History of medicine

study of the development of medicine over time

Medicine, the study of the human body, its diseases and its cures, has existed since time immemorial, though scientific study and public healthcare are modern phenomena.

While health and medical tourism can be practical concerns for travellers, the history of medicine can be a theme of science tourism.

There is some overlap with military tourism as the armed forces have in many cases been a forerunner in professional medical care.

Hygiene and body care has been a part of healthcare (including treatments such as sauna) with people seeking out spas to improve health, in particular in 19th-century Europe.

Destinations

  • 🌍 Medicinhistoriska museet (The Museum of Medicinal History), Eva Lagerwalls väg 8 (Uppsala, Sweden). A museum concerning health and sickness in body and mind throughout history. In the 19th and 20th centuries the area was used a psychiatric hospital called Ulleråker, and many of objects used at Ulleråker are today exhibited at the museum. 
  • 🌍 National Museum of Health and Medicine, 2500 Linden Ln (Silver Spring, Maryland, United States). Museum of the history of military medicine. (updated Nov 2020)
  • 🌍 Medical Museion (Copenhagen, Denmark). 
  • 🌍 Latvian Museum of Pharmacy, Riharda Vagnera 13-15 (Riga, Latvia). In a renovated 18th-century house. The museum showcases pharmaceutical equipment, traditional medicine and herbs and what pharmacies looked like a century ago. 
  • 🌍 Museo de la Medicina Mexicana (Museum of Mexican Medicine), República de Brasil 33, Centro Histórico (Mexico City, Mexico). Housed in the former Palace of the Inquisition, the museum chronicles the history of medicine in Mexico, from smoke and herbal tonics of Mesoamerican shaman curers through the modern era. The museum is best known for its wax models depicting wounds, malformed body parts, and stomach-turning infectious lesions (like flesh-eating bacteria). A highlight is the gallery of embryology featuring an array of preserved fetuses at various stages in their development. Special inquisition-themed presentations on "Museum Night". (updated Sep 2024)

See also

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