The Melnick Medical Museum is currently closed due to renovations and relocation. Suitcase tours are available for groups in the Youngstown area. The suitcase presentation covers the main topics of the exhibits listed below and contains replica artifacts that can be handled. When booking a tour, please let the curator know if there are particular topics you wish to be covered.
200 Years of Health Care: Medicine in the Mahoning Valley
This exhibit provides a brief history of the practice of medicine throughout the Mahoning Valley from the earliest physicians at the early 1800s through 2001. The Valley’s hospitals, Red Cross, nurses, and military service are highlighted.
Doctor’s and Dentist’s Offices
This exhibit allows visitors to witness the evolution of doctors’ offices from 1895 to 1935. The recreations show how the discovery of germs, sterilization techniques, and new technology changed the practice of medicine.
Life in the ‘Iron Lung’- Polio and the modern respirator
A large, yellow Iron Lung is the center of this exhibit that explains the polio epidemic, treatment options, and the development of a vaccine.
This exhibit will show a variety of medical instruments used in dentistry, pharmaceutical, obstetrics, ophthalmology, and other areas of medicine. It is scheduled to open in 2010.
A New Kind of Ray: Early x-ray machines
The x-ray was discovered by Wilhelm Roentgen in 1895. This exhibit explains the discovery and early use of the x-ray. It also has examples of early x-ray tubes and machines.
Fraudulent Medicine in America
Before medicine was regulated by the United States government, many fraudulent devices and remedies were marketed to the public. This exhibit highlights the use of bloodletting tools, patent liquid medicines, magnetic devices, the use of ultraviolet rays and electrified belts.
When the President is the Patient
This exhibit was created by the Mutter Museum in Philadelphia and chronicles the health of our nation’s presidents from George Washington to Bill Clinton.
From Apprentices to PhDs: The Evolution of Nursing Education
This exhibit summarizes the changes in nursing education from 1870 to today. It features student nurse uniforms from 1890 to 1970 as well as curriculum outlines from 1912, 1946, and 2010.
Melnick Medical Museum 