The history of therapeutics is the history of how physicians understand disease. Prevailing medical ideology is reflected by the devices developed and used by physicians. Museum artifacts document animal magnetism, heroic medicine, the development of vaccination, physical therapy, and other changing technologies, as well as the persistence of traditional practices such as acupuncture.
Therapeutic objects comprise approximately five percent of the collection.
Approximately 15 items. The earliest acupuncture needles are from a set of Chinese instruments donated to the museum by a missionary doctor around the turn of the century. Also included are acupuncture needles and manikins manufactured in the People's Republic of China during the 1960s. Contemporary interest in traditional practices are documented by the small collection of acupuncture needles in sterile wrappers. Perkin's Metallic Tractors, the first medical device patented in the United States, was based on a theory called animal magnetism.