diamond geezer

 Thursday, August 20, 2009

OLONDON A-Z
An alphabetical journey through the capital's museums
Old Operating Theatre

Location: 9a St Thomas's St, SE1 9RY [map]
Open: 10:30am - 5pm
Admission: £5.60
Brief summary: Victorian amputation garret
Website: www.thegarret.org.uk
Time to set aside: up to an hour

Old Operating TheatreSt Thomas's Hospital hasn't always been on the banks of the Thames opposite the Houses of Parliament. It arrived there 150 years ago from the area just south of London Bridge, selling up to make way for a new mainline rail terminus. The hospital's existing facilities were either transferred or demolished, except for one section that was entirely overlooked. High in the roofspace above a neighbouring church, two rooms were locked and abandoned and forgotten. One was an apothecary's garret, and the other was the female wing's operating theatre. A century later they were both rediscovered, and later lovingly restored, and now 21st century Londoners can take a look back into squeamish medical history.

You're looking for a church tower near the top of Borough High Street, SE1. Entrance is via the front porch up a surprisingly twirly spiral staircase. You'll emerge in the museum's shop above the porch (small, but intriguingly stocked), then progress into the exhibition space proper. Don't be expecting something huge - this is a church roof after all - but there's plenty of old medical stuff stuffed inside.

Herb GarretRoom one is dark and atticky, and used to be where the apothecary stirred up salves and lotions. This is the Herb Garret, more than 300 years old, and it's laid out with exhibition cases intermingled with bowls of crushed plantlife. You can tell you're somewhere clinical by the green glass bottles, and the leech is a dead giveaway that this is old school medicine. Where else in London is there a "history of the syringe", or indeed the explanation that suppositories used to be made from cocoa butter to help them melt away more easily? A variety of stuffed animals (and animal bits) are on show to educate visitors about some of the more unusual cures, although herbal solutions were far more common. Our ancestors were far more plantly-wise than the current pill-popping generation, and would think nothing of taking elderflower or willowbark in the absence of tamiflu or aspirin.

An adjoining corridor contains a selection of 19th century surgical instruments. This being adjacent to a ladies' ward there's a varied collection of forceps (ulp), and also some intimate tools that'll make your eyes water. Lithotomy (the removal of bladder stones) was one of the more common operations performed here, without incision, so there was only one way those pebbly interlopers were being squeezed out. Don't even think about it, move on.

Old Operating TheatreThe remaining room is the old operating theatre itself. More an amphitheatre really, with horseshoe terraces surrounding the central space beneath the skylight. A lot of medical students used to attend to observe the operations, this being a teaching hospital, and the (mostly destitute) patients had no cause to complain because they were getting their treatment for free. Don't expect gleaming surfaces, the room had a wooden floor because nobody at the time knew any better. Professional surgeons might have worn a special jacket to keep the blood off, but hygiene was still several years from attaining importance. If the patient died they died, and at least someone had had a go at trying to save them.

Attend at two o'clock on a Saturday afternoon and there's an added treat - a surgical demonstration on the Old Operating Theatre's old operating table. It's an amputation, of course, this being another unpleasantly common mid 19th-century operation. Any compound fracture back then inevitably led to infection, gangrene and death, so chopping off the afflicted limb gave the accident-prone patient the best chance of success. Stick your hand up when asked and you too could volunteer to lie back and lose a bit of yourself. The best doctors at the time could whip your leg off in less than 30 seconds (see this saw, it is very sharp isn't it, imagine that cutting through you six times, that's all it took). There'd be students holding you down in lieu of anaesthetic, and a gag in your mouth to ensure you didn't disturb any church services down below. No such agonies today (and smile, today's volunteers also get a commemorative badge for their services).

You'll leave the museum with some of idea of why life expectancy has increased over the years, and with renewed respect for generations of medical and nursing staff. Our much-loved NHS may have its roots in philanthropic hospitals like St Thomas's, but that doesn't mean you'd ever want to have been operated on here. So try not to stumble on the spiral staircase back down to the street, because there's a lady upstairs with an amputation kit and she knows how to use it.
by tube: London Bridge

O is also for...
» Old Royal Naval College (Greenwich)
» Optical Association Museum (by appointment only)
» Osterley Park (National Trust)
» Orleans House Gallery (out Richmond way)


