Dr. Ralph and Mrs. Olga Crawford Canadian Dental Collection
Category
General Treatment
Classification
General Treatment
Accession Number
010020388 a-e
Description
Antitoxin hypodermic syringe in case with Luer Lok needles; silver metal oval case (a) with locking clasp closure; manufacturing information engraved on top; metal inserts inside to hold syringe; silver metal syringe (b) consists of central hollow cylindrical barrel with oval openings at sides, cov…
Antitoxin hypodermic syringe in case with Luer Lok needles; silver metal oval case (a) with locking clasp closure; manufacturing information engraved on top; metal inserts inside to hold syringe; silver metal syringe (b) consists of central hollow cylindrical barrel with oval openings at sides, covered with clear glass; cylindrical plunger with grey rubber tip inside barrel; end tapers to small hole; top of barrel has two finger grips coming out at sides; round hollow circle at top acts as thumb grip to push plunger into barrel; needle (c) with round end covered in black rubber; needle (d) with round end; holder without needle (e) with black rubber end
Number Of Parts
5
Part Names
a - case - Size: Length 15.3 cm x Width 6.0 cm x Depth 2.2 cm
b - syringe - Size: Length 14.3 cm x Width 5.3 cm x Depth 2.5 cm
c - needle - Size: Length 5.5 cm x Diam. 0.7 cm
d - needle - Size: Length 4.1 cm x Diam. 0.6 cm
e - end - Size: Length 1.6 cm x Diam. 0.7 cm
Provenance
Transfer from the Dental Canada Fund; previously housed in the Dentistry Canada Museum (Ottawa)
(a) Engraved on case: "IMPROVED ANTITOXIN SYRINGE // H. K. MULFORD COMPANY, // PHILADELPHIA. CHICAGO."; engraved on side: "PAT APLDFOR"; (b) engraved on syringe: "H. K. MULFORD Co. // PHILA. CHICAGO"; (d) engraved on side: "27"
Permanent Location
Storage Room 0010
0010-D5-4
Temporary Location
On display: "Vaccines and Immunization: Epidemics, Prevention, and Canadian Innovation"; Museum of Health Care, 29 February 2024.
Condition Remarks
Metal tarnished on case (a) and syringe (b); rubber deteriorating inside syringe, on needle (c) and end (e)
Copy Type
Original
Reference Types
Book
Reference Comments
"Illustrations of Surgical Instruments of Superior Quality", Kny-Scheerer Co., ca. 1915, p. (similar to model #B/-9347); "History of Drug Containers and their Labels", George Griffenhagen et al., 1999, p. 88
Wikipedia
Research Facts
The H. K. Mulford Company was a pharmaceutical company founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The company was founded in the late 1880s by Henry K. Mulford after his purchase of the Old Simes drugstore at 18th and Market Streets. The company was purchased by Sharp & Dohme Corp in 1929.
Henry Kendall Mulford (October 10, 1866 – October 15, 1937) was a graduate of the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy.
Soon after purchasing the Old Simes retail pharmacy store, Mulford began producing and selling pharmaceutical preparations. In 1889, he received financial investment to expand operations from Milton Campbell. In 1891, Campbell became president of the company, with Mulford vice president. Milton patented a compressed tablet machine. By 1892 the company had two laboratories, a field office in Chicago, and produced 800 different products.
The company opened a laboratory in Glenolden, Pennsylvania, in 1894 for the production of a diphtheria antitoxin. In 1895, it became the first commercial producer of diphtheria antitoxin in the United States.
Dr Ralph and Mrs Olga Crawford donated their extensive Canadian dental collection to the DCF to create the museum in 1997; further donations were received while Dr Crawford was Curator Emeritus at the Dental Canada Museum until its closure in 2008.