Fascinated by Medicine's Past

Dr. Greenspan's “wish list” of items to acquire includes a tobacco enema set, a von Helmholtz ophthalmoscope, and a Kolff rotating drum dialysis machine from around 1943.

Dr. Greenspan sees his avocation as a kind of obligation. “As a collector, putting this book together in a personal way was a challenge,” he said. “History is not interesting unless it involves people: why they did things and how they did things. From my standpoint, that has been missing in medical books. If I don't take the time to pursue these antiques and related stories, it won't be done.”

A photo of Union soldier Merari Stevens and the bullet he removed from his father.

Source Photos courtesy Dr. Robert E. Greenspan

'I'm more interested in learning from the past directly through letters, documents, and instruments.'

Source DR. GREENSPAN

Dr. Robert E. Greenspan collected this general operating set, circa 1900.

This Dieulafoy's aspirator from circa 1880 is part of the collection.