Close-up of a 1930s iron lung, with text describing its manufacturer.

MUSEUM BLOG

Explore our blog to learn about pieces from Canada’s largest collection of medical artifacts, discover the lesser-known history of health care, or hear about all of the exciting developments at the Canadian Museum of Health Care.

Canadian Museum of Health Care 2022-07-16 Canadian Museum of Health Care 2022-07-16

Medicinal Leeches: Still A Bloody Good Idea

Even people who aren’t up on their medical history tend to know at least one fact: old-fashioned medical doctors used leeches. The leech is almost as iconic a symbol of antique medicine as the head lamp or the beak-masked plague doctor.