Medical Museum in rare display

29 Oct 2014

A rare display of the some of the historic medical curiosities that have been collected by The University of Manchester over the past 150 years has opened at Manchester Central Library.

Nine cabinets placed in the corridor outside the reading room on the first floor cover a range of topics from hearing and visual aids to equipment made of glass, silver and ceramics and a special display of packaging.

The items on display are rarely seen by the public. Some of the highlights include a Second World War Penicillin syringe made from the oil can of a Bren gun, a delftware ceramic jar used for storing drugs dating from the 1700s, hearing aids spanning several decades including bejewelled ones made to look like hair clips and illustrations by the renowned medical artist Dorothy Davison. 

The curiosities on display come from the university’s Museum of Medicine and Health which is normally housed in the Stopford Building.

Also running as part of the exhibition are images taken with a Victorian camera of hearing loss patients, and narratives of their hearing loss experiences. The work is part of a project, “Silence of The Photograph”, that explores what hearing loss means through the use of imagery. Images and narratives from this project can be viewed on the first floor and in the Shakespeare Hall Foyer.

The exhibition’s curator Dr Jenna Ashton says: “This is a fantastic opportunity for people to see some really fascinating medical equipment. We’re also really pleased to have the images on display from our project.”

She continues: “It’s been an interesting experience putting the collection together for display in the newly refurbished library with its circular space.”

“Artefacts and Experiences, Reframing Narratives Across Medicine and Health” runs until November 7 and is part of the Manchester Science Festival, proudly supported by MOSI.