Museum of Medicine
School of Medicine, University of Crete

The Museum / About the Museum


The vision for a Museum of Medicine in Heraklion was developed in a broad perception of man and his relationship with Medicine and Health Sciences in general. The Museum of Medicine of Crete aspires to be an exemplary centre for the preservation, research and promotion of the History of Medicine, from antiquity to the present day.

The Museum's collections currently housed in the Medical School include hundreds of items such as, historical medical books, medical instruments and surgical tools, old medical equipment, medicinal vessels and related photographic material. These collections are not only of particular importance for the evolution of Medicine over the centuries, but also reflect the cultural level of the human societies to which they refer. In the ten Museum display cases, one can admire among other things, a traditional healing manual of the early 19th century and a handwritten guide for the preparation of medicines, the first apparatus for the administration of anaesthesia, surgical instruments of an equestrian physician, medical equipment and military campaign stitches from the Albanian front, pneumothorax apparatus used in sanatoriums, medical instruments of the prefectural medical officer of Spinalonga, as well as various kinds of vials with historically important pharmaceutical preparations of the previous century. Most of the exhibits are donations from the relatives of distinguished local health professionals, who had a major contribution to the evolution of medicine, pharmaceutics and health sciences in Crete, and other places, during the last century
The main areas of interest developed inside the Museum with multifaceted actions in a mutually supported and complementary way are the following: a) Places of healing in various time periods and the promotion of their special features (places & people), b) The human body, the senses and the brain, c) Medical instruments and technology, d) From herbs to medicines, e) Medicine, Arts & Letters

In the above context the following are included:
  • the use of the interactive visual exhibition that took place in 2011 with the support and cooperation of the Medical School and the Medical Association of Heraklion.
  • the organization of periodic exhibitions and other events promoting the connection between the man and the medical science, such as photography or painting exhibitions and events dedicated to the relationship of medicine with literature, cinema and music.
  • the educational, didactic and recreational character of the Museum in the ancient Greek sense of the term museum. The organization of educational visits and educational programs for primary and secondary school students are at the heart of the Museum's activities. An innovative element is the instruction of the course Medical Humanities inside the Museum, within the framework of the undergraduate studies program of the Medical School, which acts as a bridge between Medicine and Humanities.


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.

Contact
2810 39 4810
museummed@med.uoc.gr
10:00 - 14:00 daily

School of Medicine
University of Crete
2208 ΤΚ 71003
Voutes, Heraklion Crete, GR