Thomas Bashore Collection Artifacts, 1700s-2000s

Biographical / historical:

Dr. Thomas Bashore is a Professor Emeritus of Medicine at the Duke University Medical School, specializing in treatment of cardiovascular conditions and congenital heart disease. He has also won numerous awards for teaching and mentorship at DUMC. Originally from Ohio, Bashore attended The Ohio State University and completed residencies at University of North Carolina before joining Duke in 1985. He first began collecting historic medical artifacts such as horn phonographs or mechanical devices relating to electrotherapy and cardiology in the 1960s. Through the course of his career, Bashore gradually expanded his collection to also include fringe or quack medical instruments or treatments; as he put it, "anything that's really funny, or crazy." In an oral history Bashore completed in 2020 for the Duke University Medical Center, Bashore reflected on his collection of artifacts: "Some people collect books. But I don't get as much charge out of a book. I like something that will shock you. That sounds like more fun."

Source cited: Thomas M. Bashore Oral History Interviews, 2020 http://hdl.handle.net/2193/NS0646531

General note:

Acquired as part of Accession 2024-0095. Related materials also from Bashore have been added to the History of Medicine Ephemera Collection.

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Collection restrictions:

Collection is open for research. However, the collection contains fragile materials which may involve extra assistance from staff. Contact Research Services with questions.

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The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

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