|
Dr. Francesc Ferrando Estapà's and his son Dr. Josep Maria Ferrando Botet's equipment
Ferrando’s family carried out the donation of
an interesting array of scientific and surgical instrumental
from physicians Dr. Francesc Ferrando Estapà’s
and his son Dr. Josep Maria Ferrando Botet’s (1915-2003)
private professional practice. This collection stands as a
paradigmatic case of a professional family focused on one
specialty, otorhinolaryngology (ORL), which was established
as a university discipline in Barcelona since 1915. In fact,
the first Dr. Ferrando was sort of self-taught as, once graduated
at the University of Barcelona on 1910, started the exercise
of the specialty on 1911, only to acquire, as time went by,
a remarkable professional prestige in the city due to his
practice at the tuberculosis patients’ Welfare Service
of the Mancomunitat, at the Institute for the Working Women
and at the Health Villa “La Alianza”. Dr. Ferrando
Botet was also interested in throat, nose and ears, though
he could already study the family’s specialty in Barcelona
with professor Dr. Ferrán Casadesús Castells
and later on in Madrid and Montpellier. Since 1940, he was
associated physician at Dr. Pere Borràs’ ORL
service at Sagrat Cor’s Hospital, where he was appointed
head of the service through the 1950 and 1970 decades. Both
physicians’ professional aim came together in their
private practice where the two offices or clinics have become
an example of the evolution of the specialty along a great
stretch of the 20th century.
The donation widely comprises these features. As an example,
it is worth mentioning Dr. Ferrando Estapà’s
clinic art déco furniture, including an odd exploration
chair, a lamp, a spittoon and a glass cabinet for instrumental.
From the specialty’s exploration and diagnosis equipment,
an assortment of tuning forks, audiometers, otoscopes, laryngoscopes,
rhinoscopes, frontal mirrors, binocular lenses and short distance
glass frames can be found, illustrating technical adaptations
and transformations implemented through the century, especially
regarding lighting and electrical appliances.
|
© Official Medical Association of Barcelona 
