Chicago flaunts its renowned museums. Between The Art Institute, The Field Museum and The Museum of Science and Industry, it’s easy to overlook the International Museum of Surgical Science located in a nondescript building that blends in with the condos and apartments of Lake Shore Drive. However, inside lies a surprising assortment of attention-grabbing artifacts all set to make you cringe.
The exhibits are a mishmash of medical artifacts: rusty tools, an iron lung and corrective eyewear from throughout the ages. As I glanced at the various clamps, drills and generally mean-looking devices, I couldn’t help but be grateful for the advent of anesthesia.
Apart from science-related and historical displays, the museum incorporates a surprising amount of art and culture into its exhibits. Reproductions of Rembrandt paintings and original works by contemporary artists supplement a room with sculptures of important figures in medicine, such as Hippocrates and Marie Curie. Movies are shown in the makeshift theatre (next up: the 1931 Frankenstein on Feb. 9) followed by discussions on the film’s use of medicine.
“The art is definitely an aspect of the medicine,” says Lynnea Smith, the special events and tour manager of the museum. “Our goal, in general, is to enrich peoples’ lives and enhance their knowledge of the history, development and advancement of surgery… not just through Western medicine but all throughout the world.”
The building was constructed as a mansion in 1917 and transformed into a museum in 1954. The four floors vary from spacious, marble-floored foyers to cozy parlors with fireplaces. The homey, inviting vibe starkly contrasts with the cases full of strange tools. It felt like walking through a house owned by that freaky guy from Saw rather than a museum.
There’s no denying the breadth of artifacts displayed. Objets d’art from Europe, Japan, Latin America and Canada have their own rooms, while Spain shares glory with the theatre.
The museum’s gift shop is just as pleasantly haphazard as the museum itself. The shop has a couple racks of postcards and books, a few t-shirts and a glass case with ties, pencils and pins. If you ever need adorable, plush toy representations of repulsive bacteria, parasites and diseases, this gift shop’s got you covered. (Actually, they were pretty cute.)
The jumble of history, science and art in the Museum of Surgical Science makes for a head-scratching experience. An aspiring doctor can learn a lot about surgery’s past. For those of us who aren’t medically inclined, a visit will undoubtedly spark meaningful conversation among you and your friends, such as, “What the hell were those enormous, saw-toothed forceps used for?”
Be sure to bring your WildCARD to get the student price ($5) and check out the “Anatomy in the Gallery” exhibit on the fourth floor. Who wouldn’t want to see what a gallbladder stone looks like?