Own a Piece of Morbid Medical History

If you’ve been looking for electrosurgical equipment, engravings of venereal diseases, or cringe-worthy gynecological instruments for your collection, you’re in luck. Next week, the PBA Galleries in San Francisco are auctioning off the medical library of Gerard Sugarman, a treasure trove of medical books, tools, and paraphernalia that go as far back as the 15th Century. We've got a gallery of available items that will make you grateful for modern medicine.

PBA plans to auction off Sugarman’s collection on November 20. The majority of the lots consist of medical texts, many featuring intricate engravings of human anatomy and anatomical abnormalities. But he’s also managed to accumulate some interesting, and somewhat frightening, tools of the trade. For around $500, you can take home an electrosurgery unity or electrocardiograph, and a few hundred dollars will buy you a set of surgical instruments that look more fit for torture than practicing medicine.