Showcase G: Diagnosis (Uroscopy, Phrenology, Astrology, Observation, Auscultation)

1. Astrolabe: an instrument used in astronomy,
navigation and astrology which has also been
used to diagnose diseases and decide on
treatments. This astrolabe has Hebrew letters
since many physicians were Jews.

Rambam (Maimonides), an astronomer himself,
banned such practices, declaring it paganism
(c. 1300). (See drawing of bloodletting points
related to zodiac signs in Hebrew, page 34).
2. Two uroscopy jars: c. 1700. Examining urine’s
color, consistency, smell and even taste was
considered one of the main diagnostic tools for
millennia (see similar jar in the painting on the
following page 31, lower right).
3. Phrenology bust: Franz Joseph Gall (1758–1828)
invented the theory that became phrenology.
It claims that the details of the skull’s surface
represent the individual’s mental faculties
and character traits. Though phrenology is
considered a pseudoscientific practice, as
bony skull form does not correlate to mental
functions, it does point to the role of specific
anatomical areas in the brain in particular
behavioral traits.
4. Laryngeal mirror: c. 1840, porcupine handle.
Used initially by opera singing schools and
singers to demonstrate and learn the use of
vocal cords, and later to study the throat
(larynx and pharynx) and teeth.
5. Two stethoscopes: the classical fruitwood
(1840) and the composition stethoscope
(1840) that could be disassembled to put in a
hat like a feather, not unlike the stethoscope
hung around the neck (the neck stethoscope)
being a modern-day status symbol.
6. Saints Cosmas and Damian, the patron saints
of pharmacy and medicine, with the hallmarks
of medical trade: a uroscopy jar and medicament
container. Cosmas and Damianus, c. 3rd century
(287 or 303), were twin Arab (Arabic: (قُزما ودميان)

7. Percussion-reflex hummer: (Hilliard,
Edinburgh), c. 1860.