# History of medicine

Medicine, the study of the human body, its diseases and its cures, has existed since time immemorial, though scientific study and public healthcare are modern phenomena.
While health and medical tourism can be practical concerns for travellers, the history of medicine can be a theme of science tourism.
There is some overlap with military tourism as the armed forces have in many cases been a forerunner in professional medical care.
Hygiene and body care has been a part of healthcare (including treatments such as sauna) with people seeking out spas to improve health, in particular in 19th-century Europe.

## Destinations

* 59.82926617.6510121 Medicinhistoriska museet (The Museum of Medicinal History), Eva Lagerwalls väg 8 (Uppsala, Sweden). A museum concerning health and sickness in body and mind throughout history. In the 19th and 20th centuries the area was used a psychiatric hospital called Ulleråker, and many of objects used at Ulleråker are today exhibited at the museum.
* 39.008804-77.0534022 National Museum of Health and Medicine, 2500 Linden Ln (Silver Spring, Maryland, United States). Museum of the history of military medicine. (updated Nov 2020)
* 55.685912.59193 Medical Museion (Copenhagen, Denmark).
* 56.94857824.11164 Latvian Museum of Pharmacy, Riharda Vagnera 13-15 (Riga, Latvia). In a renovated 18th-century house. The museum showcases pharmaceutical equipment, traditional medicine and herbs and what pharmacies looked like a century ago.
* 19.43803-99.1330755 Museo de la Medicina Mexicana (Museum of Mexican Medicine), República de Brasil 33, Centro Histórico (Mexico City, Mexico). Housed in the former Palace of the Inquisition, the museum chronicles the history of medicine in Mexico, from smoke and herbal tonics of Mesoamerican shaman curers through the modern era. The museum is best known for its wax models depicting wounds, malformed body parts, and stomach-turning infectious lesions (like flesh-eating bacteria). A highlight is the gallery of embryology featuring an array of preserved fetuses at various stages in their development. Special inquisition-themed presentations on "Museum Night". (updated Sep 2024)

### United Kingdom

* 55.945-3.196 Anatomical Museum, Old Town of Edinburgh. Last Saturday of Sept-Nov and Jan-May. Large collection of anatomical specimens and life and death masks. Best known is the skeleton of William Burke, hanged in 1829 after he and William Hare killed at least 16 people to sell the bodies for dissection. The museum is part of the University of Edinburgh and was opened in 1884. Limited opening as the area is in continual use for teaching, booking essential - booking generally opens 2-3 weeks before the open days and fills up fast. Free. (updated Dec 2023)
* 55.9467-3.18527 Surgeons' Hall Museums, Old Town of Edinburgh, ☏ +44 131 527-1711, museum@rcsed.ac.uk. Daily 10AM-5PM. The permanent exhibitions are the Pathology Museum, the History of Surgery and the Dental Museum. Not suitable for children under 10 as the exhibits include human remains. The museum is part of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh whose history goes back to 1505, and is in a building opened in 1832. Admission charge.. (updated Mar 2024)
* 53.808056-1.5183338 Thackray Medical Museum, East Leeds. The best of its kind in the country, with all manner of exhibits and the chance to experience the life of a Victorian child or mill-worker (and their often gruesome medical history). Great for children. (updated Jan 2025)
* 51.5152-0.11599 Hunterian Museum, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London. Inside the Royal College of Surgeons. Exhibitions on the history of surgery, including medicine, natural history and art. The museum was established by John Hunter (1728-1793), the founder of scientific surgery. (updated Jan 2025)
* 51.505-0.088510 The Old Operating Theatre, London South Bank. Britain's oldest operating theatre is an unusual tourist attraction, located in the roof space of St. Thomas's Church along with the herb store originally used by St. Thomas's Hospital's apothecary. (updated Jan 2025)
* 51.517222-0.17305611 Alexander Fleming Laboratory Museum, London Paddington. The laboratory in which Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in 1928. (updated Jan 2025)

## See also

* Golden age of modern physics for X-rays, radiotherapy, and the dangers of radioactivity
* Nobel tourism