This Diagnostic Kit is a fair example of medical equipment used within mental asylums in the 19th and 20th centuryBlack wooden box, fabric covered. Contains stainless steel instruments.'Gowllands' Made in Englandmedical, set, instruments, diagnostic

The Furgusson stethoscope was in use from 1866. It is made all in one piece and has no attachments.Mary Howlett (1840-1922) began practising as a country midwife in 1866 in the western district of Victoria. She qualified as a 'ladies monthly nurse' in 1887 and continued to practise as a nurse and midwife until 1920. She began her six months training at the Melbourne Lying-In Hospital. She was known by many as 'Auntie', and her career spanned more than 50 years. Mrs Howlett's midwifery box and contents were given to Dr Frank Forster, and he donated them to the museum collection in 1993.Fetal stethoscope consisting of an ebony tube with flanges at each end. The large flange would be placed onto the abdomen and the small flange would be placed to the ear to hear the fetal heart beat.diagnostic instruments, midwifery

Bath thermometers were used in both hospital and home nursing during the 1800s.Mary Howlett (1840-1922) began practising as a country midwife in 1866 in the western district of Victoria. She qualified as a 'ladies monthly nurse' in 1887 and continued to practise as a nurse and midwife until 1920.She began her six months training at the Melbourne Lying-In Hospital. She was known by many as 'Auntie', and her career spanned more than 50 years. Mrs Howlett's midwifery box and contents were given to Dr Frank Forster, and he donated them to the museum collection in 1993.Container for bath thermometer, consisting of base and lid. Cylindrical box made of tin with copper lining. Bath thermometer is missing.diagnostic instruments, midwifery

The hinged, fitted case is covered in black leatherette and lined with blue velvet. Comprises of Body, which takes 2 x D size batteries, Ophthalmoscope Head, Otoscope Head, and 3 plastic earpieces, and spare bulb.'Keeler' London W1 Englandmedical instrument, medicine, keeler

The medical instrument is used for the treatment of Trichomonas Vaginitis. Insufflation has been a medical practice since the early nineteenth century, the earliest mention of it appearing in 1823. There are descriptions of its therapeutic and diagnostic purposes in connection with almost every cavity of the body. Despite being used widely across many Victorian health institutions, insufflation has not been regarded as a dangerous procedure.The object is significant because it is representative of medical treatments used to cure sexually transmitted diseases in Aradale Mental Hospital in the 1940's. Black leatherette covered wooden box with a metal latch on the front and 2 hinges at the rear. "Wyeth Vaginal insufflator for silver picrate" printed on inside of lid. Blue, painted wood, custom made interior. Contains: Four canisters of Silver Pictrate [Sealed] One canister of Silver Pictrate [attached to Insufflator] One canister of Silver Pictrate [Open but covered with a plastic top] One Vaginal Insufflator (Holmspray) Each bottle has a white paper label with blue banners at the top and bottom and blue text which reads in part reads "5 GMS Wyeth's compound silver picrate 1% powder" A receipt of sale dated 18 February 1944 is included in the box. Manufactured by John Wyeth & Bros Inc, Sydney, Australiamedical history, silver pictrate, trichomonas vaginitis, ararat mental hospital

With the advent of electricity, so to came the invention of the Electrocardiograph Machine. This piece of medical equipment gave nursing staff and doctors a more precise indication of a patients heart beat and was used extensively across Victoria's medical institutions. The equipment is significant because it is a fully intact example of diagnostic equipment used in a mental health hospital in Victoria Australia.Cardiotrace Electrocardiograph Machine in blue plastic case with black handle. Contains: Electric cord Cords to link electrodes Graph paper to measure heart beats Instruments on panel marked 'stylus heat', 'off', 'run', 'position', 'test', 'record', '1', '2', '3', 'aVR', 'aVL', 'aVP', 'V', '1/2V', 'lmV', marker.Manufacturer: Medical Instrument Co. Pty. Ltd. Distributor: Watson Victor Limited Serial No: 3362 Cardiotrace Heat Mark III Electrocardiograph/Voltage 220-240 A/C /Frequency 50 cycles per second/Watts 45 serial 3362/Caution: Refer to Manual for full detail.electrocardiograph machine, medical instrument, medicine, health, mental health, ararat mental hospital, j ward

This item was used before the flexible sigmoidoscope (1996) and before the introduction of fibre optics late 1900s. The 1900s saw an incredible leap forward in the field of medical procedures. The ability to visually see what was happening within the human body (in real time) provided greater analysis about certain biological abnormalities during a greater time elapse than before. This procedure involved less trauma to the patient and greater flexibility to the Physician in treatment schemes. The rigid signoidscope, however provided the first visual of the colon in situ, but was highly invasive to the patient.This item was used in the Mount Beauty Hospital for qualified Physicians to use in their diagnostic evaluation of patients. This would not be an instrument used by a General Physician. This item is still a internal observatory method which may, in some instances, cause some minor complications. This item does point to the level of medical diagnostics, equivalent to those available in larger towns and cities, which brings this rural area (once considered to be an isolated region) to a higher level of medical care.This rigid 35 cm long sigmoidoscope (internal probe) is made of stainless steel outer hollowed rounded rod, which permits the use of both a fixed (very thin) lighting rod and two flexible cord lights access. Both the lighting rod and the flexible lights can be lowered within the main rod to allow the physician to see the colon at the bottom of the rod.These items are all contained within a specifically inlaid wooden box. The box has separate open compartments for the main instruments and a small lidded compartment containing replacement light bulbs. The hollowed tube permits the physician to visually observe the signoid (an S shaped part) of the colon.On the stainless steel main rod body are engraved the lengths of the body,in centimetres ,with numbers starting at the five centimeter mark and then every five centimetres up to the thirty centimetre mark. On the front inside rim of the box are two inlaid white plastic strips with black print, "ALLEN & HANBURYS Ltd" and the other "LONDON"medical diagnostics, sigmoidoscope examinations, medical examinations, hospital equipment

1 lined Case:1 handle; 1 May ophthalmoscope; 4 Dental mirrors; 1 tongue depressor; 3 different sized headsCase marked: "Klinostik / Super Diagnostic / BRITISH MADE" Handle; "KLINOSTIK REGSD"klinistik, opthalmic instrument, diagnostic set