Questionable Quackery at Thackray Museum of Medicine
Shekina Rose, Families EditorBook now
Questionable Quackery
Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.
This September, people aged 12 and up are invited to visit Thackray Museum of Medicine to explore a fascinating part of medicinal history. Set against the atmospheric backdrop of Thackray’s fascinating Victorian Operating Theatre, Questionable Quackery at Thackray Museum invites you to step inside the dark, deceptive world of ‘quackery’ (and by the way, this has nothing to do with ducks), as you travel right back to the quack doctor origins and explore the most daft and downright dangerous ‘cures’ of the past 300 years.
Welcome to the world of quack doctors. They wore stethoscopes, waved bottles of miracle cure-alls, and cheerfully sold ‘nerve tonics’ that promised to banish insomnia and melancholy, amongst other maladies. But these ‘doctors’ were crooks and charlatans who made false claims and cashed in on human desperation. Some of their concoctions were absolutely useless, others were completely dangerous – either way, most patients were left poorer, sicker, or worse!
The talk lasts 40 minutes (followed by 20 for your own questions and close encounters with curious historical objects). In this time you’ll find out about some of the most notorious potions and pills ever made and some of the terrible people who supplied them.
Got a whole day to ‘kill’? The best bit is that your ticket includes free admission to the museum galleries for the day, so you can balance your dose of dangerous remedies with some wholesome exploration – and there’s loads to see in this brilliant museum that is all about medicine and extremely fun!
This talk is for people aged 12 and up. Even teenagers (even the grumpy ones) will love it. Warning – this is not one for the fainthearted!
