New Acquisitions

Lawson Hall, 2nd Floor
"New Acquisitions" written many times in succession in a purple and red design. The Medical Artifact Collection logo, consisting of the name and a microscope illustration, is in the bottom right corner. The years 2021-2024 are in the bottom left.

Drs. John Howard and Nicole le Riche

Photograph of Drs. John Howard and Nicole le Riche. Dr. Howard is in a green check shirt and glasses, and Dr. le Riche is in a jean jacket with short dark hair and glasses.

Dr. John Howard (right) and Dr. Nicole le Riche (left) met while in medical school at Queen’s University and got married. Dr. le Riche practiced rheumatology, and Dr. Howard specialized in pediatric gastroenterology. Together, they donated over 20 different artifacts to the Medical Artifact Collection in 2024, including endoscope and colonoscope sets from Victoria Hospital, an enema syringe, a skinfold caliper, and more. They also participated in a joint oral history interview, sharing not only their artifacts, but also their stories with us. The artifacts on display here belonged to Dr. le Riche’s father Dr. William Harding le Riche (1916-2010).

Middle shelf of display case
Ad reading "For sterilizers, it's Prometheus preferred!" with advertising text and illustrations of sterilizers.
Sterilizer, grey metal with red label "Prometheus".
Prometheus Sterilizer
Dr. Nicole le Riche remembers this sterilizer sitting on the desk in her father’s office. It was used to sterilize medical instruments overnight, and did so by heating up and creating steam inside the compartment to eliminate germs.
Checked brown cold pack with grey metal cap reading "One Turn Seals It // Made in USA // Davol"
Cold Pack
This ice bag belonged to Dr. William Harding le Riche. It was made by the Davol Rubber Company, founded in Rhode Island in the late 1800s. The bag would have been filled with ice and placed on the body to relieve pain and swelling.
Green metal skinfold caliper in case lined with red velvet. The caliper has a dial on it to measure how far open it is.
Skinfold Caliper
Made in 1962, this skinfold caliper was used to perform the “skinfold test” by pinching the skin to estimate body fat percentage. Dr. William Harding le Riche likely used an older version of this tool while performing nutrition surveys in South Africa.

Dr. Douglas Bocking, CM, MD, FRCPC, FACP, CFPC (Honorary)

Photograph of Dr. Bocking, an elderly man in a suit with white hair.

Dr. Douglas Bocking (1920-2020) started medical school at the University of Western Ontario (Western University) in 1938, finishing early in 1943 because of the demands of the Second World War. After further training in Montreal, practice in Hawkesbury, and training in Boston, Dr. Bocking returned to London and practiced Internal Medicine and Rheumatology. From 1965 to 1978, he served as Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Western, and then as Vice-President, Health Sciences until 1984 and Vice-Provost Health Sciences until 1987. He led the establishment of Canada’s first academic department in family medicine and oversaw the affiliation of University Hospital with Western in 1970. Artifacts from his practice were donated to the Medical Artifact Collection in 2021 by his son Dr. Alan Bocking.

Top shelf of display case
Black leather doctor's bag
Doctor's Bag
This leather doctor’s bag belonged to Dr. Douglas Bocking.
Red bandage tin labelled "Elastoplast"
Elastoplast Bandage Tin
The first Elastoplast plaster was created in 1896, and the rights to Elastoplast bandages were acquired by British company Smith & Nephew Ltd. in 1928. When Dr. Alan Bocking donated his father’s Elastoplast tin, it was being used to hold needles and scalpels.
Sphygmomanometer in wooden case that opens to reveal the meter inside the lid and the bulb and tubing in the box.
Sphygmomanometer
Dr. Bocking’s sphygmomanometer is a Lifetime Baumanometer. William A. Baum invented this machine for measuring blood pressure in 1910.

Reflex hammer with flexible yellow rubber handle and round black end.

Reflex Hammer (Queen Square)

Reflex hammer with grey metal handle and triangular orange rubber head.

 

Reflex Hammer (Taylor)
These reflex hammers belonged to Dr. Bocking and represent two different types of reflex hammers: the Queen Square hammer (with a round head and flexible handle) and Taylor hammer (triangular head). While they are both used to test reflexes, particular styles are preferred for different reflexes.

Dr. Bill Wall, CM

Photograph of Dr. Bill Wall in a brown suit with a checked brown newsboy hat.

Dr. William (Bill) Wall is a pioneering liver transplant surgeon of London, Ontario. He first came to Western University as a student in 1964 and joined the Faculty of Surgery in 1977 after training in liver transplantation at Cambridge under Sir Roy Calne. At University Hospital in London, Dr. Wall established the first successful liver transplant program in Canada. Alongside his countless accomplishments in the medical world and as a transplant surgeon, Dr. Wall has written a picture book to help children understand organ transplantation entitled The Ant Who Needed a Transplant. In 2024, he donated his microscope to the Medical Artifact Collection and shared some memories in an oral history interview.

Bottom shelf of display case, featuring Dr. Wall's microscope and case. The microscope is black with four different lenses and one eye piece. The case is hard black leather, and there are extra lenses and containers beside these, as well as slides.
Olympus Tokyo Microscope
This Olympus Tokyo microscope belonged to Dr. Bill Wall. He bought it new in 1966 for his histology class in medical school. After graduation in 1970, it remained tucked away in his attic until it was donated to the Medical Artifact Collection in 2024.