Exploring art & medicine - at The Old Operating Theatre

The Old Operating Theatre is upstairs of a church, open to the public, and doesn't disallow photos. And it's full of quirky things - quite a change from the pathology museums of past weeks, and a good finale to the course.

At the entrance

I tucked right in to an artificial leg from early last century - lots of straps and buckles -

The notes are from the lecture in the theatre itself, during which curator Karen passed around some 19th century, pre-anaesthesia instruments used for removing bladder stones and demonstrated the need to be quick in amputation -

In a cupboard, a bandage winding machine -

In the museum, sections of bladder stones -

... and those fearsome tools (different shapes for men and women) -

Elsewhere, less frightening things -

Couldn't resist the "Maggot Wash" packet in the case; on the left is early anaesthetic equipment -

Morandi would like this grouping of bottles -

On the right, a child's cot, into which a small girl placed her doll, and insisted it needed to be left there; now it's been joined by a small teddy and children rearrange them in the bed -

 Miscellaneous bottles, and a set of cupping equipment -

It was interesting to see how the others' drawings had developed throughout the course - mine didn't develop, I felt ... I was floundering around in terms of subjects and approach, though being confined to using a pen did help.

It would be a good course to do again, either choosing new subjects or revisiting the same ones, and building on the work done so far. I'd like to get beyond worrying about "technique" or accuracy and start to be able to communicate what the objects are saying to me.