Fascinating look at 17th Century medicine and cures

As many of us suffer from coughs, colds and viruses, Huntingdon’s Cromwell Museum is offering the opportunity to find out how your ailments would have been treated 350 years ago, with a visit from a 17th Century Barber Surgeon.

At the time of the Civil Wars in the 1640s, many people would have been treated by a Barber Surgeon, who carried out dentistry, bloodletting, and even major surgery at a time when the medical profession was very much in its infancy.

Cures were also made by Apothecaries who used natural ingredients to produce medicines which were supposed to help with ailments too. Visitors to the event on January 21 will be able to meet a recreated surgeon who will explain some of the cures at the time and demonstrate with replicas some of the surgical procedures used in the 1600s.

Stuart Orme, Curator of the Cromwell Museum says: “We have on display the Apothecary cabinet that is believed to have belonged to Oliver Cromwell and used to treat his various ailments. This event will provide a fun, if occasionally gruesome, way of finding out about medicine in this period!”

The Cromwell Museum holds the best collection of objects relating to the life and times of Oliver Cromwell on public display in the world.

The ‘Barber Surgeon’ event runs from 11am until 3pm and entry is free of charge. For more details, visit the Museum’s website at www.cromwellmuseum.com.