In the Time of Smallpox

Discount for health workers in May

MONTREAL, May 2, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - As part of Canada Health Day and International Nursing Day, the Château Ramezay - Historic Site and Museum of Montréal is offering a 20% discount on regular admission to health and social service workers during the entire month of May.

Upon presentation of their employee cards, all members of the health network (nurses, pharmacists, physicians, orderlies, cafeteria managers, etc.) are eligible for this discount. It's a unique opportunity to learn more about the history of the medical profession and to admire objects used by the forerunners in the health field!

The exhibition In the Time of Smallpox explores various aspects of the "health care system" during the 17^th and 18^th centuries. It presents the private and public hygiene conditions as well as the places where the care was provided, various practitioners, basic medical theories and drug manufacturing methods. It also provides an overview of the development of public health and technological advances that led to modern medical practices.

To learn more, take a number! You will be paired up with a historical figure, like Governor de Ramezay, whose health woes you will assess as you move through the exhibition. You be the physician, apothecary and surgeon. Make a diagnosis based on the symptoms of your historical figure and prescribe the appropriate treatment. Can you tell the difference between an imbalance in phlegm or black bile? Which instrument will you choose to perform bloodletting?

In the Time of Smallpox brings together 250 objects, which are privileged witnesses of drastically different practices in bygone days. These relics are from various museums, including the Stewart Museum collections. From a trepanation kit to an enema syringe, chamber pot, clothes beater, forceps, apothecary's chest and virility belt, these obsolete objects will make you appreciate modern practices!

Thanks to a special collaboration with the Ville de Montréal and the Department of Anthropology of Université de Montréal, visitors will get a rare glimpse of bones from the cemetery of the first Notre-Dame church. These relics open a window into the lives of the first Montrealers and their ailments as well as the treatments and surgical procedures of the period.

Until November 11, 2012

280, Notre-Dame East
www.chateauramezay.qc.ca

Marie-Hélène Vendette
514 861-3708, extension 225
[email protected]