Nearly every human being experiences pain at some point in life. “The Universal Condition” examines issues in the perception of pain and chronicle medicine’s quest to relieve it, from the ancient use of psychoactive plants to contemporary laser therapy, focusing on milestones such as the discovery of anesthesia. Case studies will provide an in-depth look at some common pain syndromes, explaining their causes and available treatments.
Featured in the exhibit are historical artifacts from the Museum’s extensive collection, including trephined skulls, 19th-century anesthesia inhalers, and packaging for patent medicines containing opium, cannabis, and belladonna. The exhibit also showcases products and innovations in use today for the control of acute and chronic pain.
View our online exhibition below!
Communication Breakdown: Expressing Pain
Pain as Energy Imbalance: Traditional Treatments
Mapping the Pathways of Pain
Materia Medica: Painkilling Plants
What Doesn’t Kill Us Makes Us Stronger
What a Gas!
From the Battlefield to the Operating Room
Moving Toward Modern Anesthesia
Suffering in Vain?
The Birth of the Pain Industry
Better Living Through Chemistry
Mind Over Matter
The Therapeutic Spectrum
Thank you to our sponsors who made this exhibit possible!
Benefactors
| Eli Lilly & Company |
Patrons
| American Society of Anesthesiologists |
| ENDO Pharmaceuticals |
| North American Medical |
| Solstice Neuroscience |
Donors
| American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) |
| American Medical Association |
| American Pain Society |
| American Sociey of Interventional Pain Physicians |
| Ameican Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) |
| Advanced Neuromodulation Systems (ANS) |
| American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) |
| Cerner |
| Elan Pharmaceuticals |
| RS Medical |
| Medtronic Neurological |
Supporters
| American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses |
| American Soc./Adv. of Anes. in Dentistry (ASAAD) |
| Cardinal Health |
Individuals
| J. William Rosenthal, MD (Board Member) |
| James R. Doty, MD |
| Sandra K Berger (Board Member) |
| Sheryl Bury-Michals (Board Member) |
| Advanced Pain Management |
| Interventional & Multi-Disciplinary Pain Management, PC |