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.
Celebrating Museum of Health Care Volunteers
In honour of International Volunteer Day, the staff at the Museum wrote a few words about the importance of volunteers to our organization. Our volunteers are extremely important to our staff. From cataloguing and research to education programs, they help us with a variety of tasks and contribute to the daily operations of the Museum. We are grateful to have such a wonderful group of people support our work and improve the overall efficiency of the Museum of Health Care. Thank you to our volunteers for helping us preserve and share healthcare history!
World AIDS Day 2012
December 1st 2012 will mark the 24th year of World AIDS Day. Beginning in 1988, Worlds AIDS Day was the first ever global health day. It aims to support people around the world who have been affected by HIV and remember those who were lost to the virus. The World AIDS Day initiative works to eradicate the stigma surrounding the virus and to raise awareness and funds for prevention and research.
“Limbsomnia”: Pins and Needles Day and Paraesthesia
The expression “pins and needles” is used to describe both a feeling of nervousness or anxiety, as well as the tingling feeling experienced after a period of extended pressure on a muscle, causing an itching or numbing sensation, formally known as “paraesthesia.”
Medical Contributions of The Great War: Blood Transfusion
Prior to World War One, blood transfusion was a rarely performed and risky procedure. On the eve of the war, scientific development in relation to transfusion technology progressed making it a more viable procedure. Survival rates on the front lines increased as new transfusion techniques were mastered. The benefits of the medical developments that occurred during the war should not only be remembered on Remembrance Day, as blood transfusions continue to save hundreds of lives each day.
Spotlight on Patent Medicines - Dr. William Hall's Balsam for the Lungs
In the mid-to-late twentieth century, advertising trade cards were important for circulating information about patent medicines, or “over-the-counter” drugs. Dr. William Hall’s Balsam was printed by the Donaldson Brothers of Five Points, New York, a popular advertiser from 1872 to 1891.
Would I Have Died? Meconium Aspiration Syndrome
Sometimes it is more important to examine the present than the past to truly understand the magnitude of various discoveries, achievements, and failures. This blog post will focus on imparting a (hopefully) touching story of human resilience both in terms of physical determination and of miraculous technological advancement. It’s my sincere hope that by telling you my tale, I will encourage you to make personal connections of your own to those in history, and to gain a solemn appreciation for what has been made possible in our time through humankind’s drive to improve.
Museum of Health Care Summer Experience: Part 2
Working at the Museum of Health Care became, and continues to be, my dream job. I can scarcely believe that someone actually pays me to read and write about topics I find interesting, as well as gain absolutely invaluable experience in artefact handling and exhibit development.
Museum of Health Care Summer Experience: Part 1
As Public Programs Assistants, we provided tours to visitors, led education programs for schools in May and June and camps in July and August, and helped develop new programs for the Museum to run this upcoming year. Working at the Museum provided us with the opportunity to gain professional experience and develop practical and personal skills.
Mysterious Mexican Disease May Rewrite History of Spanish Conquest
My absolute favourite thing about being a history student is having my previous assumptions about historical narratives dashed. During my first year at Queen’s I quickly learned that what was deemed “fact” in my earlier education is actually just one of many historical narratives to consider – history isn’t as cut-and-dried as I had thought.
Would I Have Died? Pneumonia
Pneumonia is a historically feared phenomenon. Around 1200, the medieval philosopher Maimonides described the basic symptoms of pneumonia as “acute fever, sticking (pleuritic) pain in the side, short rapid breaths, serrated pulse and cough.” Even after Louis Pasteur’s Germ Theory began to inform the treatment of bacterial diseases such as pneumonia in 1861, the illness continued in its infamy as treacherous. In 1918, William Osler proclaimed that pneumonia is “the captain of the men of death.”