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This picture from 1899 of the Omaha Medical College is one of many that can be seen in a Durham Western Heritage Museum display commemorating the UNMC College of Medicine’s 125th Anniversary. |
The display shows the college as it grew from its 1881 inception as a private medical school to its current status as a state-of-the-art training ground for medical professionals.
The photos also show how medical and science education have evolved in the last 125 years.
“I think it’s a really fun look at medicine and early Omaha,” said Robert Wigton, M.D., an associate dean in the College of Medicine who helped organize the display. “Things were done so differently. It gives you some insight into the teaching that was taking place.”
For example, Dr. Wigton said, some photos show past professors demonstrating surgical and clinical procedures on live patients in front of entire classrooms full of students — a practice that has long since been discontinued.
The photos also show how Omaha’s medical community moved from downtown to the west as the population grew, Dr. Wigton said.
Some former College of Medicine students will visit the display today as part of the college’s Alumni Day festivities.
The display will be at the museum until April 29.
UNMC employees and students who show valid university identification get free admission to the museum, which sits at 801 S. 10th St.
The Durham Western Heritage Museum’s hours are Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
The museum is closed on Mondays and major holidays.
For more information call 444-5071 or visit the museum’s Web site at www.dwhm.org.