Scope of Collections

The Medical Museum collections fall into three categories: the permanent collection, the education collection, and the archives.

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.
• UI Hospitals and Clinics 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, ether inhalers, etc.
• Cardiology, including an early portable EKG, heart valves, mold for prosthetic blood vessels, documentation of the purchase of the first EKG at UI Hospitals and Clinics 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, World War II first-aid kit, and appointment cards and an iron lung.

Other categories include Anesthesiology, College of Medicine (approximately 15-20 percent 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 and is 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 Medical Museum. These records are used by appropriate parties for research on the Museum and its history within the UI Hospitals and Clinics and the University of Iowa.