DOCTORS' MUSEUM

Shannon News, 1 November 1927, Page 4

DOCTORS' MUSEUM

EVOLUTION OP MEDICINE ILLUSTRATE!!.-' There are many valuable and in ■ teresting collections in London of which the Londoner knows little. The Wellcome Historical Me dical Museum is one of these. The object of it's founder is to promote the knowledge .of the evolution of medicine and surgery and kindred sciences. While this object s strictly adherred to, the contents of the museum —many of which are o. historical and personal importance and some highly artistic —cannot fail to appeal to the ordinary educated individual.

The AVellcome Museum which -is situated in Wife'." > strvot. in tbs midst of the doi'rr.s' district, was founded in 1913 by Mr Htm:y S. Wellcome. The mus'sum lias teeri orreoganised recently, and was r?o'jer.ed by Sir Humphrey Rolleston, Regius Professor of Physic in the University of Cambridge. Sir 'Arthur Keith, and other well-known leaders in medicine a short .'time ago. Primitive Medicine.

Near the entrance door are illustrations of the Wellcome archaeological expeditions to Gebel Moya, AngloEgyptian Sudan, together with 'specimens of the findings; and in the entrance hail itself, which deals with the healing art as, practised among savage and semi-civilised peoples of the present time, there are to be found amulets, charms, talismans (many of which were collected from London and neighbourhood), mascots, phylacteries, totems, divination bowls, idols, masks, and ceremonial dresses, and, in fact, the entire armentarium of the medicine-man. There are also a head-hunter's hut from New Guinea, and shrunken heads from, the Peruvian Andes, and carved ivory masks from an area infected with sleeping sickness. Christopher Wren and Medecme. ' A little further on is a collection of pictures depicting certain outstanding phases in the history of medicine and, surgery. Christopher Wren making his first demonstration of a method of introducing drugs into a vein. How many know that that versatile genius knew aught of the medical science ? Leeuwenhoek with h's microscope, in 1673, the man who laid the foundations of bacteriology. Ambrose Pare the- great French surgeon, using the ligature in 1562. Laennec's discovery of the stethoscope in 1815, and Rhazes, 923. the founder of Arabian medicine. In the anatomy room the history of anatomy is illustrated by drawings, paintings and sculpture. There is a wonderful series of twelve more than life size studies of anatomy, attributed to Jacques Gautier D.Argoty, 1875. Collection of books by Vesalius and Harvey. Among the pictures in this room is one of John Hunter being the original study made by Sir Joshua Reynolds for the portrait now in the Royal College of Surgeons.

• In the gallery of the Hall of Statuary, the development of the microscope is shown. Hundreds of microscopes from the rudimentary to the most perfect are here. There is also a case containing well-known drugs with the dates of their discovery. Myrrh was known 2500 8.C.; pomegranate. 2500 8.C.; opium 2500 B.C. aloes, 1500 8.C.; lead sulphate 1500 8.C.; antimony, 1500 B.C. Scamony, 300 B.C. was known to Hippocrates, and aconite goes back to 400 B.C. In another corner of this gallery, is a valuable collection of diplomas,, medals, prints ,etc.

Jenner Relics. • A space is given over to Jenner portraits and relics, personal belongings such as canes, medical cases and chests, as well as manuscripts and relics "relating to his work on vaccination. Among tho personal belongings is his favourite armchair in which he was seated when attacked by his fatal seizure. There are many Nelson relics, including Sir William Beatty's detailed report and account' of Lord Nelson's fatal wound and the tourniquet used on Nelson's arm when amputated at Teneriffe. Wellington's medical chest used in the Peninsular campaign is shown. Among the portraits in this gallery may be mentioned one by Zorfany of the celebrated Dr. Lettsom, the founder of the Medical Society of London, and fanied or notorious for the manner in which he bled for every disease under the sun. In the south-west part of the ground floor is the Lister section. v Here is part of the actual ward of the Royal Infirmary, Glasgow, in which Lister developed his antiseptic system of surgery. In the pharmaceutical section of the ground fioor are exact historical reproductions of old laborator-, !es and chemists' shops. In this department is a remarkable collection of old mortars, many of them made from gunmetal.