Thursday, March 26, 2009

WAX VERITAS

If you have a certain fascination with the ghastly implements and devices employed during the ages in the name of health, quackery, and other forms of 'medical science', then, next time you're in London, you (like me) will want to visit the Science Museum in South Kensington. Here's a taste of some of the implements being exhibited for our forthcoming edification.

Enema Machine
an exercise in extravagant solipsism if ever there were; I confess the thought of that ivory tip alone sends a real shiver up my spine

Male Anti-Masturbation Device
curiously fetishistic incongruence to see it externally modelled on a pair of blue jeans; notice the contemporary innovation of the ventricles which were lacking in earlier inferior models

Amputation Kit
this, to me, epitomises so well, on so many levels, why we humans are amongst the stupidest animals on the planet

Bronze Man
don't you agree a version of this should be reintroduced to the student doctors of today, one with mild(-ish) electric shocks administered to the correspondingly missed anatomical spot?

There's so much more to see, and since the museum's website is so unwieldy and poorly designed, that other than visiting the museum in person, I suggest starting out here.

3 comments:

grohs said...

on a similar note..i'd also highly recommend a visit to The Oldest Operating Theatre In Britain in St Thomas' Church!

Unknown said...

Not only do I want to go, I want to do all my Christmas shopping at the gift shop

Jack Sargeant said...

The Old Operating Theatre at London Bridge is quite incredible, the lectures given by the staff are excellent and on a good day they will demonstrate various 19th C surgery techniques (including removal of bladder stones!). I would also recommend the Wellcome Trust Museum in Euston - both their permanent collection and their exhibition.