BrightMed Out and About: London!

London!

The Hunterian Museum!

 

Wonderful drawing of myself made by Pedro Moreira. (http://galonth2000.deviantart.com/)

Note: if you'd like to learn any more information about the key objects given, then check out the link under their photo! 

 I was greeted by this beautiful display of the disected human body's veins on a wooden board, as soon as I entered the exhibit. This one of four boards was prepared by Giovanni Leoni d'Este in 1645-1646. Now owned by the British Museum, the board was described to contain: "Dried human tissue adhering to a flat wooden board made of planed pine planks butted and glued together. The board and tissue have been treated with several layers of varnish made from animal and plant materials."

Further information: http://surgicat.rcseng.ac.uk/Details/collect/10204

 Next on my list of top sights to see,  was the 7"7 skeleton of Charles Byrne (1761-1783). Mr Byrne suffered from gigantism caused by a pituitary tumour, and hence was named "The Irish Giant".

An extract from SurgiCat says that:

It is now known that Byrne’s skeleton shows evidence of pituitary giantism, in which excessive growth is accompanied by a delay in the onset of puberty. Pituitary giantism is caused by over-production of growth hormone from the pituitary gland in the base of the skull. Growth after puberty leads to acromegaly, in which bones become thicker rather than longer. In 1891 the physiologist Daniel Cunningham (1850-1909) suggested Byrne suffered from acromegaly. In 1909 the American neurologist Harvey Cushing (1869-1939) persuaded Arthur Keith to examine the inside of Byrne’s skull. As Cushing had expected, Keith found that the pituitary fossa (the cavity in which the pituitary gland sits) was enlarged, proving the existence of a tumour

 

The Queen viewing the skeleton

 There has been a lot of controversy however, as the museum was told to obey Mr Byrne's dying wish; to be buried at sea. Read more about this here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2077392/London-museum-told-stop-displaying-skeleton-Charles-Byrne.html

Next to this statue lies the next artefact I wish to bring your attention to: a 39 year old man named Mr Jeffs who suffered from a rare disease of the connective tissue called "fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva". 

According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine:

"Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP) is a disorder in which muscle tissue and connective tissue such as tendons and ligaments are gradually replaced by bone (ossified), forming bone outside the skeleton (extra-skeletal or heterotopic bone) that constrains movement."

Further information: http://surgicat.rcseng.ac.uk/Details/collect/5495

The next object was a salivary adenoma that was removed from Mr John Burley's neck, at age 37, by John Hunter. The tumour itself weighed over 4kg and took 25 minutes to remove. Impressive!

Further information: http://surgicat.rcseng.ac.uk/Details/collect/4838

After this, I was introduced to the "LifePort" Kidney Transporter where it carries the organ at cold temperatures, of +4°C. Organ-recovery.com describes the LifePort as:

"The LifePort Kidney Transporter provides a sealed, sterile environment where a specially formulated physiologic solution is gently pumped through the kidney at cold temperatures to minimize tissue damage while the organ is being preserved outside the body. LifePort Kidney Transporter is lightweight and portable allowing an organ to be perfused from time of recovery until transplantation. It is designed to travel unaccompanied by land or air, safely transporting the kidney across town or between countries. While the kidney is being perfused, LifePort Kidney Transporter records data on temperature, flow rate, vascular resistance and pressure every 10 seconds, offering clinicians important additional data."

I was particularly fascinated by the next display, which showed A-ke, a Chinese man who had a parasitic twin in the thoracic region. This model commissioned by John Livingstone from memory has been under dispute, as it's note entirely accurate. Livingstone even wrote that "‘it represents the roundness of infancy [which] has disappeared from the original’.".

 

Further information: http://surgicat.rcseng.ac.uk/Details/collect/43177

 Next, a neurosurgical instrument used to carry out trepanation - drilling into the skull. Apparently used like a pair of compasses, the instrument displayed is damaged.

 

Detail from The Extraction of the Stone of Madness, a painting by Hieronymus Bosch depicting trepanation (c.1488–1516).

The next jar shows a part of the spleen's surface which had calcified tissue, which was "likely to have resulted from chronic inflammation of the adjacent peritoneum due to tuberculous peritonitis". 

Peritonitis is a widespread abdominal infection. 

Further information: http://surgicat.rcseng.ac.uk/Details/collect/4302

 I also learnt a few terms:

Enterorrhaphy  - the suturing of sections of bowel together
Anastomosis - the connection of two vessels
Intussusception - where the bowel folds back on itself

As an example, here is a photo of a dog which suffered from a intussusception of the ilieum. 

Further information: http://surgicat.rcseng.ac.uk/Details/collect/4268

  Of course, there were so many more amazing and interesting artefacts, but these were some that I noted down! 

The Wellcome Museum

We begin at Medicine Now!

First on my collection of photos, is "Palindrome" by Willian Cobbing. The Wellcome Collection describes it:

"Palindrome was inspired by a section in J G Ballard's 'The Atrocity Exhibition', in which a character imagines that "the bones of the pelvis may constitute the remains of a lost sacral skull". How does it make you feel?"

I loved their "Transparent Woman" which allowed you to push a button, which would light up the selected body part! I wouldn't mind having that as a feature in my home!

How about John Isaac's sculpture named "I Can't Help the Way I feel" bring to light our body perception, and how someone might view themself.

Source: https://wellcomecollection.org/selection-objects-0/?image=1

 I just have to include the body slice which is a plastinated body specimen, which was vacuumed to be replaced with plastics. It's absolutely beautiful.

Our bodies are made of 70% water

Source: https://wellcomecollection.org/selection-objects-0/?image=3

This collection is absolutely insane! The Genome project, translated into hundreds of volumes is right here in the Wellcome collection!

 I also went to see the Medicine Man collection!

Just check out this: Charles Darwin's walking stick!

 And that's the end of my journey!

There's so many more sights to see, you need to check it out!

- Geeker