This alembic was most likely made somewhere between the 10th and 12th century and is glass. Alembics were used to distill different substances. Robert MacLean explains how to use the alembic in  “What's an Alembic? Alchemy, the History of Science, & Our Logo”. This was done by placing what was wanted to be distilled in the alembic which was then put over a heat source (MacLean). Once the substance starts boiling the vapors will rise up and flow down the spout into a different vessel (MacLean). Since different substances have different vaporization points it is possible to tweak the level of heat and distill different things from your liquid. Alembics were used for brewing a variety of things like food, perfume, alchemy, and medicine (MacLean). The alembics of the 10th century may not have been as complex as their 21st-century equivalent. Nonetheless, it was necessary for this alembic to be made for us to have the ones we have today.

This item is a copy of a bloodletting measuring device that was made in England in 1977. However, it was possible to recreate this device by following the instructions within the Book of Knowledge and Ingenious Mechanical Devices by Al-Jazari. Al-Jazari was a Mesopotamian inventor and engineer who lived from 1136-1206. The book was published in the year 1206 and describes how to make and use 50 different mechanical devices. As stated in the title the tool would be used to measure the amount of blood lost during bloodletting. How to use the bloodletting device is described in “Two Scribes and Bloodletting” by Jacob Toorenvliet and John Foster. It worked by having hidden pullies, a weight, and a float (Toorenvliet, Foster). When blood was put in the basin it would flow through a drain, in turn causing the float to rise (Toorenvliet, Foster). Once the blood filled the drain the float would push the scribe's pen up signifying that the required about of blood was reached (Toorenvliet, Foster). In the age of modern medicine, we know that bloodletting was harmful and that there is no medical benefit from it. However, this device shows how intricate some of the tools that a physician would use can be. 

The chopper was used by apothecaries. This tool would have assisted in preparing pharmaceuticals for patients. It was made in the Middle East during the time of 1801-1900. Apothecaries were the precursor to modern-day pharmacists. Their job consisted of diagnosing illnesses and then preparing medicine to aid in treatment. The item pictured on the left was common throughout the world and only fell out of use around the 1940s. The advancements of modern machinery and mass production have made this tool obsolete in modern pharmacy.