International Museum of Surgical Science

By Miss Cellania in Health on Nov 2, 2009 at 8:35 am

A trip through the International Museum of Surgical Science in Chicago will make you glad you live in the modern world instead of the “good old days”! Wired has a gallery of exhibit photos ranging from a skull that belonged to a trepanation patient to early x-ray machines. Pictured is a vest used in 1899 to correct scoliosis. If this were posted as a “What Is It?” I would guess it to be an instrument of torture. Link -via Digg

(image credit: Jim Merithew/Wired.com)

Tags: Health, History, museum, surgery

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meg
Nov 2nd, 2009 at 10:25 am
some vests/braces used by young severe scoliosis patients still look like that! They’re just made of plastic and are not riveted together…still, they look very uncomfortable. My friend had to wear one for months before she could get surgery and always had nasty callouses where the brace dug into her skin
pwscott
Nov 2nd, 2009 at 12:24 pm
Yes I have seen the plastic scoliosis braces. Very restricting I thought. I wonder if the wood splints could still be useful today. They look more adjustable for comfort.
adamyoffe
Nov 2nd, 2009 at 12:47 pm
My radio station (based in Chicago and Northwest Indiana) just happened to do a couple of pieces on the Museum and interviewed a curator.

Check em out – http://vocalo.org/explore/content/49894
and the remix – http://vocalo.org/explore/content/50327.
Another Tim
Nov 2nd, 2009 at 1:18 pm
I have been to that museum, and it is a pretty cool museum. Some of the instruments are quite scary looking, but it was cool to see (and not experience!).
Sydney
Nov 3rd, 2009 at 1:19 pm
Scoliosis braces are torture devices, believe me. I never got calluses from mine, just big long open rug burn looking things. Awful.

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