Dr. Henry Manning practiced medicine in Youngstown, Ohio from around 1811 until his death in 1869. He served as a surgeon in the Ohio Militia during the War of 1812. He was one of two doctors in the town of about 400 people. He traveled to patients' homes on horseback on dirt roads at all… Continue reading Dr. Manning’s 1834 daybook
Tag: medicine
Introducing our new “Digestive Elixir”
The Melnick Medical Museum is out and about in the community this summer, taking advantage of partnerships with other cultural institutions in the Youngstown area. Last Saturday, we had fun at the Mill Creek Metro Parks Alice in Wonderland themed Garden Adventure Day. For this event, we created a new activity- a color changing elixir! … Continue reading Introducing our new “Digestive Elixir”
Dr. Betterman and the story of how modern medicine came to a small town (1868-1910)
"All doctors have to put on a bold front. [...] I am not ashamed to confess that I do not know it all. Probably never will. I do try to use the best things and methods that rational science has to officer. All medicine has much yet to learn." So writes Dr. Amos Betterman in… Continue reading Dr. Betterman and the story of how modern medicine came to a small town (1868-1910)
Medical treatments in the late 19th century
Travel back to a time when two thirds of Americans lived on farms or rural villages. Indoor plumbing was rare and homes were heated by sooty wood burning stoves and kerosene lamps. Work was physically difficult and accidents happened often. Serious diseases like cholera, yellow fever, typhoid fever, diphtheria, malaria, and tuberculosis are common. These… Continue reading Medical treatments in the late 19th century
Pneumothorax Apparatus
[This post was researched and written by a Respiratory Care student who studied at the museum this semester.] The Davidson Pneumothorax Apparatus was patented in 1933 by Louis R. Davidson, a tuberculosis specialist. It was used to treat tuberculosis by causing an artificial pneumothorax (collapsing the lung by directly introducing air in the chest cavity). … Continue reading Pneumothorax Apparatus
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it
Recently, I did some light research on operating table design. I was looking for changes in design and materials so that I could help a researcher date their newly-acquired artifact. What I found was that after about 1920, operating tables didn't change much. They all looked about the same and had similar features. The biggest… Continue reading If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it
1890 Rx
Last week, while leafing through a 1890s medical book from the museum's library, I found a small slip of paper between the pages. It was a prescription recipe for the pharmacy of H. Waterman in Ravenna, OH. As I looked over the neat handwriting, I realized that the drug names were written in Latin and… Continue reading 1890 Rx
19th century doctors in the U.S.
During the late 1800s, many advances in medical knowledge and technology resulted in dramatic changes to many areas of the profession. The two major advances were the acceptance of the germ theory of disease and the use of anesthesia during surgery. These two discoveries, in combination with continued research of the human body and the… Continue reading 19th century doctors in the U.S.
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