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International Museum of Surgical Science

a division of the International College of Surgeons

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Plan Your Visit
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Get Involved
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1524 N. Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL 60610

1-312-642-6502

Monday - Friday 9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday - Sunday 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM

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Recent Posts

Entomotherapy: The Medical Use of Insects June 21, 2019
The Fabrication of Anatomy May 30, 2019
Namir Fearce announced as Summer-Fall 2019 Artist-in-Residence May 3, 2019
The Uncanny Space Between Networks, Interfaces and Bodies April 30, 2019
Patient Consent Over Time March 25, 2019

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“Homosexuality ‘isn't a weed that grows up among us,’ Col. Margarethe Cammermeyer says, sitting in her living room here overlooking Puget Sound. ‘It's part of society and always has been,' she continues, 'but unless all of us accept that, unless young gays know that they are accepted, they will continue to commit suicide in disproportionate numbers. They will continue to hurt themselves with substance abuse. That can't be what anyone wants.’” - Linda Mathews, “She Asks, She Tells”, The New York Times, May 16, 1996 . Cammermeyer started active duty as an Army nurse in 1963 when she volunteered to go to Vietnam. There, she ultimately became the head nurse of the neurosurgical intensive care unit. After Vietnam, she returned to the United States, got married and became pregnant with her first child. She was quickly forced into taking an involuntary discharge because military policy dictated that women with babies could not serve in active duty. However, when that policy was changed, she immediately started the paperwork to re-enlist. . Professionally, she was excelling, however personally she was struggling through marital unhappiness, divorce, and losing custody of her children. In 1988, Cammermeyer became chief nurse of the Washington State National Guard and met her future wife, Diane Divelbess. During a security interview to vet her as a candidate for the War College, she revealed her sexual orientation. “I said I was a lesbian, owning it out loud for the first time,” she said, “For me, it was a matter of honesty.” . On June 11, 1992, she was honorably discharged. Two years later, in June of 1994, it was ruled that her discharge and the ban on gays and lesbians serving in the military were unconstitutional. Cammermeyer returned to the National Guard and served as one of the few openly lgbt people in the U.S. military while the "don't ask don't tell" policy was in effect, until her retirement in 1997. We thank Col. Cammermeyer for having the bravery to serve her country, to come out under very difficult circumstances, and to live her life with intentional pride. . #IMSSchicago #chicago #museum #pridemonth #pride #lesbian #lgbt #army #nurse

#HappyPrideMonth! This entire week we’ll be posting pride related posts. . To kick it off, we want to remind everyone that we have awesome pride and trans flag anatomically correct heart pins and stickers from @anatomicalelement! . Shop now in-person or click the tagged products. . Use code PRIDE2019 for free shipping until Jun 30, 2019. . . . #IMSSchicago #chicago #museum #pride #lgbt #transgender #anatomicalheart #gift

Do you know who was the first documented surgeon to use anesthesia during surgery? Most people think that it was William T. G. Morton in 1846 when he painlessly removed a cyst from the neck of a patient. However, Dr. Seishu Hanaoka, a Japanese surgeon, used his own oral anesthetic to perform a breast lumpectomy in 1804. That is 42 years before Morton! . Using his knowledge of Chinese medicine Hanaoka created a narcotic which temporarily desensitized and paralyzed the patient, allowing him to perform more invasive surgery safely. In 1804, a 60-year-old woman came to Hanaoka with a breast tumor. Using his anesthesia, Hanaoka removed the tumor successfully! Word spread all throughout Japan about Hanaoka’s success and patients from all over the island traveled to see him It is documented that Hanaoka went on to do over 156 painless breast lumpectomies. Unfortunately, due to Japan’s isolationist policies, Hanaoka’s medical contemporaries in the rest of the world were unaware of his success. . Learn more about Hanaoka and his accomplishments at our Japan Hall of Fame exhibit on your next visit! . . . #IMSSchicago #Japan #surgery #anesthetic #Chicago #medicine #histmed #museum #history

The International Museum of Surgical Science pleased to announce the development of a new exhibit on heart health and surgery: Conquering Heart Disease. . We are funding this exhibition through individual donations, and hope you will support us. We’ve started a crowdfunding campaign through Kickstarter to bring this exhibit to life. Any donation helps, from $5 to $500. Your contribution through this online campaign also includes special benefits, such as name recognition for you or in honor of a loved one, a private tour or a copy of the exhibition catalog. . To contribute a donation to this exhibit, click the link in our bio. . Thank you for your support of the International Museum of Surgical Science! . . . #imsschicago #chicago #museum #kickstarter #donate #exhibition #heart #health #cardiology

The International Museum of Surgical Science presents three operatic performances of "The Priestess of Morphine: A Forensic Study of Marie-Madeleine in the Time of the Nazis," written by Aiden K. Feltkamp and composed by Rosśa Crean. . ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE: Marie-Madeleine was a German Jew, lesbian poet and novelist whose eroticism and love for morphine was revealed in many of her shocking, sensational, and bestselling books of the early twentieth century. Born Gertrud Günther, and starting at age 15 she wrote over 46 books until 1932 when Nazis condemned her work as degenerate. In 1943 she entered a sanatorium for morphine addiction where she died a mysterious death while under the care of Nazis doctors. Librettist Aiden K. Feltkamp and Composer Rosśa Crean tell Marie-Madeliene's story through musical and forensic means, bringing an honest and unconventional look at this indomitable woman's life and art. . June 28th at 7:00 pm June 29th at 7:00 pm June 30th at 5:00 pm . Performances are 40 minutues long. Doors open 30 minutes prior to the start of the performance. . Buy your tickets today! Member’s receive a half price discount at www.imss.org . . . #imsschicago #chicago #museum #opera #peformance #morphine #lesbian #lgbt #pride

These are horseshoe crabs! . These particular horseshoe crabs are only found on the East Coast of the United States and are highly prized for their baby-blue blood. Their blood contains amebocytes which are used to test the safety of medical instruments, drugs, and vaccines. The blood’s usefulness as well as the dwindling number of horseshoe crabs has driven up to the price of the blood to an estimated $60,000 per gallon. . . . #imsschicago #medicine #biology #horseshoecrab #marine #marinebiology #histmed #blood

International Museum of Surgical Science

International Museum of Surgical Science

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