Museum of Health Care facts for kids
Museum of Health Care at Kingston main entrance.
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| Established | 1904 (as the Ann Baillie nursing student residence) 1995 (as the Museum of Health Care) |
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| Location | 32 George Street, Kingston, Ontario, Canada |
| Collection size | 35,000+ artefacts |
| Designated: | 1997 |
The Museum of Health Care is a special place in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. It's located in the Ann Baillie Building right on the Kingston General Hospital site. This museum explores the history of medicine and health care from the 1700s all the way to today. You can even search its amazing collection of items and research online!
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Discover the Ann Baillie Building
The Ann Baillie Building is a beautiful old building made of limestone. It was built in 1904 in a style called Beaux-Arts. This building is a National Historic Site of Canada. It helps us remember the important history of how nurses were trained in Canada.
A Home for Future Nurses
This building was first used as a home for 26 nursing students. They were studying at the Kingston General Hospital's School of Nursing. Before this building, nursing students lived inside the hospital. This was not ideal because it was often crowded and risky due to infectious diseases. The new building gave them a safe and proper place to live and study.
The School of Nursing closed in 1974. This happened because the Ontario government decided that nurses should be trained at colleges and universities instead. The Ann Baillie Building was later named after Ann Baillie. She was a graduate of the nursing school and its superintendent from 1924 to 1942. This grand building shows how nursing grew into a respected and vital profession in health care.
Today, the Ann Baillie Building is home to the Museum of Health Care. It also houses the Coalition of Canadian Healthcare Museums and Archives.
Explore the Museum of Health Care
In 1995, the Museum of Health Care moved into the Ann Baillie Building. It's the only museum in Canada that focuses only on the history of health and health care.
The museum has one of the largest collections of medical items in Canada. It holds over 35,000 objects and many old documents and photos. These items show how people have stayed healthy and dealt with sickness, pain, and suffering. The collection covers from the late 1700s to the present day. The museum helps visitors understand what life was like for people in the past. It also helps us think about health issues we face today.
Museum History and Mission
The idea for the Museum of Health Care started in 1988 with its founder, James Low. The museum officially began collecting items in 1991. It moved to its permanent home in the Ann Baillie Building in 1995. The museum is a non-profit group and a registered charity. Its main goal is to save and share the history of medicine and health care. This helps everyone better understand how health care has changed in Canada.
The museum collects, protects, studies, and displays items that tell these important stories. It also helps researchers who are studying the history of health care. You can find museum exhibits inside the Ann Baillie Building. There are also special "Outreach Galleries" in other health care centers in Kingston.
Amazing Collections and Artifacts
The Museum has a huge collection of artifacts and old documents. These items date from the 1700s to today. There are about 40,000 items in total!
The collection includes many different things. You can see surgical tools, laboratory instruments, and items used for patient care. Some of the biggest collections focus on topics like anesthesiology (how doctors make you sleep for surgery), renal dialysis (kidney treatment), orthopaedics (bone and joint care), cardiology (heart health), patent medicines (old-time remedies), nursing, and X-ray technology.
Here are some of the cool and important items you might see:
- A heart and lung machine from around 1958.
- The "Kingmed" dialysis machine from 1967. It was made at Kingston General Hospital and is the only one left!
- Many cardiac pacemakers from the 1950s to the 1990s.
- A collection of artificial body parts (prostheses) like hips, elbows, knees, and legs from 1920-1975.
- An iron lung built in 1937 during a polio outbreak. It's believed to be the last one left in Canada.
- A rare Waite & Bartlett electrostatic machine from about 1910. It was used for early X-rays and treatments.
- A special collection of medical moulages. These are wax models of body parts used for teaching, made in Kingston in the 1940s.
- A Microscope used by a famous scientist, Dr. James B. Collip.
- Over 750 Canadian nursing uniforms, photos, and other items from the 1880s to 2000.
- More than 2700 old drug containers and pharmacy items.
- A large collection about dental history. It includes old dental chairs, tools, and even a plaster cast of former Prime Minister John Diefenbaker’s teeth!
The museum also has both on-site and off-site exhibits. These shows focus on how medicine and health care have grown over time. You can also take a walking tour of the Kingston General Hospital National Historic Site of Canada. There's even an online tour with over 30,000 items you can explore!
Tours and Programs
The Museum of Health Care works with other groups like the CMA. They have also held special events for kids, like a "Teddy Bear Hospital."
You can find the latest information about the museum's guided tours and education programs on their website.
See also
