Name/Title
"SMIC" surgical scalpel blades, packet of 12Entry/Object ID
2025.1.47Description
A small commercial packet of surgical (scalpel) blades, branded SMIC, holding twelve individually wrapped blades. The outer sleeve is printed in yellow, white, and blue with "SURGICAL Blades" and "12 PIECES" in English and a diamond-shaped SMIC logo. Inside are individual blades wrapped in waxed/glassine paper. The packet is the standard mid-century pharmacy/surgical-supply format in which a dozen sterile-wrapped blades were boxed for sale.Use
Belonged to Leopoldo Arús GálvezCollection
The Cabrera Arús family collection, Leopoldo Arús Gálvez collectionMade/Created
Manufacturer
SMICPlace
City
ShanghaiCountry
People's Republic of ChinaContinent
AsiaNotes
DATE / PERIOD: Not dated; People's Republic of China, later twentieth century (estimated). The use of a dedicated Shanghai medical-instruments export company points to the period after China's foreign-trade system spun off specialized corporations (broadly the 1970s–1980s).Inscription/Signature/Marks
Notes
Outer sleeve: "SURGICAL Blades"; "12 PIECES"; diamond SMIC logo (with small Chinese characters within the device).Relationships
Related Person or Organization
Person or Organization
Leopoldo Arús GálvezNotes
ownerPerson or Organization
SMICNotes
producerRelated Places
Place
City
HavanaCountry
CubaRegion
Caribbean, Central AmericaNotes
preservationPlace
City
ShanghaiCountry
People's Republic of ChinaContinent
AsiaNotes
productionResearch Notes
Notes
This is a Chinese export packet of surgical scalpel blades sold by a Shanghai state medical-instruments trading company. The survival of a complete, unopened packet is consistent with long retention, plausibly reinforced by the scarcity of imported medical consumables.
On provenance: Chinese goods reached Cuba through state-to-state trade between the PRC and Cuba.Created By
María A. Cabrera ArúsCreate Date
September 19, 2025Updated By
María A. Cabrera ArúsUpdate Date
June 14, 2026
