Artifact: The term artifact is used to denote the physical object that influenced medical diagnosis and therapy. In many ways due to the age of the objects it is synonymous with antique.
Bibliography: A listing of books that provide background material on the various portions of the website.
Category: The listing of the primary uses of the individual artifacts.
Curator: A resume of the site developer.
Description: One of the unique aspects of this website is a detailed description of each item including its dimensions.
Estimated date: A best estimate of the date of manufacture of the item, in the case of a patent date, that date is given.
Manufacturer: If a name is listed it is here, in some cases unmarked instruments are listed by the most likely manufacturer.
The Instruments: This is a listing of the major categories into which the artifacts can logically be arranged. In some cases they are listed in more than one category.
19th Century Medicine: An overview of the major aspects of medical practice from 1801 to 1900.