Medical history is all about health. It is the history of new discoveries, and of the day-to-day struggle necessary to help people to live healthy and long lives. It is also the history of diseases and pain that people have suffered from. Over time attitudes of both society and individuals towards the body and health have been influenced to a greater or lesser degree by religion, culture and science. Economic and social circumstances have also had an influence, as has politics, at a variety of levels. The exhibition puts health care and hospital care in context. The conceptual presentation, with explanatory texts alongside objects, is intended to give a broad presepctive.
Instruments, equipment, furniture and textiles from the 18th century onwards form the main parts of the collection. Contemporary topics are presented in the context of the general development of medical history in the western hemisphere from classical antiquity until now. Most of the objects have been in use in Göteborg. There are full scale reconstructions of scenes in local hospitals too. Only a small part of the collection can be shown at one time.
The Medical History Museum of Göteborg, a department of the Sahlgrenska University hospital, is open to the public as well as scholars and researchers. The museum building, Oterdahl House, was donated in 1808 "in perpetuity" by the wealthy merchant Aron Oterdahl to server as a hospital. The general hospital was situated here from 1823-54. For the next twenty years it was used as the office of a local newspaper and then until 1967 it was the address of the police headquarters of Göteborg. The library and archives of the museum are open on request.