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Collection Overview
Scope and Contents of the Materials
The Dr. James Alba Johnston Collection documents medical practice and theory from 1875 to1949. Little biographical information on Dr. Johnston is included in the collection.
Material related to Dr. Johnston and his practice can be found in Series I: Business and Personal Papers. This material includes some correspondence, certificates appointing him company doctor for several firms, drug inventories, ledgers and cash books, and public health notices. Advertisements for medical products, article reprints, and Dr. Johnston’s handwritten reading notes complete the series.
The major part of the collection are sixty-seven volumes found in Series II. These publications’ contents reflect medical theories current during their publication dates (1890-1944). In addition to general medical and reference works, the volumes cover such topics as electrical and vibratory therapy, sexual problems & childhood diseases, vaccine therapy and pharmaceuticals, and various specialities including geriatrics and surgery.
Collection Historical Note
Dr. James Alba Johnston was born December 31, 1859 on the family farm northwest of Byron, IL. Dr. Johnston attended Wheaton College where he met his future wife, Carrie Nash of Belvidere, IL. After their marriage in Belvidere on December 23, 1886, the couple farmed near Storm Lake Iowa for several years. Dr. Johnston entered medical school at the University of Nebraska where he received his degree in 1894. He practiced medicine in Craig, Nebraska until December 1897 when the couple moved to Byron, IL. Dr. Johnston was past president of the Ogle County Medical Association, past president and clerk of the Byron Public School Board, and active in the Congregational church. Dr. Johnston practiced medicine and was a civic leader in Byron until his death in April 1949.
Subject/Index Terms
Administrative Information
Repository:
Northern Illinois University
Access Restrictions:
There are no restrictions on access to the collection.
Use Restrictions:
Property rights in the collection belong to the Regional History Center; literary rights are dedicated to the public.
Acquisition Source:
Mrs. Robert (Cleo) Boger
Acquisition Method:
Mrs. Robert (Cleo) Boger donated the Dr. James Alba Johnston Collection to the Northern Illinois Regional History Center on May 29, 1987.
Separated Materials:
A list of Dr. Johnston’s medical instruments which have been separated out of the collection is at the back of this inventory.
Box and Folder Listing
Browse by Series:
[
Series I.: Business and Personal Papers],
[
Series II.: Volumes],
[Oversize UA 11: EDWARD C. PAGE MUSEUM COLLECTION (UA 11)],
[
All]
- Oversize UA 11: EDWARD C. PAGE MUSEUM COLLECTION (UA 11)
- Access Restriction: Located in artifact room.
- Series VI.: Memorabilia, Artifacts, and Ephemera
- Sub-Series E.: Doctor James Alba Johnston Medical Instruments
- Box 1a: Bottles & Small Items
- Item 1: Prescription Bottles: Strychnine
- Item 2: Prescription Bottles: Quinine Sulfa
- Item 3: Prescription Bottles: Tincture for rigid cervix
- Item 4: Prescription Bottles: Geireinoid for rigid cervix
- Item 5: Pharmaceutical Bottles & Boxes: Staphylox
- Item 6: Pharmaceutical Bottles & Boxes: Subdermuis Ergot
- Item 7: Pharmaceutical Bottles & Boxes: Silver Nitrate (box)
- Item 8: Pharmaceutical Bottles & Boxes: Thytuitary (full ampoules)
- Item 9: Pharmaceutical Bottles & Boxes: Tetanus Antitoxin (full ampoule)
- Item 10: Small Items: Horsehair
- Item 11: Small Items: Black Silk Thread
- Item 12: Small Items: Rubber Catheter Hose
- Item 13: Small Items: Glass Slides
- Item 14: Small Items: Tweezers (2)
- Item 15: Small Items: Pipette
- Box 1b
- Item 1: Prescription Bottles: Iron
- Item 2: Pharmaceutical Bottles & Boxes: Holadin
- Item 3: Pharmaceutical Bottles & Boxes: Chloroform Squibb
- Item 4: Small Items: Tweezers (2)
- Item 5: Small Items: Probe
- Item 6: Small Items: Laryngeal Mirror
- Item 7: Small Items: Funnel
- Item 8: Small Items: Test Tube
- Item 9: Small Items: Surgical Case
- Item 10: Small Items: Empty Pouch
- Box 2: General Medical & Obstetrics
- Item 1: General Medical: Scalpels (2)
- Item 2: General Medical: Scissors (3)
- Item 3: General Medical: Forceps (4)
- Item 4: Obstetrics-Gynecology: Placenta Forceps
- Item 5: Obstetrics-Gynecology: Uterine Forceps
- Item 6: Obstetrics-Gynecology: Intra
- Item 7: Obstetrics-Gynecology: Uterine Dilators (6)
- Item 8: Obstetrics-Gynecology: Curettes (3)
- Item 9: Obstetrics-Gynecology: Intra
- Item 10: Obstetrics-Gynecology: Corkscrews (3)
- Item 11: Obstetrics-Gynecology: Unidentified Pieces (2)
- Box 3: Unidentified Pieces
- Item 1: Unidentified metal weights (3)
- Item 2: Metal and rubber with hollow tube w/ metal chamber packed with cotton
- Item 3: Cotton packers (3)
- Item 4: Wire basket with closed wire hoop
- Item 5: Rubber and metal piece
- Item 6: "M"-shaped metal piece
- Item 7: Wood and metal piece
- Item 8: Straight metal piece
- Item 9: Unidentified metal pieces (4)
- Box 4: Instruments & Gowns
- Item 1: Instruments: Rubber
- Item 2: Instruments: Uterine Dilators (3)
- Item 3: Instruments: Hale's Vagina Speculums (4)
- Item 4: Instruments: Birth Forceps (2)
- Item 5: Instruments: Stirrups (2)
- Item 6: Instruments: Unidentified Metal Piece (2)
- Item 7: Gowns: Size Medium
- Item 8: Gowns: Size 40
- Item 9: Gowns: Cloth Instruments Carrier (2)
- Box 5
- Item 1: Doctor's Bag (poor condition)
- Item 2: Ear Examiner
- Box 6
- Item 1: Shelton Deluxe Vibrator
- Box 7: Instruments & Accessories
- Item 1: Instruments: Electro-Therapeutic Kit
- Item 2: Instruments: Sphygmomanometer (blood pressure measurer)
- Item 3: Accessories: Distilled Water Ampoules (empty)
- Item 4: Accessories: Leather Stirrups (7)
Browse by Series:
[
Series I.: Business and Personal Papers],
[
Series II.: Volumes],
[Oversize UA 11: EDWARD C. PAGE MUSEUM COLLECTION (UA 11)],
[
All]
Regional History Center 
