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International Museum of Surgical Science
Established	1954
Location	1524 N. Lake Shore Dr.; Chicago, Illinois
Coordinates	41°54′37″N 87°37′36″W / 41.9103°N 87.6266°W
Type	Medical museum
Collection size	7000+ medical artifacts
Public transit access	Red Clark/Division; 155;
Website	www.imss.org

The International Museum of Surgical Science is a museum located in the Gold Coast neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. It is operated by The International College of Surgeons and features exhibits dealing with various aspects of Eastern and Western medicine. Dr. Max Thorek founded the International College of Surgeons (ICS) in 1935 and originally intended for the museum to highlight the many artifacts and manuscripts the college housed, but artifacts where later added strictly for the museums collection. The museum opened to the public on September 9, 1954.^[2] The museum's exhibits are displayed by theme or surgical discipline. Displays include photographs, paintings and drawings, sculpture, medical equipment, skeletons, medical specimens and historic artifacts. The library contains more than 5,000 rare medical texts.^[3]

The museum's mission states: "The museum's Mission is to enrich people’s lives by enhancing their appreciation and understanding of the history, development, and advances in surgery and related subjects in health and medicine."^[4]

The museum is housed in a 1917 mansion designed by Howard Van Doren Shaw as a replica of the Petit Trianon at Versailles. The house was originally built for Chicago socialite Eleanor Robinson Countiss Whiting who died in 1931. The Coutiss family where the sole owners of the house^[5] until the International College of Surgeons acquired the building in 1950.^[1] The house is 4 stories tall and houses 10,000 square feet of public gallarys^[4] that hold a number of permanent and temporary exhibits. The museums today also rents rooms out for weddings and parties.^[5]

In addition to displaying medical artifacts the museum owns, since 1998, hosted a number of contemporary art exhibitions in an effort to broaden its appeal to visitors.^[6] In 2010, visitor numbers were at 20,000 a year,^[7] by 2013 this had increased to between 25,000 and 30,000.^[6]

Artifacts and Exhibits

The museum houses over 7,000 artifacts medical artifacts and over 600 paintings, prints, and sculptures. Highlights of artifacts include:

Austrian amputation saw with reversible blade. (c. 1500)
original X-rays taken by radiology pioneer Emil Grubbé (c. 1910)
the Lindbergh perfusion pump, invented by the aviator Charles Lindbergh and surgeon Alexis Carrel. (1935)
Collection of trephined skulls from ancient Peru.
Portrait of Dr. Edward Jenner by John Russell. (1790)
Plaster cast made from the death mask of Napoleon. (1821)
The Hall of Immortal statues. Depicting 12 great members of medicine and scientific discovery. Attributed to sculptors Louis Linck and Édouard Chassaing.
Hall of Murals. 12 mural panels painted in oils illustrating the development of surgery throughout the ages. Commission by the museum in 1953 by Gregorio Calvi di Bergolo.^[8]
A reconstructed medical apothecary.
An iron lung used for those inflicted with polio.

The museum is 4 floors with a total of 20 exhibits including:

The Historical Apothecary
Pharmacy
Dentistry
Hall of Murals
Optical History
Polio
Hall of Immortals
Medical Library
Taiwan Room
Classroom and Nursing
Obstetrics and Urologie
Japan Room
Medical Illustrations
Medical Imaging
Understanding and Enduring Pain (Has an online tour extension)
Spanish Mural Gallery
Surgical Technology
And 3 Rotating Contemporary Art Galleries^[9]

The museums hosted a temporary exhibit from February 19, 2016 – March 5, 2017 entitled Provident Hospital: A Living Legacy. It told the story of Provident Hospital, a groundbreaking teaching hospital that dedicated and paved the way for black people in the field of medicine. The exhibit is still viewable through an online tour extension.^[10]

The museum also has a IMSS Artist in Residency Program that host two residency sections a year for several artist for 6 months at a time.^[11]

References

^ ^a ^b Riley, Chloe (March 17, 2016). "International Museum of Surgical Science Gets 'Haunted'". Chicago Tonight. WTTW. Retrieved August 24, 2016.
^ "The History". International Museum of Surgical Science. August 14, 2024. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
^ Erbentraut, Joseph (October 28, 2013). "International Museum Of Surgical Science An Offbeat, Hidden Gold Coast Gem (Photos)". Huffington Post. Retrieved August 24, 2016.
^ ^a ^b "International Museum of Surgical Science". International Museum of Surgical Science. August 14, 2024. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
^ ^a ^b "The Eleanor Robinson Countiss House". International Museum of Surgical Science. August 14, 2024. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
^ ^a ^b Reid, Kerry (February 27, 2013). "Surgical science museum features tools alongside an artist in residence". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 24, 2016.
^ Mullen, William (November 28, 2010). "Landmark pins its hopes on cadavers: International Museum of Surgical Science on Lake Shore Drive begins display of dissected human bodies". Chicago Tribune. p. 22. ProQuest 814412947. The 56-year-old International Museum of Surgical Science brings in 20,000 visitors in a good year. It could soon become a much busier place as it taps into a fascination, shown over the last decade, with seeing perfectly preserved human cadavers, dissected to display the complexity of human anatomy.
^ "The Collection". International Museum of Surgical Science. August 14, 2024. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
^ "Self-Guided Tour". International Museum of Surgical Science. August 14, 2024. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
^ "Provident Hospital: A Living Legacy". International Museum of Surgical Science. August 14, 2024. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
^ "Apply to the Artist Residency". International Museum of Surgical Science. August 14, 2024. Retrieved September 25, 2024.