Wooden doctor's signboard, inscribed, hung with human teeth, Chinese
The Chinese characters inscribed on the wooden sign translate into English as ‘Doctor for treating miscellaneous diseases’. 25 human teeth are threaded on each of the half metre-long threads. It is unknown why human teeth are used on this doctor’s sign. They likely indicate the doctor specialised in tooth pulling. The human teeth were a visual aid for people who could not read to identify the doctor’s trade.
Details
- Category:
- Asian Medicine
- Collection:
- Sir Henry Wellcome's Museum Collection
- Object Number:
- A642963
- Materials:
- wood, card, human teeth, string and metal
- Measurements:
-
overall weight: x x , , .835kg
- type:
- human remains and shop sign
- credit:
- Wellcome Trust
