The philosophy of the Museum of Medicine is based on a broader understanding of the relationship between man and medicine, while its collections include hundreds of objects such as historical medical books, medical instruments and pharmaceutical utensils, photographs, etc. The main thematic axes that are developed in the spaces and among the multifaceted actions of the Museum are the following: a) The places of healing and the highlighting of their material and immaterial characteristics (places & people), b) The human body, the senses and the brain, c) Medical tools - technology, d) ) From Herbs to Medicines, e) Medicine & Letters – Arts. The educational programs derive their content from the above axes and together with the events for the general public constitute the main outreach arm of the Museum.
Places of healing
People, buildings and places in a linear relationship with historical time and with a perpetual goal of healing and health. A course from the early days of Minoan Medicine to the practice of Medical Science in Asclepieia, guesthouses of monasteries, Spitalia, Pananio Hospital, Spinalonga, sanatoriums and the first treatment centres to modern Hospitals. More
The human body, the senses and the brain
The architectural organization of the structure of the human body, from the anatomy of upright posture and gait to the plasticity of the brain, is at the center of the interest of modern man. The admiration for the achievements of human brain triggers the need for discovering its morphology. More
From herbs to medicines
Medicinal plants hold a special place in the history of cultures. The way of studying and exploiting plants over the centuries was based on the special relationship of man with nature, the biochemical interaction of humans and plants as well as the holding perceptions of health and disease. More
Medicine, arts & letters
Looking back at Homer's poetry and Thomas Mann's writing, observing the paintings of Rembrandt and Munch, watching Chekhov's plays and finally with the very recent comics in Medicine (graphic medicine), we find that disease and medicine are fundamental elements of Literature and Arts. Man’s perpetual struggle to prevail over finite and time is a point of intersection between Medicine and Art or Literature defining the relationship between them. Τhe fact that several physicians have been depicted in history as subjects of Art (in Literature or iconography) is rather secondary. More.
Instruments and medical technology
The form of a surgical tool helps us understand a culture and a time as much as the outcome of a battle, the history of papistry or an emperor’s signature. This is another reason to classify the history of medicine in the most emphatic way within the context of the history of culture. More.
Το Μουσείο Ιατρικής Κρήτης με την ψηφιακή αυτή έκδοση θέλει να προσφέρει ένα βήμα για να εκφραστούν απόψεις με αφορμή την εμπειρία του εγκλεισμού, του αναστοχασμού και της ελπίδας στo πλαίσιo της καταστροφικής πανδημίας που μας έτυχε να ζήσουμε από πρώτο χέρι, και που συνεχίζουμε να ζούμε. Διαβάστε το τεύχος με κλικ στην παραπάνω εικόνα (ανοίγει νέο παράθυρο)
Visit & accessibility policy: The Museum's premises are open to the public on working days 10am-2pm and during events. Entrance is free of charge. The Museum is housed in the Medical School of the University of Crete at the Vouton Campus. Visits by schools or organised groups of excursionists must be booked in advance. The Museum has a 30-seat lecture hall which can be used for events related to the subject of the Museum.
