Exhibition casts light on medicine's 'darkest page'

March 12, 2008

Medical historian Dr George Weisz, an Adjunct Lecturer at the University of New England, has prepared an exhibition on what he calls "the darkest page in the history of medicine" that will be on display at the Sydney Jewish Museum (pictured here) from 30 March until 15 June.

UNE Adjunct Professor Randall Albury – also a medical historian – will formally open the exhibition, titled "Nazi Medicine, 1933-1945", at 4.30 pm on 30 March.

Dr Weisz said he hoped the exhibition, documenting the perversion of medical ethics under the Third Reich, would be instructive to contemporary society. "Cases of unethical experimentation and other medical abuses are still reported from time to time," he said, "and this leads me to ask whether the lesson of Nazi medicine has been learnt. We need to retell this grim story as a reminder to those who have forgotten it – and as a warning to those who were born much later and have never heard it – so that we never allow these terrible events to be repeated."

Dr Weisz, a retired medical practitioner, spent more than two years preparing the exhibition, which comprises a series of large-format posters. Following a long career as an orthopaedic surgeon, he completed a BA degree program majoring in history and an MA program with a focus on the history of medicine in the Renaissance. In addition to publishing a wide range of historical papers as a single author, he has co-authored several articles with Professor Albury.

There will be a series of public events at the Sydney Jewish Museum in conjunction with the exhibition. These events include a lecture by Dr Weisz on 2 April (1 pm), and two panel discussions involving other speakers: the first on 18 May (4.30 pm) and the second on 5 June (6 pm). In addition, Dr Weisz will lead tours of the exhibition on 15 May (1 pm), 29 May (1 pm) and 15 June (11 am). After the exhibition closes in June it is scheduled to move to Melbourne, where it will go on display in November.

The Sydney Jewish Museum (phone 02 9360 7999) is located at 148 Darlinghurst Road, Darlinghurst. Its opening hours are Sunday to Thursday 10 am – 4 pm and Friday 10 am – 2 pm.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at March 12, 2008 04:51 PM