140 Comments Posted by paul

If it is a vacuum press it could well have been used for making splints and the like. I've seen similar used in podiatrists. My first thought was some form of small steam sterilizer, for small procedure instruments.

Looks like what's known as a 'slit lamp'. The idea is that light is shone into the patient's eyes and it bouces off the retina. The doctor can see the state of the retina, or scan the eye for foreign bodies. You'll likely find the knobs will change intensity and slit shape/color.

Hospital Biomedical Engineer here. Yes these muscle stimulators/TENS call them what you will put out a form of AC current. You'd likely find a couple of the dials are for amplitude and frequency, the gauge would be for output milliamps.

One can also use a Muscle Stim to check depth of anaesthesia.

Just stunning...

One of the best photos I think I've ever seen. You could definitely find a thousand words from this picture.

Prohibition is worse, because an addict will sacrifice everything to get their drugs, which will be available no matter how prohibited they are. All the laws do is jack up the price, giving addicts the choice between food and shelter or drugs. That isn't a choice for an addict.

Thumbs up on the before and after shots. I love seeing people in the shots before and the abandonment afterwords!

I'm torn between my instincts as a historian and my belief in privacy. If they go anywhere it should be a hisotical society or the Smithsonian/National Archives ... they are old enough that the right to privacy isn't as relevant.

sort out the youth gangs?

ChicagoTom, I know the feeling. I've spent ten hours over the last three days since I found this site. Motts' work is superb, both in the search, infiltration, photography, and web site design.

Withdrawal is a symptom of having too much blood in the drugstream.

I can't see how babies would get referred to an institution, which would require a very sophisticated early diagnosis.

Those look like dishwasher trays to me, not crates.

Lynne's comment about Americans being stingy about paying taxes makes an important point: our society as a whole should take responsibilty for the abuse of clients placed in the hands of poorly paid, overworked providers. It is difficult work and the provider is only human, as are we all.

Was the mesh damaged? Any writing on the walls?

I once talked to some park rangers about getting permission to photograph inside the abandoned buildings, they seemed to think it might be possible ... but this was ten years ago ..