“Listen, I've got this crook in my neck....”
Proprietor Bob McCoy was a veritable encyclopedia of the world's most inane and useless information about how to cure and/or comprehend what may ail or puzzle you. Author of Quack!: Tales of Medical Fraud from the Museum of Questionable Medical Devices, he's the guy pictured at left getting a "phrenology" reading on a "psycograph" (the machine measures the size of bumps on the head to determine his personality). The reading lets you know how you're doing on any of 35 character traits like intelligence, spirituality,suavity and chastity.
Dubbed "The Quackery Hall of Fame" by the Copley Wire Service, the museum was the world's largest display of what the human mind has devised to cure itself without the benefit of either scientific method or common sense. It comprised the major collections on loan from The American Medical Association, The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, The St. Louis Science Center, The Bakken Library, The National Council Against Health Fraud. The famed collection was donated to the Science Museum of Minnesota in 2002.
The previous owner and curator Bob McCoy retired form the museum in 2002, and decided to donate his collection (of over 325 exhibits) to the Science Museum of Minnesota where it is now. Fans can visit and see some of the exceptionally weird, and exceptionally dangerous inventions, though unfortunately not all are currently on display.
This collection is now in the hands of the Science Museum of Minnesota. However, they currently (July 2015) have only a handful of the ~300 devices on display. Museum staff told me that they plan to exhibit more of the collection next year. The items that were on display were interesting but I was very disappointed to pay $13 per person only to discover that so few items were on display. (The collection of questionable medical devices was our sole reason for visiting the museum.)
Gotta see this
This museum no longer exists. MAJOR bummer.
Definitely comprehensive and quirky. Makes me happy I'm living in this era and still alive. Really cool to stretch your brain and gain a renewed appreciation for your doctor. Check out special exhibits and anything rotating through!
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Museum of Questionable Medical Devices (closed)
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