London Science Museum 
Medical Galleries

The London Science Museum has three separate galleries which cover the advances of medicine and medical technology. One can be found on the 3rd floor whilst the other two are on floors 4 and 5 and these can be easily missed, so do keep an eye out for the entrance.

The three galleries cover different aspects of health and how treatment and diagnosis has changed over the centuries. Each gallery is quite small so you won't feel over whelmed but they are laid out in such a way as to keep you interested along the way.

Health Matters - Floor 3

This gallery covers the medical advances made during the 20th century. This was the century where there were more discoveries and improvements made in treatments and diagnosis than ever before.

You will find machines which have helped us to not only diagnose illness but also which have helped to keep people alive for much longer. Objects such as an iron lung and an early kidney machine can be seen close up.

This gallery also shows us how recent advances in vaccines and pregnancy prevent has changed our lives and society as well as how it has caused us to have to make some life changing decisions about our health.

Glimpses of Medical History - floor 4

This is an amazing gallery which has been made up of different scenes through history of various medical practices.

For instance you can see a full scale operating theatre with an operation in progress, a eye test from the 1940's and a Victorian chemist.

As well as these full sized mock ups there are small models showing scenes through history relating to medical treatment of the time. Among these is a scene from a first world war battle medical post, a dissection carried out in the 14th century and a home birth in the Victorian area.

This gallery is packed with scenes showing different medical practices and how improvements have slowly been made in the treatment of illnesses and surgical procedures. This was a fascinating gallery, a little gruesome at times but not so bad that children would become upset.

The Science and Art of Medicine - floor 5

The last gallery at the top of the London Science Museum is dedicated to the history of medicine across the world. It contains one of the largest collections of medical objects, around 5,000 at the last count.

This gallery is a maze of cabinets displaying some intriguing items such as some Roman tweezers, artificial limbs, travelling medicine chests and birthing chairs from the 18th century.

There are items from all over the world including Greece, Italy and Egypt which give a fascinating insight on how other cultures have helped to develop modern day medicine.

A strange gallery full of curious both amusing and frightening but which will delight visitors of all ages I think.

My review of the medical galleries in the London Science Museum

I must admit that I wasn't looking forward to visiting these galleries in the London Science Museum. I have little interest in this area and also I remember visiting them years ago and seeing nothing more than lots of nasty things in glass jars. So I was delighted to see how much these galleries had changed.

Gone were the glass jars and instead every corner contained a new item to intrigue. I think I must have spent about an hour in these galleries alone simply because there was so much to see and nearly every item captivated the imagination.

For me the Glimpses of medical History was my favourite as it wasn't just cabinet's containing items but were actual mock ups of real situations from the past.

It was fascinating to see how people used to take care of ill relatives in the home and just how primitive some of the practices for health care were. It certainly made me glad that I wasn't around then.

Children will particularly like this aspect of the medical galleries as it brings everything to life and I think they will be able to relate to the scenes themselves.

However all of the medical galleries are fascinating in their own right so don't miss these galleries out as you will certainly learn a lot more about health issues and how science has made leaps in bounds during the last 100 years.

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