I took advantage of being on annual leave in Crete to visit Medical Humanities colleagues Professor Ioannis Tsiaousis, Museum Director, Professor of Anatomy and colorectal consultant, and Dr Vassiliki Kampourelli, Classicist and curator, and to visit the Medical Museum at the University of Crete. You may remember, Vassiliki gave a great talk at our online seminar on stigma and death, so it was a real pleasure to meet up again and to consider what projects we might come up with.
The medical museum presents the tangible and intangible facets of medicine, illness and health through narratives themed by place, the body, technology, pharmaceuticals and the relationship between medicine and the arts. Located in Crete, the objects curated are from Crete and so reflect the lived lives of their use, rather than being exhibits separated from these. This creates a certain sense of touch, a haptic where the observer can intimately see and sense medical handling of patients and at the same time sympathise with the (often horrific) past experiences of patients. The students’ interest and the discussions that occur around such objects highlights the importance of this sort of engagement. It’s also fascinating how they sometimes easily diagnose symptoms represented perhaps by ancient statues, although at other times they tending to veer towards much more alarming interpretations. The technology section is a reminder of how quickly technology has advanced. There is a section on Spinalonga, the last leper colony in Europe and a unique focus in the collection. Fictionalised by Hislop in The Island, Spinalonga is an island and fortress in the North East of Crete not far from Elounda, worth visiting not least for its silences. Local engagement was critical in getting the museum to be known and families have donated medical equipment from long-dead relatives. A popular elective in Medical Humanities is hosted in the museum where Vassiliki curates and teaches, bringing Ancient Greek Drama into narrative medicine. Ioannis says they are looking to start a new course as the current one is so popular that completely over-subscribed by the best students year on year.
You can visit the museum website here: https://med.uoc.gr/en/museum-of-medicine/