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  5. Medical Artifacts
A close up on an Ocular Otologic with a card displaying that text.

The Medical Artifacts Collection

The Medical Artifacts Collection consists of instruments and equipment related to the history of health care in Virginia over the last 150 years. This collection of more than 6,000 objects contains representative instruments from 19th-century medical practice, including lancets, amputation sets, medicine chests, stethoscopes, obstetrical forceps, microscopes and dental forceps.

Over half of the collection dates from 1910 to 1950 and includes surgical, diagnostic and dental instruments, nursing uniforms and pins, furnishings from a country doctor's office, therapeutic devices and memorabilia associated with former Medical College of Virginia health practitioners.

Many artifacts from the collection are on display in the Peter N. Pastore History of Medicine Exhibit Hall at the Health Sciences Library, as well as in other exhibit cases throughout the building. To view samples from the collection that are available online, see the Medical Artifacts Collection in the VCU Libraries Digital Collections.