Scientific Instruments, Specimens, Books and Collectables

Piltdown Man [Exposure] – Ronald Millar – First Edition 1972.

Subtitled – “The story, as fascinating as a whodunit, of how the Piltdown skull came to be discovered; how the hoax was exposed and who the hoaxer may have been”.

A very good if not fine copy. Octavo, 264 pages, well- illustrated, great jacket. Published by Victor Gollancz in 1972.

Even if you are from the dark or from the modern ages and have never heard of the Piltdown man this book is a winner.

We had our own feeling about the identity of the hoaxer and the writer agrees – or vice versa. We will not spoil it but an Australian of then some dignity born in Grafton NSW – which is the big clue! We may have some of his work?

Piltdown Man – in some circles, a skull that has caused more controversy than any other!

$35.00

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Kalgoorlie Golden Mile – Western Australia – Original Magic Lantern Slide – Newton & Co – c1910

Very good condition magic lantern slide from Newton & Co Fleet described in cursive writing.

We date the slide to around 1910. New & Co were at 43 Museum Street London. They were the world’s longest established suppliers of scientific instruments being formed by Sir Isaac Newton’s cousin J. Newton in 1704. At the time of this slide the proprietors were still from the Newton family. The British Museum have Newton & Co out of business at Museum Street in 1913, but other references have it continuing

A really broad view which magnifies to present incredible detail. Standard British size in fine condition. We believe this slide and image is pretty rare.

Kalgoorlie was discovered by Paddy Hannan and Tom Flanagan in 1893. There horse had thrown a shoe and when they stopped to sort it out they noticed gold …. Well … on the ground everywhere. Hannan staked a claim and the rush was on. By 1896 the rail had arrived and the area had taken over from Coolgardie as the primary WA goldfield.

As an aside the Newton & Co address is as you might suspect in sight of the British Museum in London and also opposite The Plough … a favourite Voyager pub.

Rare Australian Gold Mining Lantern Slide

$80.00

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[Early Catalogue] – Dr Kirby’s Ready Remedies – 1872

Full title: Prices Current of Dr Kirby’s Ready Remedies being Selected Officinal Medicines prepared in the form of coated pills, pilules, granules, concentrated mixtures etc for Medical Practitioners by Messrs. Kirby & Company.

[Officinal is not a misspelling - it means a place where medicines are kept - from a Latin expression]

Brown paper cover catalogue, saddle stitched, 20 pages, Pictorial advertisement for Kirby’s Miniature Dispensary inside back cover, terms of trade to rear. Some marks and a stamp remnant [probably taxed] on cover, internally very clean.

Edmund Adolphus Kirby was a medical entrepreneur of the day. Author of “A formulation of selected remedies” and a pioneer in modern medicine preparation and dispensing.

The catalogue provides an interesting opening narrative on the methods and trends introduced by Kirby re the consistent preparation of medicines in pill and other form so that practitioners could ‘do away with” the mortar and pestle. His literally hundreds of standard formulations could be delivered swiftly by the use of the new parcel postage system.

Kirby patented a number of inventions including the adjustable medical couch and the “folding pattern portable medicine case’ suitable for “Saddle Practice”

Very scarce we cannot find a copy anywhere there should be including the Welcome Collection.

Scarce and interesting medical ephemera – early medical wholesaling

$80.00

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Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania – 1880

Printed at the “Mercury” Steam Press Office and published 1881.

Briefer than usual but full of papers presented by the most notable observers, natural scientists with an interest in the Society.

A new Helix fossil is found in the Kent Group by geologist R.M. Johnston – with engraved plate. Johnston also reports on a new fish species in the Derwent.

Notes on some Tasmanian plants by the distinguished baron F von Mueller.

Robert Etheridge jnr [now in London] reports on a Unionide found in the Launceston Tertiary Basin – with engraving.

And, reports from discoveries elsewhere – Algae from the New Hebrides and the Lichens of Queensland by expert F.M. Bailey.

Original soft wrappers, 64 pages of papers, followed by meteorological tables [in detail – a daily record presented twice monthly] and the annual reports and accounts, list of Fellows etc Very good condition.

istinguished contributors to a tight honed edition – 1880.

$60.00

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The Dental Hospital of London and the London School of Dental Surgery – Calendar 1881

Published in 1881 the Calendar for that 1881-1882 academic year being everything you need to know in setting out to become a fully qualified Dentist of the day – the process that is not the technical detail.

Blue paper wrappers with image of the Dental Hospital at the front – and a warning re new regulations at the rear. 46 pages, saddle stitched. A little chipped as can been seen but really quite special for its age and fragility.

The London Dental Hospital was founded in 1859 a Soho Square. In 1874 it moved to Leicester Square – the School had 70-80 students on its books at the time of this document so you can imagine how scarce they are.

Contents include … Officers; Demonstrations; Dresserships; Lectures; Medical Tutor’s Classes; Fees [15 Pounds as up! 2,300 todays worth – not bad]; Prizes, Rules and regulations; Harmonised Scheme of Attendance – with other Hospitals; memberships; Fellowships; Past students etc.

Really rather interesting as an early piece of “dental ephemera”.

Dentistry schooling – wellorganised in 1881 and relatively affordable compared with today

$60.00

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Artificial Teeth – adapted on an entirely new and improved system of Painless Dentistry – G.H. Jones Surgeon Dentist.

Paper covered booklet published in 1878, printed by Arless Andrews, Museum Street, London for the surgeon author. 64 pages, saddle stitched, dense type – loads of content. The rather special front cover give one lots more background.

George Horatio Jones was a prominent surgeon dentist of the period. He had superior premises at 57 Great Russell Street, opposite the British Museum. He had won prize medals [London, Paris and New York] for his artificial teeth and was awarded Her Majesty’s [Victoria] Royal Letters Patent.

Nice enough image of the premises as frontispiece. List of Jones’s numerous appointments on Title.

This is not a trade catalogue but a monograph on teeth. Contents include after introductory remarks … Dentition; Irregularity of Teeth; Decay; Tooth-ache; Extraction; Nitrous Oxide; Scurvy, abscess etc; Artificial teeth; Mode of Fixing; General Construction of Dentures; Cleft Palate …

Finishing with a narrative “Visit to the Factory” and numerous distinguished testimonials.

Illustrated with a number of unusual artificial dental arrangements.

Very good if not better condition – a bit of a miracle for its age and inherent fragility. Very scarce no other copies appear available.

Dentistry and artificial teeth in their infancy … superb reference

$120.00

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Piltdown Man [Exposure] – Ronald Millar – First Edition 1972.

Kalgoorlie Golden Mile – Western Australia – Original Magic Lantern Slide – Newton & Co – c1910

[Early Catalogue] – Dr Kirby’s Ready Remedies – 1872

Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania – 1880

The Dental Hospital of London and the London School of Dental Surgery – Calendar 1881

Artificial Teeth – adapted on an entirely new and improved system of Painless Dentistry – G.H. Jones Surgeon Dentist.

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