NB! The exhibition has been taken down
Healthy mind in a healthy body
The exhibition has ended.
The exhibition "A Healthy Mind in a Healthy Body" presented developments in medical research, clinical medicine, psychiatry and public education in Norway over the last 150 years.
Photo: Norsk Teknisk Museum
Central to the narrative is the history of the major infectious diseases and their importance for understanding and combating disease. The exhibition also shows changes in the use of medical technology and the emergence of various medical professions.
New health risks emerged around the mid-19th century. Infectious diseases were widespread in the rapidly growing cities. Especially in poor areas, sanitary and hygienic conditions were unsatisfactory by today's standards.
Over the past 150 years, life expectancy for women has risen from 50 to 81 years.
During the 20th century, the field of medicine has grown in breadth and content. Relationships surrounding the individual patient, physician, and illness are part of large social contexts, managed by various authorities, professions, universities, and research institutions.
The exhibition included, among other things:
Davidson Pneumothorax Apparatus
An instrument for inducing artificial pneumatothorax (collapse of the lung). A new era in the fight against tuberculosis was ushered in in the early 20th century, when it became possible to identify the infected parts of the lung precisely. With the help of artificial pneumatothorax, which was first performed in 1895 by the Italian physician Carlo Forlanini (1847 – 1918), it became possible to close the cavities in the lung, thus inhibiting the spread of the bacteria.
"Iron Lung"
A tank respirator from the 1950s was used by polio patients, among others. Those whose respiratory muscles were paralyzed had to have help to keep their lungs functioning for a shorter or longer period of time. They could then lie inside the iron lung, where the pressure was regulated in such a way that the patient's chest rose and fell rhythmically and breathing was kept going.
Maren
No one knows who this woman was, but she is called Maren. She probably died in one of the cholera epidemics in Oslo in the 1850s. She was found by construction workers in the early 1900s, during excavations in what could be a hidden cholera cemetery. Her body is well preserved. Due to the lack of oxygen, her skin and fat have turned into a kind of wax.
