Nickell Collection of Dr. R.V. Pierce Medical Artifacts
Dr. Joe Nickell, Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Inquiry, owns many snake-oil items, quack medical devices, and patent-medicine artifacts. Of high interest to the Western New York region is Dr. Nickell's collection of Pierce artifacts and memorabilia.
Dr. R(ay). V(aughn). Pierce (1840-1914) was perhaps the most widely known patent-medicine physician of his time. Born in 1840 in Stark (Herkimer County), New York, Pierce graduated from the Eclectic Medical College of Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1862. He practiced medicine briefly in Titusville, Pennsylvania, before moving to Buffalo, New York, in 1867.
Collection owner: Center for Inquiry Libraries