Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

POLAROID

Date Range From

1970

Date Range To

1980

Materials

STEEL, RUBBER, PLASTIC, LEATHERETTE

No. Pieces

1

Height

4.0

Length

18

Width

10.5

Description

CAMERA IS RECTANGULAR STAINLESS STEEL BODY WITH BROWN LEATHERETTE COVERING TOP AND BOTTOM. TOP HAS LENS HOUSING 9.5CM X 5.5CM IN SIZE. ALONG SIDE IS BLACK PLASTIC LABEL WITH WHITE RAISED LETTERING WHICH READS "PHOTOGRAPHY DEPARTMENT". ALONG OPPOSITE SIDE IS ALUMINUM LABEL WITH RED BORDER AND PRINTING. IT READS "PROPERTY OF ST. MICHAEL'S GENERAL HOSPITAL" AND HAS "26-75 L.M.H." STAMPED INTO PLATE. LENS HOUSING LIFTS UP AND TOP BREAKS IN HALF TO FORM CAMERA. WHEN OPEN FRONT HAS LENS FACE WITH RED AND BLACK DOTS WITH FOCUSING WHEEL. EMBOSSED ACROSS FRONT BOTTOM IS "POLAROID SX-70 LAND CAMERA" IN WHITE PRINT. VIEWING PORT AT TOP BACK HAS SQUARE CONVEX LENS. BENEATH LENS ON BODY OF CAMERA IN RED PRINT IS "POLAROID SX-70 LAND CAMERA POLAROID CORPORATION CAMBRIDGE, MASS. MADE IN U.S.A." AND "USE POLAROID SX-70 LAND FILM" WITH "FLASH USE FLASHBAR".

Subjects

PHOTOGRAPHIC T&E

Historical Association

HEALTH SERVICES

History

CAMERA WAS USED IN MORGUE OF ST. MICHAEL'S HOSPITAL. CAMERA WAS REMOVED FROM MORGUE BEFORE THE HOSPITAL WAS DEMOLISHED IN 1996. FOR MORE HISTORY ON THE HOSPITAL SEE P19960116001-GA. GENERAL PATHOLOGIST DR. ROD MACKAY WAS ONE OF MANY PERSONS WHO USED THE POLAROID CAMERA (CAT NO. P19960116069) AT ST. MICHAEL'S HOSPITAL. HE WORKED THERE FROM 1976 UNTIL IT CLOSED IN 1996. IN JANUARY 2007, MACKAY INFORMED UOFL MUSEUM STUDENTS THAT THE CAMERA FULFILLED A GENERAL PURPOSE FUNCTION. IT BELONGED TO THE PHOTOGRAPHY DEPARTMENT AND COULD BE SIGNED OUT BY ANYONE WHO NEEDED IT. GALT STAFF LOCATED THE CAMERA IN THE AUTOPSY ROOM OF THE HOSPITAL IN 1996 WHILE THEY WERE IN THE PROCESS OF PACKING UP HUNDREDS OF MEDICAL RELATED OBJECTS FOR DONATION. IN THE SPECIFIC CASE OF AUTOPSY USE, THE CAMERA WOULD HAVE BEEN OPERATED BY AN ASSISTANT WHO WOULD HAVE WORKED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF A GOWNED AND GLOVED PATHOLOGIST. ASSISTANTS OPERATED THE CAMERA DURING THE AUTOPSY, VERSUS THE DOCTOR, ON ACCOUNT THAT THE DOCTOR DID NOT WANT TO CONTAMINATE THE CAMERA OR THE POLAROID PHOTOS. ASSISTANTS HAD TO BE DILIGENT ABOUT MAINTAINING THEIR OWN HAND CLEANLINESS DUE TO THE DIFFICULTY INVOLVED IN DECONTAMINATION AND BECAUSE THE CAMERA WAS ALSO USED BY OTHER STAFF SUCH AS NURSES - WHO TOOK PICTURES OF PATIENTS OR SPECIAL EVENTS. DR. MACKAY DID NOT FEEL THAT THE POLAROID CAMERA WAS SPECIAL OR HAD A SIGNIFICANT FUNCTION, BUT WAS SIMPLY A GENERAL PURPOSE, PUBLIC TOOL. THE ONLY PRACTICAL ADVANTAGE RELATED TO THE CAMERA WAS MACKAY’S KNOWLEDGE THAT THE IMMEDIATELY DEVELOPED PHOTO WAS OK WHICH, WAS AN ADVANTAGE - VERSUS DEVELOPMENT TIME OF STANDARD 35 MM - ON ACCOUNT THAT RE-TAKING PICTURES WAS NOT ALWAYS POSSIBLE. THE POLAROID IMAGES PRODUCED IN THE AUTOPSY ROOM WERE STORED FOR A CERTAIN NUMBER OF YEARS AND, WHEN THE DESIGNATED NUMBER OF YEARS WAS UP, THE DOCTOR ORDERED THE PHOTOS DESTROYED. ALL THE OTHER PICTURES OF GENERAL THINGS TAKEN BY OTHER PEOPLE ARE UNKNOWN AS TO THEIR WHEREABOUTS SINCE THEY HAD NO MEDICAL OR LEGAL VALUE TO ANYONE. DR. MACKAY DOES NOT RECALL ANY SPECIFIC STORIES RELATED TO THE POLAROID CAMERA.

Catalogue Number

P19960116069

Acquisition Date

1996-01

Collection

Museum

Less detail