The J.F. Hartz Company Ltd.
by Victoria JL Fisher
The J.F. Hartz Company Ltd. was first founded in Detroit, Michigan, but quickly established a Canadian presence beginning in 1900. The company sold a wide range of “physician, nurse, and hospital” products ranging from hospital equipment, furniture and mobility aids such as wheelchairs to doctor’s instruments like stethoscopes, and surgical tools. By the 1910s, the business was advertising itself as the “largest supply house of its kind in the Dominion of Canada” and it remained dominant throughout the first half of the 20th century.
Like many Canadian companies, the vast majority of J.F. Hartz’s business was in sales, with imports from Germany, the UK and the US. Instruments bearing the mark of J.F. Hartz are most like resales, such as a pair of surgical scissors reading “The J.F. HARTZ Co. GERMANY.” The real manufacturer can often still be identified: what appears to be an S with a rod through it and a crown above is actually snake, staff and crown, the trademark of Aesculap, the brand name of Jetter & Scheerer, a Germany company based in Tuttlingen, Germany. Other companies are overtly listed in catalogues, where the J.F. Hartz is sometimes listed as sole Canadian agent.
However, as with most companies, J.F. Hartz does seem to have had some manufacturing capabilities, whether through their own facilities or through contacts they may have had. In the late 1920s, thoracic surgeons Robert M. Janes and Norman Shenstone were tackling the issues of lung surgery. To solve a serious problem of cross-infection and hemorrhage during surgery, Janes developed a prototype of an instrument, the lung tourniquet. To get a usable instrument made, Janes turned to J.F. Hartz. This suggests that, in Toronto, J.F. Hartz were known to have the capabilities to manufacture, or arrange the manufacture of, surgical-quality instruments.
The J.F. Hartz remained dominant in Canada through the middle of the 20th Century until 1974, when it was acquired by Extendicare Ltd., a nursing home operator. However, this did not last long; by 1979, Extendicare Ltd. shed the Hartz equipment under questions of conflict of interest, and what remained of the company was sold off.
Timeline
1897 – J. Frederick Hartz founds the J.F. Hartz Company in Detroit, MI, possibly through the acquisition of the H.J. Milburn Co.
1900 – The company is active in Toronto at 2 Richmond Street E., Toronto
1902 – Hartz Building constructed in Detroit at 1529 Broadway to house the company.
1919 - The company is active in Toronto at 24-26 Hayter Street.
1931 – The company is active in Toronto at 32-34 Grenville Street and in Montreal at 1434 McGill College Ave.
1957 – J.F. Hartz celebrating 60 Years
1974 – The J.F. Hartz Co. Ltd. is acquired by Extendicare Ltd, a nursing home operator based in Calgary, Alberta, forming division Hartz Standard Ltd., located at 34 Metropolitan Road, Scarborough, ON.
1979 – Extendicare divests itself of its Hartz Standard division under questions of conflict of interest.
1980 - Hartz Standard (1979) Ltd., with outlets in major cities across Canada, advertises itself for sale. The assets, including customer lists, medical equipment inventories and office furniture, are sold off.
Lung Tourniquet
J.F. Hartz Co.Selected Sources
Delarue, Norman, C. Thoracic Surgery in Canada: A Story of People, Places, and Events – The Evolution of a Surgical Speciality (B.C. Decker Inc, 1989)
“Extendicare Ltd. Sets Agreements to Acquire 2 Medical-Supply Firms” Wall Street Journal (March 19, 1974) McGill Library Digital Collections (https://digital.library.mcgill.ca/images/hrcorpreports/pdfs/6/633710.pdf [09/11/23])
J.F. Hartz Co., Ltd. Illustrated Catalogue of Standard Surgical Instruments and Allied Lines – Fourth Edition (Ingenium Trade Catalogue Collection MED H3383 3001 1919 (RARE))
Hartz Standard Co. Ltd. “Hartz Standard Medical & Surgical & Laboratory – Equipment/Supplies” (1975) Ingenium, Trade Catalogue Collection MED H3383 3008 1975
Livermore & Knight. “The J.F. Hartz Co.” (Advertising Card for the J.F. Hartz Co.) Burton Historical Collection, Detroit Public Library Digital Collections Resource ID: bh014325 E&M 977.4D4 381 H https://digitalcollections.detroitpubliclibrary.org/islandora/object/islandora%3A227116 [09/11/23]
Lee, Myunghyun, Rao, Vivek “Historical perspectives of The American Association for Thoracic Surgery: Robert M. Janes, MD (1894-1966)” The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery Vol. 152, No. 2 (Aug. 2016): 299-301
“Receiver’s Sale – Hartz Standard (1979) Ltd.” The Globe and Mail (June 6, 1980): B14
Walter, John. German Tool and Blade Makers: A guide to manufacturers and distributors, their trademarks and brand names, 1850-2000 (Nevill Publishing, 2019 https://www.archivingindustry.com/cutlers&toolmakers/cutlermarks-1.pdf [09/11/23])