Silver Golub & Teitell Partner Richard Silver Donates Antique Medical Equipment Collection to Quinnipiac University School of Medicine

September 10, 2025

Silver Golub & Teitell senior partner Richard Silver has donated his extensive collection of antique medical equipment to the Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University. The collection of 30 medical instruments is now permanently displayed in the Edward and Barbara Netter Library at the university's North Haven Campus.

Mr. Silver began collecting the antique medical equipment over 35 years ago, inspired by a fascination with medicine and by his legal work representing clients in medical malpractice litigation. The collection includes examples of medical treatments from the 19th and early 20th centuries.

"What we're looking at with this collection is the progress and failures of medical equipment over the years," Mr. Silver said. "The development of new projects in medicine often takes a long time, and in that long time, there are people who are being injured because we don't have improvement."

The collection includes an early anesthesia monitor, which is a reminder of the positive impact of medical malpractice litigation on medical progress. While the device was an improvement over using ether for anesthesia, it did not accurately measure oxygen or carbon dioxide levels. Between the 1960s and 1970s, deaths and brain damage caused by anesthesia complications resulted in numerous medical malpractice lawsuits, significantly increasing insurance costs for doctors and hospitals. This crisis spurred insurance companies to finance the development of new monitoring equipment that could accurately track oxygen and carbon dioxide levels, dramatically reducing the rate of mortality and brain damage. As a result, the cost of medical malpractice insurance for doctors and hospitals fell by 50 percent nationwide and even more in Connecticut, Mr. Silver said.

"At many of the nation's great medical schools, collections such as this are a treasured tradition," said Interim Dean of the School of Medicine Lisa D. Coplit. "They serve not only as historical archives, but as powerful teaching tools, helping future physicians appreciate both the triumphs and the humbling lessons of the past."

The donation was celebrated at a special ceremony on September 4 attended by Quinnipiac President Marie Hardin, medical students, faculty, administration, and university leadership. The curated display cases at the library entrance provide students with tangible reminders of medicine's evolution and the importance of continuous innovation in healthcare.

Mr. Silver, who serves on the University’s Board of Trustees and on the School of Law Advisory Board, recently established the Silver Scholars program, providing paid summer internships for high-achieving Quinnipiac undergraduates at Stamford Health. In addition, he funded a program at Quinnipiac School of Law in 2024 that gave third-year law students access to post-graduate preparation to help them pass the Connecticut Bar Exam.

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