The Surgeon’s Hall Museum in Ediburgh was an amazing experience to see how far science and technology have improved in the past few centuries. The Museum featured a history of surgery exhibition, which, as a pre-med student, was one of my most interesting endeavors on our trip. The exhibit featured tools and techniques used in surgery over the past several centuries. Prior to this trip, I gave little thought to medical products and their innovation. I visited the museum during our last week, and it was perfect timing; I had already learned so much about biomedical engineering and design during the program, which made visiting the Museum in the last week the perfect way to cap my learning.
The tools and techniques used in the 17th century, and on, are utterly shocking to me. Surgery was performed without anesthesia, without antiseptics, and without clean tools. The Museum walked you through how surgery has evolved, from grave-robbing (which Scotland was notoriously known for) to learn the basis of human anatomy, to keyhole surgeries in the modern day. The Surgeon’s Museum was a great way to not only learn about human anatomy, but also perfect for applying biomedical engineering to healthcare. It helped me, a Biology major, learn more about how important biomedical engineering truly is for improving post-operation outcomes. I would definitely recommend visiting the museum to anyone in Edinburgh!