Health, Wealth and Happiness
It was wonderful to be involved with this project. From the planning to the packing to the installation, it definitely feels like a full arc. Thank you to Kari and Joe for inviting me to help and to be a small part of their wonderful exhibition. It was also great to see so many objects from the Highland Folk Museum out of the collections store and on display for the public to see.
It was interesting to follow the history of healthcare in the Highlands and learn about how the health system used here was essentially the precursor for the NHS we know today. Several of the objects on display also showcased the more superstitious side of healthcare and how myth and stories played into how people were historically treated.
A rope made of horse-hair from the Highland Folk Museum collections was used as an example to tell the story of how people were tied up with rope and dragged through the waters of Loch Maree to cure them of various ills. A hammer from our collection was used to demonstrate how often people had them waved in their face as a sort of shock therapy to ‘scare’ them out of being unwell. Healthcare has definitely advanced a lot in modern times!
It is also extremely relevant now, as the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted the Highlands for the last two years, to look back on the history of healthcare here and how much medicine has advanced. The exhibition features developments such as the Covid-19 vaccine, PrEP, and insulin which have helped save countless lives. There’s definitely a lot to see and consider.
Well, with the exhibition up, my work is done. Thank you if you’ve been following along with these blogs – it has been a super fun project! I feel so lucky to have worked on such a cool exhibition and I definitely recommend visiting at the Inverness Museum and Art Gallery if you get the chance!
