International Museum of Surgical Science — Attraction in Chicago

The highs are high at this museum. Outside of the Mütter Museum in Philadelphia, the opportunities to see the history of scientific medical advancement are rare. In that sense, this museum is successful. The organization does a good (not great) job of putting history in perspective, and the collection of anatomical props, historic research books, and medical oddities is impressive. Those who are interested in the history of surgery will enjoy aspects of this museum.

That said…

The lows are LOW. This is a non-comprehensive list of grievances I have with this museum.

The framing of surgical history through the white male lens is staggeringly myopic. Mentions of cultures outside white, Western ones are few and far between. When acknowledged, it is short and superficial.

“Women in STEM!” is a very phrase you’ll see on newer placards throughout the building. While I applaud the institution for making the effort to acknowledge and celebrate the contributions of women in the field of medical research, the placards to which I refer are placed beside the old ones that consist of male-centric language. Because of this, the new ones feel hollow and patronizing. Instead of removing exhibit descriptors that focus on men only, the museum has added a “separate but equal” type of olive branch, instead of retooling dated material.

The only — and I mean the ONLY — space dedicated to speaking to systematic racism present throughout Western medical history in stuck in a 5-foot corner of the third floor. With so much content they could have worked with, it is extremely disappointing that a museum purporting to speaking to the history of surgery in this country fails to include the contributions of Black Americans in a meaningful way. For that matter, I found it tragically funny that the few mentions of the contributions from the former Islamic empire were praised for their importance while also never once giving any section of the museum to any specifics.

There were literally hundreds of descriptions missing from cases throughout the building. If you need a description, context or insight, you’re out of luck since there isn’t a docent working the floor. The lack of descriptions is amateurish and unprofessional, and I’m not going to call that anything different. A placard beneath a busy between floors three and four speaks to a man with gigantism (I think). It is long faded, and I don’t know is someone has never noticed this, or if they just don’t care.

The paintings are bad. They’re not good aesthetically, they’re apocryphal, and because they were all done by the same white man in the 1950s they all look the same.

The result of all this is a history museum stuck in the past. I am hopeful they do...

Incredibly informative museum. Wife and I visited while staying in Chicago in late June. The museum is worth the price of admission. Four stories of historical perspective and information, telling the long, twisty tale of the evolution of modern medicine science in our global society. As a person who was born with a uterus and has also endured a hysterectomy in recent years, I am grateful for how much medicine has improved in the last 100-200 years. Having said this, I am equally frustrated at how LITTLE medicine has changed with regard to how people assigned female at birth have been cared for. Regardless, this museum is a MUST visit for anyone interested in science and medicine or even just anyone who wants to gain some perspective on how we care for each other as humans. I was particularly struck with how early scientists and doctors who endeavored to use data and evidence were treated when they stepped outside of standard practice for their time. Of note were the doctors who advocated for CHANGE, only to be rebuked by their colleagues as being “mentally ill”, “incompetent”, or just unpopular because they wanted to try something new! An example being how an emphasis on cleanliness and good ventilation, e.g., hand-washing before surgeries and opening windows for the prevention of the 1918 influenza virus. At the time, the doctors who advocated for these stark changes to standard treatment were ostracized and ridiculed by their peers, only to their ideas confirmed and implemented years later after many of them had died and suffered for their advocacy. I cannot help but think about how N95 mask wearing and clean air ventilation improvements would help mitigate the spread of the common cold and Covid-19 variants but mainstream medicine continues to rebuke these solutions. History does in fact repeat itself. I can only hope that in 200-500 years, this museum will update include our current times and how...

I've lived in Chicago for over 25 years and didn't even know this place existed. My niece, a nursing student, came to visit and suggested we check out IMSS. It was fascinating! Don't be deceived by the outward appearance of size. This former home to Eleanor Robinson Countiss holds 4 floors of densely organized exhibits, including one about the history of the mansion and its former residents. Walking in I silently thought we would be there for an hour at the most. We left three hours later. The museum also makes known connections with another Chicago name, Dr. Max Thorek, who founded the International College of Surgeons with the museum's humble beginnings in the college's Hall of Fame. The history held here spans from ancient Egypt through to modern times. The exhibits are a bit old school with no real interactivity in the contemporary sense. But they are meticulously displayed, labeled, and maintained. Another significant surprise the the amount of art on display, from pencil drawings, to busts to larger-than-life sculptures, to wall-sized painting. Indeed, it makes sense as art -- particularly painting and drawing -- would have been the only way to depict surgical procedures prior to the ages of photography and video. All the art is breathtaking and surprisingly intimate. The gift shop is tiny -- a single, small room mostly taken up with a desk and some display cases. Nevertheless, the items for sale are clever and unique and will lighten your wallet significantly if you're not careful. This is a hidden gem in this city of excellent museums. Be sure to check out the museum's website where you'll find a lot of surprising information about the museum's art residency, NASA learning camps, internships, hosting events, alongside the usual info about exhibits, maps, etc. Whether you're into medicine and science or not, you'll find this a fascinating way to spend a couple hours on a...