Welcome To The Curios

The Curios have been gathered from near and far. They may be common-as-muck or one-of-a-kind. They may be worth a pretty penny or a dime-a-dozen. They may be horrifying, captivating, loathsome, or scintillating.

Whatever the cause of their creation, hopefully they bring enjoyment to someone out there.


20.6.10

The Old Operating Theatre Museum & Herb Garret (or: 'Leeches! Leeches!')

Just a few steps south of London Bridge is The Operating Theatre of Old St. Thomas's Hospital, also known as The Old Operating Theatre Museum and Herb Garret. The Museum offers a great up-close look at medical and surgical procedures from one of my favourite years: Yester*.

I loved this Museum; it was small, but absolutely filled to the brim with interesting oddities and curios. The staff were very nice and allowed us to take our time, and get really close to the exhibits and take an abundance of photos. In turn, I spent over £80 in the gift store, which is practically overflowing with fantastic books, some of which will be shared via The Curios at a later date, and various gewgaws, mostly skull-related.


A beautiful wrought iron skull hangs in the foyer of the building where you'll find the steep staircase to the Theatre.






I have an almost crippling phobia of needles, so this cabinet was particularly tough for me to photograph.









Methinks Pliny's telling fibs.





Ladies, you may wince and cross yourselves now.



Gents, now it's your turn.







There was a little play area with toys for the younger ones, should they get restless. It was dimly lit, and mildly eerie. Needless to say, I had to photograph it.













An early pill-making machine. I'd never considered the evolution of the pill delivery system before, so this was enlightening.






Your host, standing in the Operating Theatre, with guest.

The giftshop also has a wide array of postcards available, using displays from the Museum itself. Below are three I picked up.





* Gag courtesy of Ned Flanders.

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