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Old Operating Theatre Museum, London

The Old Operating Theatre lies in the attic of what was once St Thomas's hospital chapel in Southwark. It is the last nineteenth century operating theatre to survive in Britain. It is possible that poet John Keats worked here during his time as a trainee surgeon at Guys and St Thomas's between 1809 and 1816.

Visiting the Operating Theatre, seeing the bare wooden table on the floor of the small amphitheatre space, really brings home how things have changed in medicine. Keats must have seen some terrible things in places like this. When he was working for the much admired surgeon Astley Cooper, he seemed to be able to cope with it. But the experience of assisting an incompetent surgeon named William Lucas probably helped drive Keats out of medicine and into his short but wonderful career as a poet.

A visit to the Old Operating Theatre brings home the ironies of our health and our perceptions of it. Medical care has progressed beyond all recognition. In Keats' day the only anaesthetic was alcohol, and amputations could be performed in less than a minute. Nevertheless the healthier we become, the more anxious we seem to become about our health. As Roy Porter says in The Greatest Benefit to Mankind "...though familiar and fatal diseases were disappearing the population seemed to be feeling worse. The number of self reported illness rose by one and a half times from 1928 - 1931according to one study." (P685) One way to immediately feel better is to visit the Old Operating Theatre.

The Herb Garret has also been recreated. This was a store of medicinal herbs looked after by the hospital apothecary.

Opening Times: 10.30am - 5pm everyday, except for the period 15th of December to the 5th of January.

Address: The Old Operating Theatre, Museum and Herb Garret, 9a St Thomas Street, London SE1 9RY

Directions: The Old Operating Theatre is in St Thomas's Street, just south of London Bridge, opposite Guys Hospital. The nearest Underground and mainline station is London Bridge. Click here for an interactive map centred on the Old Operating Theatre..

Access: Access for those with mobility problems is very difficult. A narrow spiral staircase is the only way to reach the operating theatre. Back in the days when the theatre was working it stood on roughly the same level as one of the main wards, and there was also a hoist. Nowadays it is more difficult to get to.

A Braille guide is available.

Contact:

telephone: 020 7188 2679

fax: 020 7378 8383

web site: http://www.thegarret.org.uk/oot.htm

e-mail: curator@thegarret.org.uk

 

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