National Museum of Medicine
October 3, 2010 § 1 Comment
Photo by Øystein Horgmo © All rights reserved.
The National Museum of Medicine was established as recently as 2001, with the first permanent exhibition opening in 2003. Although the exhibitions are very interesting, the museum still has some distance to cover to become a national museum.The medical museum is part of the Norwegian Museum of Science, Technology, Industry and Medicine, a large museum complex on the outskirts of Oslo. Two permanent exhibitions dominate the alloted space for medicine. “A sound mind in a sound body” focuses on public health and the impact of epidemic diseases on the Norwegian society, from the Black Death to polio and tuberculosis. “Get well soon!” shows how the hospital as an institution has changed during the last two hundred years, seen from the perspective of the doctor, nurse, patient and children.
Working at the Rikshospitalet national hospital, however, I notice a lot, if not most, exhibited items and stories have originated from my hospital. Rikshospitalet treats patients from all over the country, but the museum seems a bit Oslo-centered. I think this is a matter of funding and time, though, and I hope the museum will grow into encompassing the medical history of the entire country.
Don’t get me wrong, the museum is well worth a visit. The collection of historic specimen from the Institute of Pathology at Rikshospitalet is excellent and a section focusing on children in hospital is especially gripping. There is also a hands-on area where you can explore the anatomy and physiology of the human body, piece by piece.
Photos by Øystein Horgmo © All rights reserved.
Larger versions of the photos can be found on Flickr.
The Sterile Eye 
Great photos, Oystein! Very “telling”.
I hope that I can come to Oslo sometime and get a tour :)