Physician's Outfit for Bacteriological Diagnosis of Diphtheria, City of Chicago Department of Health
date: label: date made
content: 1895-1896
label: Associated Date
content: 1892-12-27
notes: label: Description
content: Kit includes a paper envelope, tin "serum" box, and paper-wrapped throat swab. The small, buff-colored envelope has a wire and paper folding closure. Black text on the front reads "City of Chicago. / Department of Health. / Physicians' Outfit for Bacteriological Diagnosis of Diphtheria. / DIRECTIONS: Remove the Throat Swab from paper and rub it over suspicious area in the throat; spread material so removed evenly over entire surface of serum in tin box. Open box only when you inoculate it. / Burn the Swab. / Telephone as soon as the inoculation is made to Main 447 Laboratory, and the outfit will be collected by messenger." Small, black text on the back reads "PAT. DEC. 27, 1892." Tin is circular and of a silver color. Swab is wrapped in tissue paper.
label: Description
content: This diphtheria bacteriological testing kit was sent by W.K. Jaques, MD, of Chicago, Illinois, to Parke, Davis & Company of Detroit, Michigan, in 1896. William Kilbourn Jaques, worked as a bacteriologist for the Chicago Health Department. In the letter to Parke, Davis, & Company accompaning the kit, Jaques wrote: " My small tin serum boxes have been in use in this city for nearly two years, and as you will see by the envelope which I send you, they have been adopted by the Chicago Health Department because of their superiority over the glass tubes." The tin boxes were cheaper, and physicians found them easier to use than glass culture tubes. Many physicians could make their own diagnosis by microscopical examination of the inoculated serum after several hours of incubation. Jaques wrote: "By the aid of these boxes hundreds of our physicians are now making their own bacterial diagnosis. Placing the inoculated box and envelope in an inside pocket .. the period of incubation begins at once and it is often the case that when the physician reaches his office, he is able to obtain sufficient bacilli, by pressing the cover glass directly upon the surface of the serum, to make a diagnosis." The Columbus Medical Laboratory in Chicago prepared the serum boxes for the city.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: Illinois, Chicago
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Medicine
label: See more items in
content: Health & Medicine
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content: Antibody Initiative: Diphtheria
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2019.0169.01
label: catalog number
content: 2019.0169.01
label: accession number
content: 2019.0169
objectType: label: Object Name
content: biological
label: Object Name
content: diagnostic, diphtheria
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: paper (overall, envelope material)
label: Physical Description
content: metal (overall, tin material)
label: Physical Description
content: paper (overall, swab material)
label: Measurements
content: overall, envelope: 3/8 in x 6 in x 4 1/2 in; .9525 cm x 15.24 cm x 11.43 cm
label: Measurements
content: overall, swab: 1/4 in x 5 in x 1 1/2 in; .635 cm x 12.7 cm x 3.81 cm
label: Measurements
content: overall, tin: 1/2 in x 1 in; 1.27 cm x 2.54 cm