History Mystery Solved
Discovery that Revolutionized Epithelial Cell Research
BY MICHELE LYONS, OFFICE OF NIH HISTORY
No, it wasn’t a prototype for a flux capacitor.
The “History Mystery” photo that appeared in the May-June issue of the NIH Catalyst (http://irp.nih.gov/catalyst/v21i3/nih-in-history) elicited 14 responses to our plea for help in identifying the equipment used by the late Roderic E. Steele, a researcher in the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute from 1975 to 1988. Three were whimsical guesses—a flux capacitor (part of the time-travel machine featured in the Back to the Future trilogy); an early breast pump; and a device to deliver electroshock therapy. But most respondents provided real clues. They gave us contacts, descriptions, and journal articles. We thank everyone who helped identify this object. Now we know it is a “keeper” for the NIH Stetten Museum collection.
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