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.
What Do You Mean Museums Aren’t Forever? The Whats and Whys of Deaccessioning
Deaccessioning is the formal removal of an item from a museum’s permanent collection. The important thing to know about deaccessioning is that it’s mostly about paperwork and about status. An item can be deaccessioned without moving from its spot on a shelf. Physical removal of the item is a different and related process, called disposal (disposal in this case doesn’t translate to “garbage,” it just means putting the object somewhere else). We can deaccession items and not dispose of them, but a museum should never dispose of an item without deaccessioning it.
Dr. Hercules Sanche and the Gas-Pipe Fraud
One of America's most notorious quacks, Dr. Sanche apparently moved around a lot, keeping one step ahead of the authorities. Dr. Hercules Sanche was an itinerant businessman who pretended to be a doctor. He used this scheme to sell to people a type of product known as the Oxydonor Victor
Queen's Work Study Positions Available!
The Museum is hiring for the following positions through the Queen's University Work Study Program. Please check your eligibility for the Work Study Program prior to submitting your resume.
The Story of Dr. Kenneth Fenwick and His Complex Legacy
Today, we’re looking at a story that may not be as inspiring as many that could be told. It is an important story nonetheless. This is the story of Dr. Kenneth Neander Fenwick (1852-1896), and the women from whom he sought to deprive a medical education.
(IV) Hook-ups: Cystic fibrosis and intravenous antibiotics
Antibiotics have been a mainstay of CF treatment throughout the decades. This simple statement, however, obscures their various manifestations in the lives of people with CF. The principles may have been similar in 1950 and 1990, but the experiences were vastly different. Material culture illuminates the changes that textual references can obscure, as exemplified here by the objects of intravenous (IV) antibiotic treatment for CF lung infections.
The Story of James Sampson and the History of Kingston
James Sampson had a significant impact on Kingston's history and development.
Ignaz Semmelweis: The Saviour of Mothers
Ignaz Semmelweis (1818-1865) was a Hungarian doctor who, during his tenure as an assistant professor at the Obstetrics clinic in the Vienna General Hospital, became interested in learning why so many women were dying from puerperal fever, which was colloquially called childbed fever.
The Story of Sir Henry Wellcome and the Wellcome Collection
Born in a log cabin in Almond, Wisconsin, in 1853, Henry Wellcome was one of the most influential pharmacological entrepreneurs and an avid collector of medical artefacts.