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South Australian Medical Heritage Society Inc

Website for the Virtual Museum

 

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Galleries of the Virtual Museum

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Medicine
Surgery
Anaesthesia
X-rays
Hospitals,other    organisations
Individuals of    note

Small Galleries

Dentistry
Nursing

Ethnic medicine
     - Aboriginal
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The “Repat” Museum

Acknowledgment: We are grateful to David Ennis and his wife Maxine for the photographs and information about the Repatriation General Hospital Museum . .

The Repatriation General Hospital in Daw Park dates back to 1942 when it became the 105 Australian Military Hospital. From 1947 until 1995 the Repatriation Commission controlled its activities and the care was focused on veterans and war widows as well as a small number of local residents. Currently the South Australian Government administers the hospital. It has 270 hospital beds and all the usual acute facilities. It is associated with Flinders Medical School , and is actively involved in teaching and research.

The Museum itself opened in 1992 on the fiftieth anniversary of the hospital. It contains a wealth of memorabilia from the major world wars as well as heritage items from the hospital’s past.


This portable x-ray machine arrived at the hospital in 1947 as part of the Australian Army’s equipment. It was manufactured by the Watson-Victor Company.

A medical kit used by the late Ernest Roy Crocke, a private who enlisted in Broken Hill. He was with the Third Field Ambulance, the same unit in which Simpson and his donkey operated. It contains forceps, thermo-meter, retractor and probes.

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Duraluminum teeth made at the camp on the Thailand Burma railway. Altogether six sets were made by a dentist who had survived the sinking of HMAS Perth.

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The metal shavings came from crashed aeroplanes and were melted on charcoal fires. Mouldings for the teeth were made from chewed balsa sapling tips.

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The Nash Mark IV Symbol Associator. This unique diagnostic slide rule has 80 symptom strips, these are aligned as demonstrated below.

 

The likely diagnosis is indicated
by a solid continuous line

 

in this instance tuberculosis

 

Adjustable splint in both length and knee flexion used for transport of injured lower limbs in WW1

Below knee prosthesis made by a farmer in North SA. The sole is a car tyre and the stitching is covered by bee’s wax for waterproofing.

A First Aid kit made by Johnson & Johnson Company, also used by the US forces in the Coral Sea battle. It contains basic drugs, dressings and instruments

 

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