Ground Floor: The pioneers of modern surgery
The tour continues into the central exhibition room of the museum with a large step forward into modern times, where the focus is on the development of medicine at the end of the 19th century under the ground-breaking influence of asepsis, anaesthetics and radiography. These new techniques pathed the way for modern surgery and also contributed to Aesculap's breakthrough.
A "walk-around" operation scenario simulating an abdominal surgical intervention set in an auditorium of the period demonstrates the importance of anaesthetics and sterile instrument preparation. Two interactive enquiry screens provide comprehensive information on these topics.
Finally a field hospital scene illustrates how a leg amputation may have been carried out during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870/71. Against this backdrop, selected military instrumentation sets from the Aesculap collection are exhibited, and these undoubtedly rank among the most important exhibits in medical and cultural history terms. They offer the viewer a fascinating insight into the now almost forgotten origins of invasive surgery.
