The Museum of the History of Medicine in Padua

If you are tired of the usual museums filled with paintings and sculptures, you might find the Museum of the History of Medicine in Padua interesting.

Opened in 2015, the Museum of History of medicine retraces the extraordinary path of the evolution of Medicine from an ancient discipline to a modern science with a poignant and captivating language, and with particular focus on the history of the Padua Medical School.

The museum hosts a new and attractive exhibition also suitable for young ones who can enjoy observing microbes and bacteria through a microscope, listen to the sound of heartbeats just like real doctors, touch plastic organs and flip through ancient books, smell medicine plants in the Therapy room and much more!

The location of the MUSME itself is an integral part of the history of medicine. It is housed in a fifteenth century building that was home to the first hospital in Padua, built in 1414 by Mr and Mrs Sibilia de’ Cetto and Baldo Bonafari da Piombino: the hospital of San Francesco Grande.

In the second half of the 16th century these same places were, for the first time ever, where medical students began to learn the clinical practice directly assisting those on sickbeds, laying the foundations of the modern teaching approach in medicine.

The hospital of San Francesco was active for almost four centuries, until March 29th 1798, when it was replaced by a new hospital, built by the Bishop of Padua Nicolò Giustiniani: the Ospedale Giustinianeo.

Upon request, a visit to the museum of medical history can be included in the itinerary of your tour of Padua! Contact us for further details!