The Paul S. Russell, MD Museum of Medical History and Innovation

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For this portion of the final project, I chose to visit The Paul S. Russell, MD Museum of Medical History and Innovation, also referred to as "the front door" to Massachusetts General Hospital.  The relatively new museum opened its doors in April 2012 as a space to exhibit the nearly 200 years of history at MGH as well as the research, progress, contributions to medicine, and evolution of medical procedures that have taken place at the influential institution since its charter in 1811.  The building was designed by Jane Weinzapfel of the Boston architectural firm Leers Weinzapfel.  Its copper exterior serves as an homage to the copper dome of the Bulfinch Building, one of the oldest pieces of MGH's history.

The museum is named in honor of Paul S. Russell, MD, who was an influential transplant surgeon and chair of the Massachusetts General History Committee.  Throughout his career, Dr. Russell searched as chief of surgery, established the Boston Interhospital Organ Bank, served director of the Mass General Transplantation Unit, as well as professor at Harvard Medical School.  Russell saw the importance of documenting and making available MGH's contributions to the field of Medicine saying, "There is so much to tell and a great sweep of interest--not only on the clinical side, but also on the research and community side--specifically around how the hospital has continued its tradition of caring for its neighbors, which today can mean in our community or around the world."

As for the museum's contributions to the community, it not only gives patrons insight into the changes in medical professions and procedures in the last two centuries, but it also provides an aesthetically pleasing modern structure that literally is a front door to the MGH campus, as mentioned above.  Its pleasing copper exterior and large glass windows are a warmer and more welcoming facade that juxtaposes the colder, gray towering structures that make up the Mass General Hospital buildings. According to the Boston Globe, the museum and its rooftop garden serve to "provide respite from the surrounding bustle" for the "weary visitor or anxious patient".  Despite being a cold and windy day in mid-March, I found the roof space to be calming, beautiful, and serene, a nice way to end my visit at the museum.  Admission to the museum is free, and tours and information are enthusiastically offered by helpful volunteer docents.

Rooftop Garden. Image by Melissa W. 

The first floor of the museum houses a variety of exhibits ranging from antique surgical equipment, to interactive displays showcasing current innovations and research at MGH.  There are plenty of touch screen displays that are both engaging and easy to understand which aim to educate patrons on various aspects of medicine such as how patients are diagnosed, the history of treatments, differences between a normal, healthy functioning organ and one that has been plagued with maladies such as alzheimer's.  Scattered throughout the exhibits are various slides and images taken from cat scans and microscopes to show patrons the intricacies of sicknesses and disease.  Patrons can even learn how to diagnose like a professional!

Ether Inhaler. Image by Melissa W. 

The antique surgical tools are plentiful and successfully reveal the dramatic advancements in medicine that has taken place at MGH.  In addition, there are large, modern pieces of equipment on display that are currently being used in medical procedure such as a mammography unit, and even an example of an incubator manufactured using old car parts which are provided by medical teams serving poverty-stricken communities around the world. There is a rather large display of the evolution of anesthesia which includes vintage tools used to put a patient under, such as the first ether inhaler employed by MGH (left).  Other interesting medical tools include various amputation knives and saws, retractors, skull saws, an aneurysm ligature carrier--which eerily resembles a scythe, and bladder syringes.  Patrons no doubt feel a surge of shuddering pain while viewing these instruments as they imagine them being used on their own bodies.

The majority of the exhibits housed at The Paul S. Russell, MD Museum of Medical History are located on the bright and open high-ceilinged main floor.  The Putnam Gallery which makes up the second story of the building primarily hosts lectures which are held weekly and are free to the public, but the walls are covered in large oil portraits of prominent medical figures from MGH's history.  From there, patrons can climb the stairs or take the elevator to the rooftop garden.  Additionally as part of the museum, patrons are welcome to visit the Ether Dome located in the Bulfinch Building, the surgical amphitheater, which was the location of the first successful public surgery using ether as an anesthetic.

The museum's website also hosts the Massachusetts General Hospital Catalog of Art and Artifacts.  Included are hundreds of images and information on the museums medical equipment, memorabilia, instruments, paintings, and photographs, as only a fraction of the collection is on display.  While there is no explicit mission statement located on the museum's webpage, it can be assumed that this portion of the "About Us" page sums up the institution's mission,

The Paul S. Russell, MD Museum of Medical History and Innovation tells the rich story of Mass General through interactive media displays, artifacts and photographs. You can learn about the hospital's important contributions to the medical field and see how these discoveries and advancements have shaped the present – and how the hospital can continue to shape the future of medicine.

The Russell Museum is dedicated to drawing connections between innovations spanning a period of more than 200 years – from the hospital’s charter in 1811 to present day. We encourage you to visit us for an experience that will inform, inspire and engage.