The medical device world has been advancing at an unprecedented rate, particularly with the relatively recent advent of batteries and microchips, but there are still classic tools in a physician’s possession that have endured the technological revolution and remain off the electrical grid. Most might think of manual stethoscopes or perhaps reflex hammers as the non-electric mainstays in a physician’s armamentarium, but today I will feature the finest traditional leather product for healthcare providers: the doctor’s handbag. While the days of house calls and rural doctors that practiced as jack-of-all trade practitioners has nearly faded away, the physician’s bag is coming back into favor due to the ever-expanding variety of tools that physicians are using today.
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I got to first use this bag in the field accompanying a doctor who still conducts house calls in rural Pennsylvania Amish communities. The bag provided ample space for an ophthalmoscope, blood pressure cuff, glucometer, physical exam tools, lab kits for drawing blood, wound care items, and a variety of basic medications. I was even able to fit some notebooks and basic reference materials in there too.
via Leather Doctor’s Bags: Making a Comeback.
