The world of Medieval medicine is on offer for daring Whitehaven museum visitors.
From Saturday, visitors will be able to discover the often-gruesome cures used in Medieval England by five historic medical practitioners at The Beacon Museum.
The tales of the barber surgeon, an apothecary, the cunning woman, a religious figure and a physician showcase the archaic and diverse approaches to medical treatment in the Middle Ages.
The arrival of these healers marks the launch of the museum’s Medieval Medicine exhibition, which is a touring exhibition from The JORVIK Group of Attractions, operators of the award-winning JORVIK Viking Centre in York.
With a physician’s uroscopy wheel, an apothecary’s table and the barber surgeon’s tool chest, there’s plenty of ways to discover the methods practiced in Medieval times.
Visitors can learn more about disease, illness and treatment through three medieval skeletons on display, including one who shows signs of leprosy.
One individual is accompanied by a facial reconstruction, helping visitors understand about how they may have looked as the disease developed.
The exhibition also brings an exclusive short film, A Touch of Plague, written by Terry Deary – author of the Horrible Histories series.
Heather Holmes, customer and visitor experience manager at The Beacon Museum, said: “We are thrilled to have a JORVIK exhibition, once again, at the museum.
“Visitors can explore various historical medical practices, delve inside a barber surgeon’s tool chest or investigate a physician’s uroscopy wheel.
“The exhibition is family friendly and there’s activities on offer for everyone to enjoy.”
The exhibition runs from June 19 to September 5.
