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Apothecary Chest
Apothecary Chest
Apothecary Chest

Apothecary Chest

Maker
Periodca. 1865
MediumWood, leather, cardboard, iron, steel, velvet, glass, paper
Dimensions9.5 × 10.5 × 7.5 in. (24.1 × 26.7 × 19.1 cm)
InscribedSee bottles and powder boxes for individual inscriptions. None noted on chest.
ClassificationsMedical T&E
Credit LineGift of Dr. Joseph Wiener, 1938
Object number1252
DescriptionA rectangular apothecary chest covered in tanned leather, with a deep lid and front key lock. The lid opens to reveal a compartmentalized interior, with two lift out trays. The top tray holds assorted stoppered glass pharmaceutical bottles, and has a smaller tray in the center with leather pull tabs on either side. A second tray underneath contains 12 cardboard boxes of various medicinal powders and pills. The very bottom of the chest contains four circular fixed compartments for ceramic lidded jars.
Curatorial RemarksDonor Dr. Joseph Wiener (1901 - 1941) was chief cardiologist at Fitkin and Monmouth Memorial Hospitals. A member of the Monmouth County Medical Society, Wiener was a recognized leader in the fields of both cardiology as well as circulatory issues.NotesJames Oscar Green was born on 26 June 1840 in Long Branch, Monmouth County, New Jersey. His father, Captain James Green (1805 - 1863), was a highly respected farmer and businessman. In 1837, Green purchased a small hotel in Long Branch, which he greatly enlarged and improved, opening it as the Bath Hotel. Green's success was most noticeable in the 1850 Federal Census, where his real estate was valued at $50,000, and in the 1860 Federal Census, where the Green family's real estate was valued at $25,000 and their personal estate at $10,000. The structure was destroyed by fire on 4 April 1867, at a loss of $100,000. Elizabeth Murphy Green died in 1840, most likely of childbirth complications after the birth of their fourth child, James Oscar Green. Green and his older siblings, brothers Walter Shade Green (1837 - 1887) and Elwyn Shade Green (1835 - 1899) and sister Hannah Elizabeth (1838 - 1927) all grew up in Long Branch. James O. Green attended Princeton University, then graduated with a medical degree from Bellevue Hospital Medical College of New York in 1866. Green returned to Long Branch, opening a pharmacy and medical office on Bath Avenue in downtown Long Branch. Dr. Green married Annie Hathaway (1845 - 1929) on April 5, 1865. The couple had three daughters, including Sarah "Sadie" A. Green (1866 - ?), Jane H. Green (1872 - 1931), and Elizabeth Green (1879 - 1973). Both Sarah and Elizabeth attended the Freehold Young Ladies Seminary in Freehold. Green practiced medicine for more than 50 years, as well as being an early member of the Long Branch Fire Department. Green was also althletic, playing on the Princeton University Baseball team during his years there. His love of baseball continued through his medical practice, and Dr. Green somehow found time to serve as president of the Long Branch baseball team. Green died of pneumonia at the age of 76 on November 24, 1916.
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