Medical instrument collections in Russian museums: Problems of preservation and study.
This article examines the history of the formation and preservation of medical instrument collections in Russia. Through a vast range of historical materials, including archival resources, the author discusses the development of diverse medical instruments and devices, the role of doctors and scientists in the process of their creation, and the difficulties of preserving original instruments. In particular, the article discusses one of the earliest surviving records about a 17th century surgical collection and the problems of assembling collections in more recent times caused by the ever increasing complexity and costs of medical instruments.