Catalogue. William Moody Bell, 8 Colonnade and Clarence Street, Cheltenham, (from Bell & Moody's Bath). surgeon mechanist to the hospitals, artificial limbs, surgical instruments etc... established 1842.

William Moody Bell was ‘surgeon mechanist’ based in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. This meant that he provided made-to-measure artificial limbs and other mechanical appliances for patients in hospitals. He sold a wide range of items including syringes, trusses, a number of different types of bandages, electrotherapy machines, and hearing trumpets. He also offered a service adapting trusses used for hernias, for people of all ages. Bell also provided bandages for prolapse of the uterus. As women may have been uncomfortable discussing such a condition with a man, Bell’s female customers were attended to by his wife.

Interestingly, Bell states that his items are “equal to any house in London”. During the 1800s, London set the standard in England for medical and surgical appliances.