An ivory anatomical model used by medical students in the 16^th century. A surgical set from the 1850s. An early Emerson Respirator, a.k.a “iron lung,” used at UAB Hospital in the 1950s. 

These and a host of other displays at UAB’s Alabama Museum of the Health Sciences trace the evolution of health care through seven centuries of progress and innovation. 

See these items firsthand and experience the intriguing history of medicine - and the role Alabama’s health professionals have played in it - from the staggering challenges of antiquity to the stunning breakthroughs of modern day.  

The Mission

The Alabama Museum of the Health Sciences, at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, is dedicated to the preservation and display of equipment, instruments, and objects that represent the history and development of the health sciences in the areas of education, research, and practice in the United States with special emphasis on the state of Alabama and its contributors to the practice of medicine. The scope of the collection includes, but is not limited to the following fields: medicine, nursing, ophthalmology, dentistry, public health, and allied health.

Visiting Hours

Monday through Friday, 9:00 - 5:00, except UAB holidays.

Location

3rd floor, Lister Hill Library

1700 University Boulevard

The University of Alabama at Birmingham

Mailing Address

1530 3rd Ave S - 300 LHL

Birmingham AL 35294-0013

Telephone: 205.934.4475        Fax: 205.975.8476

Created by Stefanie Rookis, Curator.  Last updated October 4, 2004.