These medical artifacts belonged to Dr. James Elihu King (1840-1918). During the Civil War, Dr. King’s medical education was put on hold while he fought for the Confederacy. He graduated from the University of Maryland at Baltimore in 1869 and returned to his home in Iredell County where he spent the rest of his life.
Chloroform
c. 1900’s Herbal anesthetics have been used for thousands of years, but their effects were often mild and made surgery a torturous ordeal for patients who would generally be awake for the procedures unless they passed out from the pain. The evolution of anesthetics in the nineteenth century changed this. The discovery of nitrous oxide, morphine, ether, and chloroform in the nineteenth century improved serious medical procedures for patients and doctors. However, without careful dosing the substances proved fatal at times. Chloroform was discovered in 1830 by a German scientist who mistakenly believed he had made chloric ether. During the 1830's several other scientists developed chloroform and it was named in 1834 by French chemist Jean Baptiste Dumas. Although its anesthetic properties were known by the early 1840's, the first documented use as an anesthetic on a human was in 1847 by obstetrician James Y. Young. In the next decade, chloroform was made commercially available and remained a popular anesthetic into the mid-twentieth century. |
Calomel
c. 1900’s
The documented use of calomel began over 1,000 years ago in Persia, and in the 17th century it entered medical texts in Europe. It was then used as a panacea—a cure all—for a long list of maladies in the 19th century. Its supposed miraculous healing properties did not outweigh the harmful effects of the mercury based medicine. Despite this, the medicine was used throughout the 19th century before its popularity and use waned.
c. 1900’s
The documented use of calomel began over 1,000 years ago in Persia, and in the 17th century it entered medical texts in Europe. It was then used as a panacea—a cure all—for a long list of maladies in the 19th century. Its supposed miraculous healing properties did not outweigh the harmful effects of the mercury based medicine. Despite this, the medicine was used throughout the 19th century before its popularity and use waned.