Antique Midwife and Registered Nurse Medical Case
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| Nurse Medical Case |
THIS ITEM IS NOW SOLD
This is a medical case that was owned and used by an Irish registered nurse, Mary Josephine Wogan, in the early part of the 20th century. The case and its contents form a fascinating record of the professional life of a nurse in this period and, in particular, the techniques used by midwifes for home birthing in this period. The case is not particularly Irish and, indeed, some research into the original owner shows that most of her training and professional life was spent in England.
This is a medical case that was owned and used by an Irish registered nurse, Mary Josephine Wogan, in the early part of the 20th century. The case and its contents form a fascinating record of the professional life of a nurse in this period and, in particular, the techniques used by midwifes for home birthing in this period. The case is not particularly Irish and, indeed, some research into the original owner shows that most of her training and professional life was spent in England.
The case is made of aluminium and has the following dimensions:
- 36 cm (15 3/8 in) in length, from the front
- 21 cm (21 ¼ in) in depth, from front to back
- 13.3 cm (5 ¼ in) in height, from floor to top
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| Nurse Medical Kit - inside |
It has a black steel handle and simple catch lock, which does not catch correctly.
Inside, there is a fitted linen lining that is 'buttoned' to the outer casing. This allowed the lining to be removed an cleaned. The lining has several rows of fitted loops and pouches for holding various medical equipment.
The pieces of equipment that remain are disparate and incomplete but include:
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| Syringe & needles |
- Glass and metal syringe in an aluminium case marked "ORINIGAL RECORD"
- Case with 3 metal hypodermic needles; case reads "AGUILLES HYPODERMIQUES, made in Switzerland"
- Various glass phials with rubber tubings
- Litmus pack for Urine-Sugar
- Nurses waist apron
- 2 nurses collars, marked "No. 7 Sisters Victoria 14½"
Also included in the case are original items from the case's owner, Mary Josphine Wogan, that give a really personal feeling to the case:
- Original signed certificate, dated Aug 11th 1923, from the Central Midwifes Board, certifying Mary Josephine Wogan as a qualified midwife.
- Original signed certificate, dated 16th April 1923, from The Woolwish Polytechnic Institute, certifying Josephine Wogan as passing exams in "Invalid Cookery"
- Original signed certificate, dated 17th October 1924, from the General Nursing Council for England and Wales certifying Mary Josephine Wogan as a Registered Nurse
- Handwritten checklist, one presumes for home births, signed "JW" by the owner. This gives a really powerful insight into home births at the time.
Some research into Mary Josephine Wogan reveals the following about the original owner of this case:
Josephine Wogan was born 6th March 1894 in County Wicklow, Ireland. According to the
Red Cross records, Josephine joined the Red Cross as a Nurses Assistant in 1915 and
worked at their temporary hospital in Dublin Castle. The hospital had been set up in 1914 to cater for the wounded from the battles of World War 1 who were shipped across from Britain in Hospital Boats. During the Irish Easter Rising of 1916 the hospital treated many of the wounded; it’s where James Connolly - the founder of Irish socialism - was brought with a badly injured leg after his surrender to the British forces on the 27th of April 1916. Josephine remained with the Red Cross up until 1919 at which time she went on to attend the Greenwich and Deptford Hospital Training School for Nurses in England. She graduated in September 1922 and continued to work in England throughout the Second World War and up until 1959 when she returned to live in the family home in Ireland.
Lot is available by auction on eBay: Antique Midwife/Reg Nurse Medical Case - authentic
