long-defunct store provides evidence of the network of hospitals and pharmacies throughout the country at this time, as well as the state of economics and medical commerce at this time (Incidentally, if anyone can provide dates for this store that helps us to more accurately date this book, we would appreciate any assistance you can provide!).
The Carney collection is available to researchers on-site, with plans for pieces of the collection to be digitized and made available in the future.
docarchivesblog.org 