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Up for sale is a remarkable, museum-quality time capsule of American medical history. This is a complete, single-owner late-19th-century physician’s medical kit, preserved exactly as it was carried by pioneering country doctor Zenas Carey, M.D.
Unlike anonymous tool lots, this collection includes multi-page typed biographical documents found directly inside the case, establishing airtight family provenance and making it a premier acquisition for serious medical historians, genealogists, or advanced oddities collectors.
Dr. Carey graduated from the Physio-Medical Institute of Cincinnati in 1857 and went on to build a legendary 37-year practice in Bangor, Marshall County, Iowa, before spending his later years lecturing on the diseases of women and children and retiring to Manhattan, Kansas. This bag directly reflects his specialized 19th-century clinical focus.📜 IRREPLACEABLE PAPER PROVENANCE INCLUDED
The centerpiece of this collection’s historical value is the original typed biographical excerpt discovered resting inside the bag. This typescript is an official excerpt from the "Portrait and Biographical Record of Jasper, Marshall, and Grundy Counties, Iowa," originally published by the Biographical Publishing Co. of Chicago in 1894.
Historical Text Highlights From the Included Pages:
* Lineage & Medical Credentials: Explicitly details "ZENAS CAREY, M.D., a prominent physician and scholar..." noting his birth on July 22, 1833, near Lexington, Ohio, and his lineage tracing back to Penn’s Colony in 1681.
* Specialized Practice: Explicitly records that starting in 1877, Dr. Carey "began lecturing in the college from which he was graduated, upon the diseases of women and children for 7 years..." This text provides definitive historical context for the obstetrical and specialized diagnostic tools present in this exact kit.WHAT'S INCLUDED IN THIS TIME CAPSULE:
* Shepard & Dudley Obstetric Forceps: Stamped with the highly collectible elite New York maker mark "SHEPARD & DUDLEY" (active 1870–1894). Features premium textured cross-hatched handles and interlocking blades in exceptional structural condition.
* Pocket Hypodermic Syringe Case & Vials: A highly sought-after aluminum pocket case containing original glass tubes with cork closures used for carrying compressed hypodermic tablets, alongside a small plungered syringe base and interchangeable needles.
* "Antidolorin" Ethyl Chloride Anesthetic Tube: An incredibly well-preserved clear glass ampoule complete with its intact, original paper label from the Pasteur Vaccine Co. (Chicago & San Francisco) and an integrated brass thumb-valve nozzle mechanism.
* French’s / Fenestrated Urethral Speculum: Stamped with sizing "10", featuring its original matching blunt internal insertion mandrel and a crisp, fluted barrel collar handle for 360-degree rotation.
* Apothecary Vial Roll & Cobalt J&J Bottle: A folding leather carrier containing small cork-stoppered medicine vials and a vibrant cobalt blue glass bottle embossed "J & J" (Johnson & Johnson) on the base.
* Surgical Syringe with Vulcanite Plunger: A heavy, reusable metal syringe with a hard vulcanized rubber piston stamped "I.R. COMB CO GOODYEAR 1851"(referencing the famous Nelson Goodyear patent for processing vulcanite rubber).
* F.G. Otto & Sons Steel Probe/Sound: A specialized metal examination tool bearing the stamped maker mark of "F.G. OTTO & SONS" of New York (active post-1875).
* Medical Sundry Tins: Two original circular metal storage tins containing an orange rubber hose tourniquet and an authentic surgical blade sharpening whetstone.
* The Leather Doctor’s Bag: The original "Boston Bag" style cabin case used to transport the lot.
CONDITION DETAILS
This estate collection is in authentic, as-found antique condition, exhibiting a gorgeous, rich patina across all pieces.
* The Leather Bag: The bag is in very poor physical shape but holds immense historical character. The bottom panel remains completely intact and sturdy, but there are prominent tears structurally running through all of the leather corners. The original leather carry handle has completely detached from its metal mountings, though it is fully present and included in this lot. The top metal frame latch assembly remains operational and still opens and clicks shut securely.
* Instruments & Paperwork: The interior medical instruments are beautifully preserved with an authentic patina from 19th-century usage. There is light surface oxidation across the steel components, minor superficial rust on the steel probe, and the glass tubes and original paper labels remain crisp and entirely legible.
Sold strictly as a historical artifact for display or archival purposes. Items are unsterilized
