Massachusetts General Hospital

MGH celebrates opening of the Paul S. Russell, MD Museum of Medical History and Innovation

Doors open to the public April 17

11/Apr/2012

Boston Mayor Menino, at right, during the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Paul S. Russell, MD Museum of Medical History and Innovation, with MGH President Peter L. Slavin, MGPO Chairman and CEO David F. Torchiana and MGH surgeon Peter Russell.

Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino joined Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) President Peter L. Slavin, MD, Massachusetts General Physicians Organization Chairman and CEO David F. Torchiana, MD, and MGH surgeon and transplant pioneer Paul S. Russell, MD, April 10 for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Paul S. Russell, MD Museum of Medical History and Innovation. The museum, which features exhibits highlighting the evolution of medicine and clinical practice throughout the MGH’s 200-year history, will open its doors to the public April 17.

“This facility is dedicated to being a cultural and educational forum for patients and families, our staff and for the public,” Slavin said. “Through the lens of the MGH, this museum tells the story of the evolution of medicine and the innovation under way today that will shape the fabric of medicine long into the future.”

The museum is named in honor of Russell, whose MGH tenure has spanned more than 60 years, and whose vision and generosity helped ensure that the dream of a medical museum would become a reality.

Russell and Mayor Menino, in tribute to the museum’s celebration of history, used surgical tools from the 1800s – including enterotomy scissors, an amputation saw and an ivory-handled cartilage knife  – to cut the “ribbon,” which was special gauze, an innovative product stemming from a clotting powder developed by an MGH trauma surgeon that is featured in one of the museum exhibits.

Menino praised all involved throughout the museum’s evolution, calling the end result “perfect.” He noted that the museum not only documents the rich legacy of the MGH but the remarkable progress of medicine throughout the years, both which can serve as inspiration to future generations. “We are so fortunate to have the best health care in the world right here on Cambridge Street, in the city of Boston,” Menino added.  

Following the ceremony, attendees at Tuesday’s event toured the museum’s permanent exhibits, which include interactive, engaging displays, as well as the second story gallery and also enjoyed the view from the rooftop garden.

“We’ve been around for 200 years and we hope that the MGH may be able to offer some perspective on how medicine got to where it is today and where it might be going in the future and we want to make that perspective accessible and available and that’s what this museum is all about – learning about medicine, past, present and future,” Torchiana said.

The Paul S. Russell, MD Museum of Medical History and Innovation is located at 2 North Grove Street in Boston (on the corner of North Grove and Cambridge streets) and will be open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information about museum exhibits, programs or tours, contact mghhistory@partners.org, or visit www.massgeneral.org/museum.