Creating a Covid Collection: Planning a permanent exhibition for the future
The present health crisis in the world due to the pandemic is perhaps one of the worst human and economic crises in the history of mankind. Surprisingly, the origin and spread of the disease is a great mystery to 21st century modern science and scientists. It has exposed many loopholes in our policies and literally challenged all believers of the so-called Smart Cities. It has demonstrated effectively how unequal our society is. An attempt has been made here to understand the role of the Museum in contemporary society.
What do Museums do with the crisis?
One of the key roles of the Museum is to preserve and record evidences of the past and the present of mankind. It would be important for Science or Medical museums to record the origin and spread of the COVID disease along with the suffering of people. The history of infectious disease is also the history of individuals who have described infections, differentiated one infection from another.
The talk also explores the role of Indian Science Museums in documenting the medical history of the country and also studying the contribution of Henry Wellcome, the founder of Wellcome Trust and his initiative in building the Wellcome Collection. It is nothing if not irrefutable testimony to the fact that human interest in medicine and health is as old as broad as humanity itself.
The history of infectious disease is also the history of individuals who have described infections, differentiated one infection from another.
