The Epidemic Belfast team have been working with local museums, archives, collections and members of the public to discover medical objects and memorabilia in the Belfast region.
Each week, we publish details of the most intriguing objects found so far.
Trauma during the Troubles
During the Belfast Blitz (1941), fears proliferated about the likelihood of gas attacks upon the city. Fearful citizens were provided with gas masks to protect them should the gas attacks occur.
One of the many items held at Northern Ireland War Memorial.
PUBLISHED 28 FEBRUARY 2025
Trauma during the Troubles
In the early 1970s, American social psychologist Rona Fields visited Northern Ireland regularly, and argued that military activity was causing unprecedented levels of trauma. Her ideas were largely ignored until the post-conflict period.
One of the many items held at Linen Hall Library.
PUBLISHED 05 JULY 2024
Surgical and Post-Mortem Kit, late 19th century
Surgeons carried around with them a surgical kit full of saws and knives. As well as performing amputations and operations on living people, their surgical skills were also useful for post-mortem investigations.
Note the congealed blood still visible in the fabric.
One of the many items held at the Healthcare Library of Northern Ireland.
PUBLISHED 21 MARCH 2024
Rotting Toes in the Linen Mills, 1870
Working in Belfast’s linen mills posed a serious threat to health. The air was humid; water poured across the floors of spinning rooms. Spinners worked in their bare fee to keep cool, but many suffered from ‘toe rot’, an infection of the nail bed.
This image depicts diseased tissue on the toe and nail of a woman. The watercolour was created by C. D’Alton c.1870.
Courtesy of Wellcome Collection.
PUBLISHED 20 FEBRUARY 2024
Postcard distributed by the Irish Anti-Vaccination League, 1909
An active anti-vaccination campaign emerged in 19th-century Ireland after the government made vaccination for smallpox compulsory for children, regardless of the families’ views on this. At the time, vaccines left lasting scars and were far less safe than today.
Courtesy of the Deputy Keeper of the Records, Public Record Office of Northern Ireland.
PUBLISHED 20 JANUARY 2024
“Please do not Spit in the Carriages”.
Before the Second World War, tuberculosis (TB) was widely feared. Once it was identified as bacteriological, spitting in public was discouraged to prevent the spread of infection. This sign was used on trains in Ireland to prevent spitting, which had once been an acceptable habit until it became associated with spreading disease.
© Science Museum London
PUBLISHED 10 NOVEMBER 2023
Mayer & Meltzer Opthalmoscope.
This is a Liebrich opthalmoscope, with a simple retinal mirror on a wooden handle, held in a leather case with spare lenses. The opthalmoscope is thought to have been invented in Germany in 1851. Patients with eye problems would have encountered the ophthalmoscope when having the health of their retina, optic disc and other parts of the eye examined. Dilating the pupil to open it up with a light, and using the various lenses, offered a simple, effective way of examining the parts of the eye behind it.
One of the many items held at Healthcare Library of Northern Ireland.
PUBLISHED 09 OCTOBER 2023
Red Cross Helmet (Second World War).
During the Second World War, Red Cross ambulance crews were stationed in Northern Ireland and provided assistance to the sick and wounded.
One of the many items held at Northern Ireland War Memorial.
PUBLISHED 08 SEPTEMBER 2023
Trepanning tools (19th-Century).
Trepanning is a surgical technique involving removing part of the skull. In prehistoric times, it was thought to release harmful spirits and demons from the body.
Trepanning was controversially revived in the late 19th century to cure severe mental health problems and also infections including meningitis.
One of the many items held at Healthcare Library of Northern Ireland.
PUBLISHED 18 AUGUST 2023
Red Cross Nurse uniform worn during the Belfast Blitz (early 1940s).
Red cross personnel were active in Northern Ireland during the Second World War. The Irish Red Cross provided medical care during the Belfast Blitz (1941). Members of the American Red Cross arrived in Northern Ireland from 1942.
One of the many items which we found at Northern Ireland War Memorial.
PUBLISHED 06 AUGUST 2023
John’s Cocaine Prescription, March 1907, from 25 High Street, Belfast.
In the late nineteenth century, cocaine was commonly prescribed for ailments including morphine addiction, seasickness, hay fever, pain relief and the congestion caused by colds and flu. It was advertised as a stimulant, and also a nerve and muscle tonic. It soon became clear that cocaine was highly addictive.
Famously, cocaine was an ingredient in Coca-Cola in the early days of the drink.
One of the many items which we found at Northern Ireland Healthcare Library (Royal Victoria Hospital).
PUBLISHED 27 JULY 2023