From instrument to technological medicine; the medal collection of the Dutch Journal of Medicine Van instrument naar technologische geneeskunde

The Dutch Journal of Medicine holds a unique and comprehensive collection of commemorative medals. In the autumn of 2018, the journal arranged an online exhibition to display an extensive part of the collection and incorporated these objects into a wider historical context. This article presents a description of part ofthe web exhibition. In the light of Willem Einthoven's (1860-1927) work, we argue that around 1900 the first signs of technological medicine were becoming apparent. By focusing on a small number of medals, in this article we describe how the increasing importance of applied technology in medicine is reflected in the self-representation of the medical specialties that were beginning to emerge during the same period.