Who collects this
medical stuff anyway?
The serious medical
collectors of early (pre-1900) medical and surgical instruments
are generally a quiet, well heeled, and knowledgeable group who
tend to collect in isolation.
From what I have
pieced together over the years, most if not the majority of the
long-term collectors are doctors of some ilk. If you find a
medical collectors group, you will note the majority of the
collectors are MD's. There are also collectors who are in
associated fields like, teachers, medical manufacturing, or
dentistry. Some of the larger collections are in the hands of a
few older physicians and museums who started way back before the
internet and amassed significant collections via auctions and
dealer networks. This is not to cast dispersions on any one who
collects in other areas of medical antiques, but obviously my
collecting interests are focused on the pre-1900 era and that is
the bias of this discussion for now.
There are several
general directions a collection can take:
General medical
collecting which covers it all
Medical
specialty: urology, neurosurgery, surgery, ob-gyn, etc.
Historical
pieces, to include heavily used instruments and sets
European sets,
mixed with some American makers
American made
sets, mixed with some European sets
Individual
instruments without regard to 'sets'
Condition
collecting which tends to lean toward more complete and
unused sets
Field-use
collecting which will encompass a larger scope of sets and
instruments without worrying about the condition.
These directions can cross and mix producing many varied types
of collections which reflect the taste and personality of the
given collector.
Of course museums
collect and display many of the finest pieces, but some
individual collections would approximate the large institutional
collections if not in size, then in quality. Many of the
museums acquired their collections from individual collectors
who donated or bequeathed their lifetime collections. Most
serious collectors are very quiet about their obsession and
quietly display their collections only in their homes. (Based
on my personal experience, this quietness about the obsession is
due to the looks one gets when you tell others you collect old
steak knives and bloody saws) There are a few collectors who
display their collections in their offices or hospital venues.
In the past we have
been contacted my multiple doctor/collectors who have collected
in isolation and are now trying to sell their collections. So
many of these collectors did not have the advantage of a 'friend
in the business' and were subjected to dealers who sold them
antiques of questionable quality or provenance. The best I can
offer at this point is ask you to see the following advisory
article about
liquidating a long-term collection.
Most of us have been
confronted by other members of our respective professions who do
not understand or care about these historical items and scoff at
their value or show little interest. It's their loss and our
gain. You may or may not be surprised to learn that many sets
are sold by dealers to parents of individuals graduating from
medical school. These gifts place individual sets in the hands
of non-collectors who may become collectors in the future.
Civil War collectors
may be among the largest group of individuals who possess
surgical sets. Most Civil War collectors try to place at least
one representative set in their collections. My experience to
date is that many of the sets purchased for this purpose are not
really of Civil War vintage. However, collecting Civil War
artifacts is a growing interest and sure to bury many more sets
than strictly medical collectors will acquire.
Another group of
individuals who actively collect medical instruments are the
Civil War re-enactors. The re-enactors recreate surgical and
medical dramas exhibiting procedures which took place during the
Civil War . They typically are not interested in being all that
precise about which era or makers' instruments are used for the
drama, but they do tend to buy a lot of instrument material
which would normally be repatriated with the correct sets by
preservationists like myself.
Without doubt, the
greatest concentration of surgical sets is most likely in the
hands of family members of deceased doctors whose instruments
have remained in the family. Many isolated sets are owned by
individuals who will never be known or seen again within our
lifetime. These individuals do not collect, but just 'own' a
single set for any number of reasons. These are the people who
typically contact me through this Website to do research or
offer their heirloom for sale...
Most of the younger
collectors at this time are a diverse and scattered group who
have little or no connection with one another. There is no
real "club" or organized group however I am in constant contact
with a large circle of collector friends who stay in touch via
email. I welcome others to keep in touch.
There are or were
only a handful of active antique medical dealers who sell mainly
medical antiques, many of whom also deal scientific or Civil War
antiques. The patrons of those individuals are a closely held
secret as there is much competition for the really choice sets
which rarely come to market. When I talk about "patrons", we're
talking the $3,000 and up for a single item buyers. With the
advent of eBay, and the connectivity of the internet, more and
more collectors are surfacing to buy pieces at auction on-line.
In general, the
community of collectors of medical antiques tend to be a highly
educated group with their interests concentrated in the area of
their specialty if they are in the medical field. It is not
unusual to find a specialist, like an ob/gyn, collecting the
tools of the trade. Some of us are more eclectic and collect
widely out of curiosity or the love of well made and historical
pieces.
Getting started with
medical collecting:
So you want to start
collecting medical antiques? First, and foremost, arm yourself
with every book you can buy. It's going to cost you several
hundred dollars, but will help direct your search and ultimately
save you thousands in mistakes. See the
books section
of this Website for direction to sources for the books I use,
but note that my interests have narrowed and I do not list all
collecting books.
Obtaining that first
buy can be daunting, so finding someone to hold your hand and
mentor you can be helpful. Connecting with other collectors is
your best bet.
If you are going to
collect Civil War sets, good luck!
Knowledge is your
best advisor:
buy books!