Exhibition

Wellcome to a real eye-opener A visit to the new HQ of the led to the discovery of some ophthalmic gems from centuries past, writes David Baker

he Wellcome Collection, was the acquisition of the library of JF a new £30m enterprise, Payne, medical historian and librarian which opened in June of the Royal College of Physicians. The this year, contains a ever-expanding Library was moved wealth of items of optical into the Wellcome Building in 1945 and general medical and opened to the public in 1949. T interest and is accessible for public It was refurbished in 1962, giving viewing, with free admission. the main galleried Reading Room its The former headquarters of the present shape. More recently, in the Wellcome Trust, 183 , 1980s, another significant addition to has been remodelled to house the the Library was the purchase from the , contemporary Medical Society of Library galleries, conference centre, members’ of manuscripts and about 10,000 club and public events forum. A café books. After several administrative has an adjoining Blackwell’s bookshop changes it was renamed in 1999 The with a decent ophthalmology section. Wellcome Library for the History and The nine-storey Wellcome Building Understanding of Medicine. It holds was built in 1932 to Sir Henry Solomon Sir several items of historical interest, such Wellcome’s specification as part of his as the first X-rays taken by Roentgen vision to display his vast collections Japanese domestic shrine with Shinto in 1895; the scientific papers of Francis in a ‘Museum of Man’. Sir Henry and Buddhist deities. Crick (co-discoverer of DNA’s helical was a pharmacist by profession, and ‘Treating Yourself’ contains several structure); and a first edition of Gray’s his interests included the history of notable optical exhibits. There are glass, Anatomy. medicine, ethnology and archaeology. silver and porcelain eyebaths (labelled The Wellcome Collection has a His entrepreneurial success provided as probably English, acquired pre-1936); virtual library called ‘Uncover’ which him with the time and money to amass a pair of English spectacles circa 1790- is a portal to the Library’s collections more than one million objects from 1880; a case containing Inuit snow- via an interactive touch-screen. around the world. goggles; and a set of glass prosthetic Accessing the Library’s website also The galleries contain more than 1,300 eyes by W Halford of London (1790- reveals a wealth of information. exhibits. As part of the collection’s 1820). A French (1870) plaster model The three entries in Moving Image mission to build on Wellcome’s vision, of the human eye sits among other and Sound are worth describing these aim to explore human well-being anatomical models and artefacts in because of their historical value: through the combination of medicine, the ‘Understanding the Body’ cabinet. ● A 12-minute colour film by Trevor- life and art. There is art by da Vinci, One cannot but be amazed by the wide Roper (1960) shows clips of extra- and Gormley and Warhol and artefacts, such variety of general anatomical, surgical intra-capsular cataract extraction, and as Aztec sacrificial knives, Nelson’s razor and anthropological items on display. other surgical procedures and a DNA-sequencing robot. ● A five-minute film on video/DVD The Wellcome Library by the National Ophthalmic Treatment Medicine man The Wellcome Library is a real gem for Board Association (1946) explains The largest gallery is the ground those researching optical subjects or, the workings of the eye and the floor space for special exhibitions. indeed, for anyone with an interest in importance of keeping them in good On the first floor are the permanent matters medical, medical-historical and health and shows work environments, exhibitions Medicine Now and just about anything health-related. eye exams and fitting of spectacles Medicine Man. The former focuses on There are over two million items ● A four-minute colour film (1953) particular contemporary medical topics in total, including: 750,000 books, on minor ophthalmic surgery was approached from artistic, scientific and 70,000 rare books (pre-1850), a film designed for introductory postgraduate popular culture angles. Of perhaps and audio collection of 2,500 titles; lectures. more direct interest optically are some and over 250,000 paintings, prints The books and journals have some exhibits among 500 or so artefacts and photographs. Now part of the crossover with the History of Medicine in the latter gallery; although their Wellcome Collection, the Library has collection, but it is particularly good juxtaposition with other items from absorbed the Wellcome Trust’s Medical on historical themes – for example, different periods and cultures makes Photographic Library and Medical Film biographies of optical interest, for a rather unusual viewing context. and Video Library. ophthalmology around the world and For instance: in the ‘Seeking Help’ Sir Henry began to collect books spectacles throughout the ages. One can cabinet there is an optometer (acquired seriously in the 1890s, he was the major become a member of the Library by pre-1936) sandwiched between a late purchaser at the auction of William visiting in person with the appropriate 19th century reliquary with guardian Morris’ library in 1898. Another proof of identity and address. ● figure from Gabon and a 19th century important addition to his collection ● www.wellcomecollection.org

26 | Optician | 16.11.07 opticianonline.net