<< click for Newer posts

click for Older Posts >>


click to return to the main page


...or read more in my monthly archives
Jan24  Feb24  Mar24
Jan23  Feb23  Mar23  Apr23  May23  Jun23  Jul23  Aug23  Sep23  Oct23  Nov23  Dec23
Jan22  Feb22  Mar22  Apr22  May22  Jun22  Jul22  Aug22  Sep22  Oct22  Nov22  Dec22
Jan21  Feb21  Mar21  Apr21  May21  Jun21  Jul21  Aug21  Sep21  Oct21  Nov21  Dec21
Jan20  Feb20  Mar20  Apr20  May20  Jun20  Jul20  Aug20  Sep20  Oct20  Nov20  Dec20
Jan19  Feb19  Mar19  Apr19  May19  Jun19  Jul19  Aug19  Sep19  Oct19  Nov19  Dec19
Jan18  Feb18  Mar18  Apr18  May18  Jun18  Jul18  Aug18  Sep18  Oct18  Nov18  Dec18
Jan17  Feb17  Mar17  Apr17  May17  Jun17  Jul17  Aug17  Sep17  Oct17  Nov17  Dec17
Jan16  Feb16  Mar16  Apr16  May16  Jun16  Jul16  Aug16  Sep16  Oct16  Nov16  Dec16
Jan15  Feb15  Mar15  Apr15  May15  Jun15  Jul15  Aug15  Sep15  Oct15  Nov15  Dec15
Jan14  Feb14  Mar14  Apr14  May14  Jun14  Jul14  Aug14  Sep14  Oct14  Nov14  Dec14
Jan13  Feb13  Mar13  Apr13  May13  Jun13  Jul13  Aug13  Sep13  Oct13  Nov13  Dec13
Jan12  Feb12  Mar12  Apr12  May12  Jun12  Jul12  Aug12  Sep12  Oct12  Nov12  Dec12
Jan11  Feb11  Mar11  Apr11  May11  Jun11  Jul11  Aug11  Sep11  Oct11  Nov11  Dec11
Jan10  Feb10  Mar10  Apr10  May10  Jun10  Jul10  Aug10  Sep10  Oct10  Nov10  Dec10 
Jan09  Feb09  Mar09  Apr09  May09  Jun09  Jul09  Aug09  Sep09  Oct09  Nov09  Dec09
Jan08  Feb08  Mar08  Apr08  May08  Jun08  Jul08  Aug08  Sep08  Oct08  Nov08  Dec08
Jan07  Feb07  Mar07  Apr07  May07  Jun07  Jul07  Aug07  Sep07  Oct07  Nov07  Dec07
Jan06  Feb06  Mar06  Apr06  May06  Jun06  Jul06  Aug06  Sep06  Oct06  Nov06  Dec06
Jan05  Feb05  Mar05  Apr05  May05  Jun05  Jul05  Aug05  Sep05  Oct05  Nov05  Dec05
Jan04  Feb04  Mar04  Apr04  May04  Jun04  Jul04  Aug04  Sep04  Oct04  Nov04  Dec04
Jan03  Feb03  Mar03  Apr03  May03  Jun03  Jul03  Aug03  Sep03  Oct03  Nov03  Dec03
 Jan02  Feb02  Mar02  Apr02  May02  Jun02  Jul02 Aug02  Sep02  Oct02  Nov02  Dec02 

jack of diamonds
Life viewed from London E3

» email me
» follow me on twitter
» follow the blog on Twitter
» follow the blog on RSS

» my flickr photostream

twenty blogs
our bow
arseblog
ian visits
londonist
broken tv
blue witch
on london
the great wen
edith's streets
spitalfields life
linkmachinego
round the island
wanstead meteo
christopher fowler
the greenwich wire
bus and train user
ruth's coastal walk
round the rails we go
london reconnections
from the murky depths

quick reference features
Things to do in Outer London
Things to do outside London
Inner London toilet map
20 years of blog series
The DG Tour of Britain
London's most...

