Diving headfirst into the operating theatre of times gone by, History of Surgery takes visitors on an explicitly brutal exploration of the development of modern medical technique and surgical marvel by highlighting all of the previous attempts in their hideous glory. Complete with a projected dissection lecture and no less than nine human skulls dotted around the room, the assorted collection of treasures, trinkets and dangerous ‘medical’ implements are sure to entertain, shock and puzzle each and every visitor as they wonder exactly what such a heinous device was meant to be used for.
Filled with interesting factoids, such as the separation of ‘simple’ barbers and surgeons, the classic barber pole reflecting the process of bloodletting and a beginners guide to apothecaries, these pale in comparison to the surprising number of child artefacts included. In what ranks within my top most disturbing items of all time, a cadaver of a Scottish child from 1702 which was presented to the college was a particular shocker, as well as the frankly elegantly carved and ornate wooden display case it was, for some dark reason, presented in.
Another such skeleton could be found arranged in a dance-like manner, another hung from its cabinet by a chain leading into its skull and various other frankly warped ideas of some deranged human is the best advert I have seen for intrusive thoughts getting the better of their host…and yet are fantastic to observe.
Some may find the engagement with this torture chamber-like gallery impeded by the projected anatomy demonstration, with its booming voice echoing around each section, making reading challenging to some and impossible to others. Short of chopping one’s ear off with one of the many, frankly, weapons that adorn the wall, there is little that can be done to avoid this inconvenience, besides reading extremely quickly in the short time in-between each run. Headphones or closed sections may have been a luxury hundreds of years ago but are not so anymore and their usage would not go amiss!
Artworks depicting dissected cadavers add to the admittedly shocking number of actual specimens on display, with extra inclusions such as wax injections being just that final element to push some past sanity but me past ambivalence and into warped enjoyment. The entire concept of an exploration of surgical history is a brainchild that I would be unsurprised to learn is one of the child exhibits in the room and its gruesome, no detail spared approach is the type of gory storytelling that I can get behind.
Rating: ★★★★☆
History of Surgery Museum is a continuing collection in Edinburgh’s Surgeons’ Hall Museums
