Here at the CALHN Health Museum we love receiving new donations. My recent favourite acquisition is a fake eyeball.
Selecting an item to accession can depend on a great deal of things, ranging from time availability, size or type, and sometimes – what takes your fancy first. My pick this time was a small tin. No more interesting than any other ordinary rusty tin. Small and light, a quick and easy object to get into the database.
Removing the lid, to make sure there was nothing inside, can you image my surprise (and a small fright, admittedly) to see an eye looking right back at me?! There were absolutely no signs to indicate that there may be something inside. No rattling could be heard, and the tin was extremely light.
The maker, doctor or wearer of the eye is unknown. There are some faint markings still present on the taping around the tin but the only identifiable text is ‘RAH’. From this we can deduce that the eye had some relation to the Royal Adelaide Hospital and is post 1939 as the ‘Royal’ prefix is present.
The eyeball is made from a very thin glass and is 3cm in diameter. A small hole is present where the optic nerve is meant to be. Unlike prosthetic eyes produced today which are concave inserts, this eye is a complete sphere, like a real functioning eye.
Accessioned, catalogued and placed into safe storage – let this stand as a reminder to always check inside any container, pocket or sleeve.
Click HERE to explore more of the museums collection
Written by Anna Grigoriev, CALHN Health Museum
