Safety Scalpel, Late 17th Century (Inv. 44746) Do you think this decorated scalpel from the Museum’s collections might have been better than Elizabeth’s scissors?
Name: Elizabeth
Age: 9
Occupation: School
From: England
Object: Cow’s eye ball
Story: When I was at home my mother brung home a cow’s eyeball. We dissected it at the table on a plate. We had to cut it open with scissors because we didn’t have a scalpel.
Rat Operating Table, Mid-20th Century (Inv. 47402). Historically, this would have been used for similar dissections to the one Jessica’s saw.
Name: Jessica
Age: 11
Occupation: School girl
From: Berkshire, UK
Object: Pig eye!
Story: I remember when I was eight I came to The Museum of the History of Science and I saw a lady dissecting a pig eyeball! I was so fascinated. Since then I have kept coming back and I love finding all these new things here!
Ted and his wife.
Name: Ted
Age: 56
From: Sevenoaks, Kent, UK
Object: Locusts
Story: To illustrate the reproductive system and cycle our science teacher showed us how locusts bred. There was a transparent case in which you could observe the various stages of the reproductive cycle from the locust laying the eggs right up to the emergence of the baby locusts. We dissected them as well to understand how the bodies of an insect was constructed into the 3 parts and also watched them mating before laying the eggs. It was no wonder that biology was my favourite science subject, as an unusual was of teaching it has left an impression on me that I have not forgotten.