Small Museums, Singular Figures – Curating Medical Breakthroughs in Public Exhibitions
Keywords:
history of medicine; medical museums; Livets Museum; Pharmacy Museum; AIDS; medical humanitiesAbstract
This article investigates how three small, independent European medical museums use person-centred narratives to construct national and cultural understandings of medical innovation. Focusing on the Semmelweis Medical History Museum (Budapest), the Pharmacy Museum (Lisbon), and Livets Museum (Lund), it explores how biographical storytelling, object selection, and spatial design work together to produce emotionally engaging exhibitions that serve broader symbolic purposes. The study combines field research conducted between 2020 and 2025 with literature analysis, interpretive reading of exhibition strategies, and visual documentation.
The article identifies three main curatorial strategies shared across the museums: presenting scientific progress as a singular achievement; using the scientist as a synecdoche for national identity; and drawing on cultural memory to cre-ate local emotional resonance. In each case, a central historical figure – Ignaz Semmelweis, Maria Odette Santos Ferreira, or Nils Alwall – is positioned as both an innovator and a symbol of national values. The exhibitions frame their stories through emblematic objects and simplified narratives that foreground personal dedication while omitting scientific collaboration, failure, or international complexity.
These findings highlight how small medical museums operate not only as educational institutions but also as sites of memory and identity formation. They translate historical knowledge into accessible, emotionally powerful stories aligned with national narratives. The article concludes that while these strategies are effective in public engagement, they also reflect selective curatorial choices. It calls for future research on museums in underrepresented regions to further understand how biography and national identity are constructed in medical heritage displays.
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