Advertisement for George B Ritchie & Co, surgical instrument makers, in Glasgow University Magazine, 1 February 1933. Ritchie sold a wide range of products, including dissecting instruments, stethoscopes, laryngoscopes, osteology sets, and midwifery forceps. The firm also supplied more mundane medical equipment such as waterproof aprons and white coats.
The University provided an important market for firms such as Ritchie's. Both staff and students required access to high-quality scientific and other precision instruments, whether to replace old and worn ones or to keep up to date with the latest technological advances. As a result, GUM regularly featured advertisements for manufacturers and suppliers.
This advertisement gives a particularly graphic view of an amputation carried out in the days before the introduction of anaesthetic. Note the woman (perhaps the patient's wife) covering her ears as the patient screams in agony, and the little boy catching blood in a bucket. A darkly humorous touch is provided by the "Home Sweet Home" plaque above the fireplace.
Reference: Glasgow University Archive Services, DC198/1/40
Glasgow University Archive Services
Keywords:
advertisements, amputations, fireplaces, George B Ritchie & Co, Glasgow University Magazine, GUM, medical equipment, scientific instrument makers, surgery, surgical instrument makers, surgical instruments, surgical operations, University of Glasgow living rooms, women
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