Ethnography and Folk Medicine
1850-1920
Amulet, whelk shell with reversed spiral, rare, carried to promote good health by a Billingsgate fish porter, London, England, 1850-1920
Materia Medica & Pharmacology
Sample of fungus, Fu ling (Sclerotium poriae cocos) used in Chinese Medicine, probably China, 1850-1920
1881-1930
Single pearl shell with serrated tip used for scarification, from New Guinea (?), 1881-1930
1870-1920
Small gastropod mollusc with artificial slot through which fibre string attached, inscribed New Guinea, 1870-1920
Obstetrics, Gynaecology & Contraception
Silver bound cowrie shell, hinged, opening out to reveal a small painting of a male unlocking the chastity belt of a female
1871-1910
Shell, with perforated side and bark loop, used as pubic ornament, from central Australia, 1871-1910
1880-1920
Trochus or opercula shell amulet, against evil eye, called eye of St. Lucia, from Chioggia, Italian, 1880-1920
Surgery
1914-1918
Shell dressing wrapped in paper covering, Austrian, 1914-1918
1851-1925
Single bivalve shell, with cutting edge, used as razor, Oceanean, 1851-1925
1871-1925
Shell, with red white and blue decorative beads, used as pubic ornament, from German New Guinea, 1871-1925
Therapeutics
1939
Home Office air raid precautions shell dressing, England, March 1939
1900-1930
Glass bottle, contains whelk like shells of unknown provenance
Two large seashells, one covered in animal skin, both stuffed with rags and leaves
Asian Medicine
1851-1930
Single mother of pearl shell, broken, from China(?), 1851 to 1930
Glass bottle, contains shell from Palestine, 1909
Glass bottle, cork stopper, contains shells of Pectin and tellina species, from South America, bottle European, 1900-1930
Glass specimen jar, containing shell of gastropod, Rapana thomasiana, Chinese
Veterinary Medicine
1701-1900
Small piece of tortoiseshell, provenance unknown, 18th or 19th century
Small oyster-like shells, bivalve, "nukh", Indian, 1851-1930
1851-1920
Circular glass topped cardboard box, containing small white shells, corbula fasciatta, from Philippines, box English, 1851-1920
Glass specimen jar, labelled as containing Lai lei from China. See notes.
Glass bottle, contains fragments of shell, mother of pearl of unknown provenance
2 halves of a shell used as a container for brown sticky ointment for boils and sores, Chinese, 1880-1920
1850-1930
Ostrea shell, from Pootoo Island, China, used to cure eye diseases, 1850-1930
1830-1920
Two shells, probably haliotis, of unknown provenance, 1830-1920
6 shells, 1 mounted on card with a cut pencil to demonstrate its cutting power, shells possibly also used in trephination experiments by Dr T. Wilson Parry, England, 1913-1920
1901-1940
specimen bottle containing some Indian cowrie shells
5 oyster shells owned by Dr. T. Wilson Parry and probably used by him in experiments on neolithic trephination, England, 1913-1920
Glass jar, contains wo niu (water snails), from China
Glass phial, contains brown seeds and some gastropod shells of unknown provenance
Number of shell (?) fragments, provenance unknown
1850-1929
Pearl shell, with serrated edge, possibly from New Guinea, 1850-1929
Fossil snail or operculum worn as an amulet against snakebite and applied to wound as a cure, Sudanese, 1880-1920
