BURNER, BUNSEN

Description: A CIRCULAR, BUNSEN BURNER (ALSO REFERED TO AS AN ALCOHOL BURNER) WITH A RUSTED, TARNISHED WICK HOLDER AND A WHITE, COTTON WICK HANGING DOWN INTO THE BOTTLE. EMBOSSED INTO THE BOTTOM OF THE GLASS ARE THE WORDS “MADE IN USA”. GOOD CONDITION: THE METAL CAP IS SEVERELY TARNISHED. SMALL FLAKES OF RUST SIT LOOSE IN THE BOTTLE.

History: UPON DONATION TO THE MUSEUM, COLLECTIONS TECHNICIAN KEVIN MACLEAN ASKED MEMBERS OF THE GALT SCHOOL OF NURSING (GSN) ALUMNAE TO PROVIDE WRITTEN ANSWERS ON QUESTIONS PERTAINING TO EACH ARTIFACT DONATED IN THE COLLECTION. THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION HAS COME FROM THOSE RESPONSES CORRESPONDING TO EACH INDIVIDUAL ARTIFACT. THIS IS A GLASS BUNSEN BURNER. IT WAS USED “IN THE GSN SCIENCE LAB AND IN THE HOSPITAL LAB. THEY WERE USED ON THE WARDS IN THE EARLY DAYS TO HEAT UP SOLUTION TO DISSOLVE MEDICATION.” ACCORDING TO THE ARTIFACT’S HISTORY THIS ARTIFACT WAS USED IN “1943-1946. BY 1965, WE DID NOT USE THEM FOR DISSOLVING MEDICATION.” THE BUNSEN BURNER WAS USED BY REGISTERED NURSES AND STUDENTS. THIS ARTIFACT “WAS NECESSARY AND ROUTINELY USED EVERY DAY IN THE HOSPITAL.” THIS ARTIFACT IS AMONG A COLLECTION DONATED NEAR THE END OF 2014, BEING THE SECOND WAVE OF GSN ARTIFACTS ACQUIRED BY THE MUSEUM THAT YEAR. WITH THE FIRST WAVE OF GSN ARTIFACTS COLLECTED IN SUMMER 2014, MACLEAN INTERVIEWED THE PAST ARCHIVISTS OF THE GALT SCHOOL OF NURSING COLLECTION, SHIRLEY HIGA, ELAINE HAMILTON, AND SUE KYLLO, ABOUT THEIR INVOLVEMENT WITH THE GSN ALUMNAE ASSOCIATION AND THE HISTORY OF ARTIFACTS DONATED. FOR THAT INFORMATION, PLEASE REFER TO P20140006001. PLEASE SEE THE PERMANENT FILE FOR MORE INFORMATION.