Chest, Medicine

Object Name:

Chest, Medicine

Object ID:

1993.039.14.11

Date:

1790-1800

Description:

Doctor's medicine chest. Leather-covered wood chest, contains 35 glass medicine bottles, many with corks, one with a metal top. Also has a metal box with contents, and 11 paper packets with contents. Tin shelf in chest, with holes for bottles. Said to have been used by Dr. Josiah Bartlett, late 18th century. See notes for full description of contents.
1. Chest. Wood, leather, metal, paper. Wood covered with leather. Leather handle on top attached through holes with nails. Lock plate on center front. Metal hook & eye fastener, steel (later addition). Two steel bars on bottom go entire length. Lid decorated with brass tacks in diamond pattern, and brass tacks in corners. Sides decorated with diamond-pattern scoring on leather edging. Construction: leather held on by nails, box held together with square nails, 4 brass screws hold in steel bottom straps, 3 leather strap hinges hold on lid. Interior top and lid lined with several layers of floral paper. Metal shelf is nailed in, and covers the back 0.75% of the box interior. Series of 25 holes cut into shelf, each one contains a bottle. Leather straps nailed onto all edges and corners. Locking mechanisms: 1) iron lock plate center front, with key hole and slots, attached with nails. No apparent latch on lid or on lock, 2" x 2.5" x 2". Hole drilled through front (probably for a push button). 2) metal plate screwed to interior adjacent to hole. On lid, corresponding copper plate screwed in with brass screws. 3) steel wire hook & eye. Hook attached to lid with staple, eye on box front. 7.25" high, 16" long, 11.1"deep (handle height 1.75"; shelf dimensions: 2" high, 3" high to lip, 15" wide, 6" deep). Bottles (glass) in shelf.

Material:

Wood
Glass
Paper
Cork
Leather
Metal
Brass
Steel

Dimensions:

H-7.25 W-16 D-11.1 inches

Provenance:

From the object collection of the New Hampshire Medical Society, including medicine bottles, doctor's kits, and other medical equipment used in New Hampshire, 18th through 20th century.

This late 18th-century medical chest was possibly used by Dr. Josiah Bartlett (1728-1795).

Credit Line:

Gift of New Hampshire Medical Society

People:

Bartlett, Josiah (1728-1795)

Subjects:

Medical equipment & supplies