You never know what surprises await inside donated items about to be added into a collection. One of these being a letter found inside a well-used copy of Handbook for Mental Nurses by Medico-Psychological Association. This seventh edition, released between 1923 and 1935, served as a “bible” for nurses training in mental health institutions, including […]
Merry Christmas from CALHN Health Museum – 2025 After a year full of uncertainty we look forward to celebrating the festive season. Although our decorations have been scaled back there is still so much to celebrate. This year’s festivities began with decorating the Museum. Although we did not enter the annual CALHN Christmas Decorating Competition, […]
As the year draws to an end, the volunteers and staff at the CALHN Health Museum conclude yet another productive and busy chapter. In 2025, the museum welcomed 5 new volunteers: Oliver, Karen, Yasamin, Edith and Billy. And welcomed back two, Chris and Delia. The year began on a slightly sombre note with the passing […]
Nurses’ badges have changed dramatically over the years—evolving from ornate gold-and-enamel pins to the simple plastic identification cards used today. It was common place to see nurses in hospitals wearing brass and enamel badges, not something you see much in modern hospitals today. Badges were used to fasten stiffly starched detachable collars to their uniforms, […]
Today we celebrate Allied Health and Scientific Professions Day: an opportunity to acknowledge and thank the more than 2800 Allied Health and Scientific professionals working across the Central Adelaide Local Health Network (CALHN). Representing over 24 disciplines, these professionals play a vital role in working to improve the lives of South Australians. Allied Health and […]
Starting work as a probationer or trainee nurse was never easy. For generations of probationers at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, the first day meant stepping into a world of strict rules, heavy workloads, and unfamiliar routines. The CALHN Health Museum’s oral history collection captures these moments, with nurses recalling their first impressions, early mistakes, and […]
In our collection is a small, little book with a very long title: The Gastric Regions and Victualling Department (or the Roast Beef of Old England). It was published in 1860, making it 165 years old, and is attributed simply to ‘an Old Militia Surgeon”. Although the author remains anonymous, what he left behind is […]
For much of the 19th and early 20th centuries, nursing was not just a job, it could be a dangerous calling. Hospitals, far from being the clean, clinical environments we know today, were often a hotbed for diseases. Nurses daily treated patients with diseases such tuberculosis, polio, typhus, smallpox, diphtheria and influenza, not to mention […]
While hospital beds are just part of the hospital furniture, their design, availability and even their cleanliness, have been concerns that directly affected patient care since the Royal Adelaide Hospital opened in 1842. The Black Bed Era The first hospital beds used at the Adelaide Hospital were known colloquially as ‘Black Beds’. These were low […]
This week marks the beginning of South Australia’s History Festival. The festival runs through the whole month of May, with this year’s theme being ‘decisions’. The CALHN Health Museum will be offering a range of events throughout the month, scattered over its multiple sites. Tour – Exploring the Infectious Diseases Hospital Explore Hampstead Rehabilitation Centres […]
In 1932 South Australian inventor Edward ‘Ted’ Both invented an electrocardiograph, which was one of the first direct writing electrocardiographs in the world. So how did a man from small town Caltowie come up with this idea? The Idea It was during a visit to the local doctor. While seeking treatment for an injured hand […]
In the decades following World War II, tuberculosis remained one of Australia’s leading causes of death. Often dubbed the ‘silent killer’, tuberculosis could remain undetected for months or even years, spreading quietly through the population. In response, public health authorities launched an Australia-wide initiative that ran from 1948 until 1976. In this post, we take […]
Within the cracked walls of the decaying Metropolitan Infectious Diseases Hospital’s old kitchen, a unique piece of medical equipment and Australian history stands – the whole body monitor scanner. The workers at the atomic weapon testing range, Maralinga, built the whole body monitor scanner. It is one of only two in the southern hemisphere (the […]
In November 1995 Adelaide hosted the final race of the 1995 Australian Grand Prix. It was the final race of the season and the last to be held in Adelaide. But what does this have to do with the Royal Adelaide Hospital? Mclaren driver Mika Häkkinen’s crash is one of the most dramatic moments in […]
With Saint Patricks Day celebrations rife this week, thoughts of shamrocks, leprechauns and all things green come to mind. But beyond the Emerald Isle’s national day, it’s colour of pride is carefully preserved in the museums collection. To be a part of the festivities, the CALHN Health Museum has curated a selection of items bearing […]