NSU Horizons Fall 2011

22 horizons One of his most prized donations, the bahnkes cups, were inherited from his grandfather, who got them from his grandfather, who got them from his grandfather, and so on. The cups were a precursor to today’s over-the- counter analgesic rubs used to relieve muscle pain. Back in the day, the cups were heated with alcohol and placed on a patient’s back to create a suction and vacuum affect. This would circulate blood to heal muscle aches. The museum is a regular stop for many people going through the Health Professions Division as well as tours taken by grade- and high-school students. “The museum has become such a fixture at the Health Professions Division that I can’t imagine what the lobby would look like without it,” Magalian Tupler said. Fred Lippman, R.Ph., Ed.D., NSU’s Health Professions Division chancellor, said the museum tells the story of the health professions and the rich education that’s taught in all six colleges and nearly 20 programs. “It’s a great educational tool that teaches us about our history, so we can make good decisions about our future,” he said. n The 34 glass cases containing hundreds of antique items give visitors a glimpse of earlier medical practices. Cynthia Magalian Tupler with a vintage mortar and pestle is curator of the Health Museum in the lobby of the Health Professions Division. W alk into the lobby of one of the largest dental clinics in America and the first thing you’ll see is a dark-brown leather chair, a ceramic pot, and an antique lamp. This rudimentary dental setup is in stark contrast to the 150-plus high-tech dental chairs at NSU’s College of Dental Medicine. However, this blast from the past—a dental operatory from 1915—is a real attention grabber with patients and visitors. The idea is to give a glimpse into what the dental profession used to be and how far it has come, said the exhibit’s creator, Alvin Krasne, D.D.S., a retired North Miami general dentist. A 1915 operatory contained a small chair, open- tube X-ray, and cuspidor. Everything was powered by a foot pedal because the operatory had no electricity. “It’s fascinating to see how far the profession has come,” said Krasne, who practiced dentistry for 45 years before retiring in the 1990s. Krasne collected all the antique items for the operatory that has been at the college since 2003. A graduate of the St. Louis School of Dentistry, Krasne’s scavenger hunt landed him dental items such as a walnut dental cabinet from a dentist affiliated with the famed Menczer Museum of Medicine and Dentistry in Hartford, Connecticut, and a 1913 Ritter dental pump chair from the Harris National Dental Museum in Baltimore, Maryland. “Putting the operatory together was a passion of mine,” he said. “It makes me happy to know it’s an educational tool for others.” Dental Time Machine By Ken Ma