History of Public Health at Harvard

The Art & Artifact Collection of the Center for the History of Medicine includes historic objects that relate to the work of the Harvard Chan School.

A complete list of objects relating to the school can be browsed below by discipline. Historic objects are available for in-person research by appointment and at the discretion of the curator. To request access, please submit a question through Ask Countway. 

Some historic objects can be viewed online through OnView, the Center for the History of Medicine's primary portal to digitized content and exhibits. If a digital surrogate is available, a link has been provided below.

Browse objects by discipline:

• Environmental Health
• Global Health
• Maternal & Child Health
• Tropical Medicine

• Bausch and Lomb dust counter and case, owned and used in silica research by Harvard School of Public Health adjunct and Liberty Mutual Insurance scientist Charles Williams, 1940 -1960, and hallow metal sphere, painted black, with black rubber tubing, used by Harvard School of Public Health (2019-027)
• City of Boston Fire Department Helmet, marked "HONORARY BOSTON CHIEF  / PROF. W. BURGESS" presented to William A. Burgess, and powered Air Purifying Respirator, marked " PAPR / original," designed by William A. Burgess, 1960-1979 (2016-036) Available online.
  • See also: William A. Burgess artifacts and memorabilia, 1960s-1970s
• Collection of combustible cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products, in original containers, collected for research and individually labeled by Melvin W. First (1911-2014) and Stephen N. Rudnick, 1950 - 2014 (2020-009) Available online. 
• Collection of dental and hair specimens, glass plates, and published material belonging to John B. Little, 1950-2010 (2011.005)
• Collection of devices associated with the lung physiology research of the Department of Environmental Health, Harvard Chan School of Public Health's, 1970-2010 (2020-010)
• Collection of histological material belonging to John B. Little, 1950–2010 (2014.012)
• Collection of lung preparations and sampling equipment created and used by John J. Godleski, 1960-2010 (2018-059)
• Demonstration sample of Pfizer-made Exubera, an inhaled insulin delivery device, with box, circa 2005 (2015.004) Available online. 
• Harvard-Burgess manhole cover, circa 1999. Made by LeBaron Foundry, Brockton, Massachusetts to commemorate William A. Burgess's 75th birthday (2015.007)
• J. H. Emerson Company laboratory plethysmograph and "Body box" plethysmograph used in research by the Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, 1960-1980 (2016-047) Available online.
• Large flat Krogh spirometer used by the Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health with the “body box” experimental plethysmograph, 1950-1980 (2016-084) Available online. 
• Med-Science Model 270 Wedge Spirometer, formerly used in the Department of Physiology, Harvard School of Public Health, middle to late 20th century (2016-083)
• Pressure gage from hyperbaric chamber from 55 Shattuck Street, Boston, MA, 1928 (2016-086)
• Professor James Whittenberger (d.2007) for thermometer suspension in heat impact research, 1946-1980 (2019-027)
• Three wedge spirometers, early 19th century, used by Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, and one Warren E. Collins Survey Spirometer, mid -20th century, owned and used by Ben Ferris (2014.015)
• Two air sampling pumps developed for and used in the Harvard School of Public Health Six Cities Study, enclosed in hard black cases, with handles, 1970-2005 (2017-015)
• Warren E. Collins incorporated chain-compensated gasometer used by the Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, 1950-1986 (2017-174)
• Zavod Aneroid Pneumo Apparatus used for pneumothorax treatment, belonging to Joseph D. Brain, 1908-1986 (2019-078)

• Collection of oral rehydration therapy [ORT] and reproductive health materials collected by Richard A. Cash, 1975 - 2017 (2017-127)
• Red adult "cholera cot," without frame and unused, collected by Richard A. Cash, circa 2017 (2017-175)

• Detecto Physician Scale with 350lb capacity used in the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Longitudinal Study of Child Health and Development, 1927-1987 (2014.022). Available online.
• "Gynny" pelvic teaching model, developed by Indiana University School of Medicine and produced by the Department of Educational Services at the Ortho Pharmaceutical Corporation, circa 1970 (2020-186)

• Microscope, slides and instruments belonging to Thomas Weller, 1940-2008 (2014.003)