War and Medicine (Canada)

War inflicts terrible physical and mental injuries. Medical practitioners try to save lives, manage disease and rehabilitate the wounded. War and Medicine, presented by Rx&D and opening today at the Canadian War Museum (CWM), invites visitors to discover the uneasy relationship between warfare and the medical profession over the past 150 years, from the Crimean War (1854–1856) to contemporary conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq.

“War and Medicine provides an unflinching look at the physical and psychological injuries of war and, at the same time, honours the diligence and compassion of the caregivers who try to repair the damage,” said Mark O’Neill, Director General of the Canadian War Museum. “On a deeper level, this is an intellectually engaging exhibition that explores how humanity’s desire to heal struggles to keep pace with our capacity to maim and kill.”

The exhibition was originally developed by the Wellcome Collection in London, United Kingdom, and the Deutsches Hygiene Museum in Dresden, Germany. The Canadian War Museum has adapted this presentation of War and Medicine to include more than 100 Canadian artifacts, images and stories from the War Museum’s own collections.

Exhibition adapted for display at the Canadian War Museum by Andrew Burtch and Tim Cook.

Exhibition project managed by Sarah Dobbin.