Czech Minds Heal the World
The exhibition will showcase innovative Czech approaches in the fields of veterinary care, pharmacy, surgery, prosthetics, nanotechnology, spa care, as well as in research and information dissemination.
Looking at both the history and current medical practices, it is clear that many discoveries and technologies from the Czech Republic have reached the world, helping people on all continents to combat diseases. In addition to well-known names such as Gregor Johann Mendel, Jan Janský, Otto Wichterle, and Antonín Holý, the exhibition at the National Technical Museum also showcases the lesser-known ones.
Seven thematic clusters introduce visitors to innovative Czech approaches in the fields of veterinary care, pharmacy, surgery, prosthetics, nanotechnology, spa care, as well as research and information dissemination.
“On one hand, visitors will see discoveries that Czech scientists could make only through very narrow specialization, such as nanostructures and nanorobots, or lung and heart transplants. On the other hand, they will also be able to learn about the results of interdisciplinary science, such as the connection between dentistry and otorhinolaryngology, or human and veterinary medicine,” said Jiří František Potužník, author of two Czech exhibits at the World Expos and initiator of the exhibition. “My favorite is the electric spinning wheel, which demonstrates the principle of the nanospinner, and on which visitors can generate electrical energy themselves and produce nanofibers.”
“I am pleased that we can show in the exhibition how the discoveries of Czech scientists have changed and continue to change the world. The National Technical Museum contributes to the exhibition through its collection of medical technology, which was established seven years ago. Its goal is to track individual tangible manifestations of medicine and healthcare in the context of time and space. The collection now contains nearly 500 items dating from the 19th century to the present, which we plan to exhibit in a comprehensive future exhibition,” said Karel Ksandr, General Director of the NTM.
Selected items from the NTM museum collection demonstrate that the production of medical technology has deep roots in our country. The production of the Chirana company in Stará Turá, started in 1935, is represented by a portable single-channel electrocardiograph Biocard and an electron tube cautery Minitom. Progress made by the Chirana respiratory and anesthetic technology group is shown by the Anemat N8 device from 1968. From the office of the Prague family doctor Václav Vítů, founded in 1935, a pedal dental drill and a tonometer are presented. Innovative Czech-made devices include, for example, pacemakers from TESLA Valašské Meziříčí. Exhibited are devices and items that helped Czech healthcare professionals achieve groundbreaking results, such as the extracorporeal circulation and dialysis machines used at IKEM. The exhibition also features limb prostheses from the late 19th century, an electric resistance melting furnace for dentists from the same era, a military field X-ray, and devices associated with the controversial sensation of the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries – electrotherapy.
The general partner of the exhibition is the Motol University Hospital.
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