read the archive
Mar24  Feb24  Jan24
Dec23  Nov23  Oct23  Sep23
Aug23  Jul23  Jun23  May23
Apr23  Mar23  Feb23  Jan23
Dec22  Nov22  Oct22  Sep22
Aug22  Jul22  Jun22  May22
Apr22  Mar22  Feb22  Jan22
Dec21  Nov21  Oct21  Sep21
Aug21  Jul21  Jun21  May21
Apr21  Mar21  Feb21  Jan21
Dec20  Nov20  Oct20  Sep20
Aug20  Jul20  Jun20  May20
Apr20  Mar20  Feb20  Jan20
Dec19  Nov19  Oct19  Sep19
Aug19  Jul19  Jun19  May19
Apr19  Mar19  Feb19  Jan19
Dec18  Nov18  Oct18  Sep18
Aug18  Jul18  Jun18  May18
Apr18  Mar18  Feb18  Jan18
Dec17  Nov17  Oct17  Sep17
Aug17  Jul17  Jun17  May17
Apr17  Mar17  Feb17  Jan17
Dec16  Nov16  Oct16  Sep16
Aug16  Jul16  Jun16  May16
Apr16  Mar16  Feb16  Jan16
Dec15  Nov15  Oct15  Sep15
Aug15  Jul15  Jun15  May15
Apr15  Mar15  Feb15  Jan15
Dec14  Nov14  Oct14  Sep14
Aug14  Jul14  Jun14  May14
Apr14  Mar14  Feb14  Jan14
Dec13  Nov13  Oct13  Sep13
Aug13  Jul13  Jun13  May13
Apr13  Mar13  Feb13  Jan13
Dec12  Nov12  Oct12  Sep12
Aug12  Jul12  Jun12  May12
Apr12  Mar12  Feb12  Jan12
Dec11  Nov11  Oct11  Sep11
Aug11  Jul11  Jun11  May11
Apr11  Mar11  Feb11  Jan11
Dec10  Nov10  Oct10  Sep10
Aug10  Jul10  Jun10  May10
Apr10  Mar10  Feb10  Jan10
Dec09  Nov09  Oct09  Sep09
Aug09  Jul09  Jun09  May09
Apr09  Mar09  Feb09  Jan09
Dec08  Nov08  Oct08  Sep08
Aug08  Jul08  Jun08  May08
Apr08  Mar08  Feb08  Jan08
Dec07  Nov07  Oct07  Sep07
Aug07  Jul07  Jun07  May07
Apr07  Mar07  Feb07  Jan07
Dec06  Nov06  Oct06  Sep06
Aug06  Jul06  Jun06  May06
Apr06  Mar06  Feb06  Jan06
Dec05  Nov05  Oct05  Sep05
Aug05  Jul05  Jun05  May05
Apr05  Mar05  Feb05  Jan05
Dec04  Nov04  Oct04  Sep04
Aug04  Jul04  Jun04  May04
Apr04  Mar04  Feb04  Jan04
Dec03  Nov03  Oct03  Sep03
Aug03  Jul03  Jun03  May03
Apr03  Mar03  Feb03  Jan03
Dec02  Nov02  Oct02  Sep02
back to main page

the diamond geezer index
2023 2022
2021 2020 2019 2018 2017
2016 2015 2014 2013 2012
2011 2010 2009 2008 2007
2006 2005 2004 2003 2002

my special London features
a-z of london museums
E3 - local history month
greenwich meridian (N)
greenwich meridian (S)
the real eastenders
london's lost rivers
olympic park 2007
great british roads
oranges & lemons
random boroughs
bow road station
high street 2012
river westbourne
trafalgar square
capital numbers
east london line
lea valley walk
olympics 2005
regent's canal
square routes
silver jubilee
unlost rivers
cube routes
Herbert Dip
metro-land
capital ring
river fleet
piccadilly
bakerloo

ten of my favourite posts
the seven ages of blog
my new Z470xi mobile
five equations of blog
the dome of doom
chemical attraction
quality & risk
london 2102
single life
boredom
april fool

ten sets of lovely photos
my "most interesting" photos
london 2012 olympic zone
harris and the hebrides
betjeman's metro-land
marking the meridian
tracing the river fleet
london's lost rivers
inside the gherkin
seven sisters
iceland

just surfed in?
here's where to find...
diamond geezers
flash mob #1  #2  #3  #4
ben schott's miscellany
london underground
watch with mother
cigarette warnings
digital time delay
wheelie suitcases
war of the worlds
transit of venus
top of the pops
old buckenham
ladybird books
acorn antiques
digital watches
outer hebrides
olympics 2012
school dinners
pet shop boys
west wycombe
bletchley park
george orwell
big breakfast
clapton pond
san francisco
thunderbirds
routemaster
children's tv
east enders
trunk roads
amsterdam
little britain
credit cards
jury service
big brother
jubilee line
number 1s
titan arum
typewriters
doctor who
coronation
comments
blue peter
matchgirls
hurricanes
buzzwords
brookside
monopoly
peter pan
starbucks
feng shui
leap year
manbags
bbc three
vision on
piccadilly
meridian
concorde
wembley
islington
ID cards
bedtime
freeview
beckton
blogads
eclipses
letraset
arsenal
sitcoms
gherkin
calories
everest
muffins
sudoku
camilla
london
ceefax
robbie
becks
dome
BBC2
paris
lotto
118
itv