The leg bone connected to the knee bone...

I am on maternity leave at the moment, but my day job is one that some would find very boring. To me it is interesting and I love the fact that I learn something new every day. Although my co-workers and I are not medically trained professionals we are expected to understand anatomy and medical terminology including the process of diseases and surgical procedures. Basically understand everything that you would see in a hospital medical record. I have come to realise that I find medical and surgical history fascinating. As a child I visited an exhibition called ‘Devils, Drugs and Doctors’. I was captivated. We went to see it as part of a school excursion and I remember dragging my parents to it later that week for another look.

About eight years ago (before my current position) I worked in medical records in a in a small country hospital. I once had to review some old birth records and there were some from way back in the 1920s when the hospital first opened.  Very fascinating but so sad at the same time. Each page contained limited detail but it was clear that a lot of mothers and babies never made it out of the hospital.  

I find it so intriguing how they used to treat disease and injury in the past compared to how we do today. How techniques and procedures have been fine tuned over the years or completely changed. How breakthroughs in medical science would have altered treatment. Read some of the old medical history stories and you will be thanking your maker that you live in this day and age – believe me. Scary stuff!!

If the patient can get himself into the position in the picture below then he has the best of both worlds - heat from the oven and ventilation from the window. Good luck with that!

Although most of my books are a look back into history the book in the pictures is one that I bought for a reasonable price at an antique shop a few years back. I think it was printed in about 1895 as this is the only date I can find on it. It just blows my mind. I have photographed some of the plates for you. It is titled ‘Home Handbook of Hygiene and Medicine’ by Kellogg and it is HUGE. Enjoy!

Interesting exercise apparatus

Diagram with pop up guts!

Love the old school desk.

Going my way?

A 'Shower Bath' can be easily made at home with a colander (apparently).