The Hunterian Museum is one of the most remarkable public collections in London – there’s a great video with a quick tour, including having a go at keyhole surgery. Here are their exhibitions and public lectures for the first quarter of 2012. don’t miss Abnormal on perceptions of disability which is on until 14 January.
Exhibitions and Events at the Hunterian Museum January-March 2012
Tuesday 31 January-Saturday 4 February
Make it Better: Designing Out Medical Error
Qvist Gallery, Hunterian Museum.
Make It Better is an exhibition of designs for the clinical environment aimed at reducing medical error.
Mistakes made in healthcare can have huge human and financial costs. The design of much medical equipment and environments is outdated, confusing and can lead to errors. Patient safety is a complex issue that needs approaching from different viewpoints. A multidisciplinary team was brought together for three years to research medical error and involve front line clinical staff in developing new designs.
The results are a suite of research findings and innovative designs aimed at better supporting front line staff and reducing medical error at the bedside
Research undertaken by the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design, Royal College of Art and Imperial College, London..
Funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.
Free entry, no booking required. Open 10am-5pm.
Tuesday 14 February, 6-9pm
Love Bugs
Join the team from Science London for some infectiously good Valentine’s night fun. Craft your own cuddly bacteria that even Joseph Lister wouldn’t want to kill, learn about Lister’s loving wife Agnes and other less romantic stories from the archives; and find out more from our expertly entertaining speakers about the things that you wouldn’t want to catch from close contact.
£2 suggested donation, payable on the door – free face mask for every donation. No booking required.
Lister 2012: A series of lunchtime lectures celebrating the life of Sir Joseph Lister in the centenary of his death
Tuesday 21 February, 1pm
Lord Lister: the early years
Professor Harold Ellis
Considered by many as one of the greatest surgeons produced in the British Isles, Joseph Lister’s development of antiseptic surgery in the 1860’s – while still a young professor of Surgery in Glasgow – was based on careful experimental studies. He revolutionised surgical practice, heralding the dawn of modern surgery. Professor Harold Ellis examines the early influences on the man that created the surgeon.
Tuesday 6 March, 1pm
Carbolic, Casebook and Controversy
Sir Barry Jackson
Joseph Lister is famed for his introduction of antisepsis in surgery using carbolic acid. Using original manuscript material and paintings to be seen in the College, this illustrated lecture will describe how his epoch -making discovery was quickly adopted by country surgeons but either ignored or denied by London surgeons including Presidents of this College. The lecture will conclude with a surprise!
Tuesday 24 April, 1pm
Lister as a Pathologist
Professor Sir Roddy MacSween
Although he is most celebrated for his contribution to surgery, Joseph Lister was also an expert in pathology – the study of how disease affects the body. Leading pathologist Sir Roddy MacSween will discuss this aspect of Lister’s career in light of new research in the archives of the Royal College of Surgeons. Professor MacSween’s talk is lavishly illustrated with Lister’s watercolours and camera lucida images.
Lunchtime lecture tickets: £3. Booking is essential on 020 7869 6560.
Saturday 18 February, 11am-4pm
Auditory Anatomy
If the Hunterian Museum had a sound, what would it be? In this workshop, Performance Sound students from the Rose Bruford College of Theatre and Performance will introduce you to the techniques of sound recording, editing and mixing to create a short piece to be recorded in the museum.
All materials and equipment provided but participants will need to bring a packed lunch.
Free workshop for ages 14-16. Booking essential on 020 7869 6560 or museums@rcseng.ac.uk
Children attend unaccompanied but parents/guardians will be required to sign a consent form.