The Museum Of Medical History In Iowa Is Not For The Faint Of Heart

Inside the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, located in Iowa City, is the Medical Museum. You can find it on the 8th floor of the Colloton Pavilion near elevator F. It's open Saturday and Sunday from 1pm until 4pm and Monday through Friday from 8am until 5pm.

Visitors can enjoy "hands-on" activities that involve learning about the function and structure of the human body. They can also take a close look at many antique medical devices and tools. Traveling exhibits of medical artifacts make the Medical Museum at the U of I Hospital worth a visit, but some of the things they have on display are not for the faint of heart.

Desiccated human lung

Get up close and personal with all sorts of human body parts at this amazing medical museum.

This is a bucket of gallstones.

Where else can you see such a thing in Iowa other than a University owned medical museum?

The gallstones are part of a larger Pathology Exhibit.

The Pathology Display includes a section devoted to the human heart.

Tank respirator, or Iron Lung, used to treat early-stage Polio

Most patients needed only one or two weeks of confinement in an Iron Lung. During the early stages of Polio, when the virus paralyzed muscles in the chest, the Iron Lung was a life-saver.

An ancient pediatric gown

Kids today enjoy a much different experience with doctors than they did one hundred years ago.

Antique dental tools

A trip to the dentist isn't nearly as terrifying as it used to be.

This 1925 photo of the Dental Infirmary shows a configuration of patients that's very different from the quiet, private, and comfortable quarters dental patients enjoy, today.

Makes a trip to a present-day dentist seem a bit like a spa-experience, huh?

You can visit the Medical Museum galleries on the 8th floor to learn more about the college of dentistry's history.

Lipo Visuals

Ever wonder how much fat is in the foods we commonly consume? Lipo Visuals will help you really understand what you put in your body when you eat a Bean Burrito or a Taco Salad.

Antique wheelchair

This cane-bottom wheelchair doesn't look nearly as comfortable, or convenient, as the mobility devices we have available today.

An ancient pharmacy

Doctors treated many conditions and diseases with only a few different kinds of medications. Although the idea of treating illness with plant-derived medicines is documented throughout ancient history, we didn't have access to drugs in pill form until the late 1800's.

Amputation toolkit

This beautifully engraved saw and well-kept amputation kit, also know as an operation case, is thankfully no longer in use.

For those interested in medical history, the museum sponsors a fascinating lecture series related to their current exhibitions, medical and ethical issues, and the history of health care.

So what do you think of the U of I Hospitals and Clinics Medical Museum? Will you stop by for a visit?