MEDICAL MUSEUMS: HISTORICAL FORMATION, INTERNATIONAL EXPERIANCE AND RESEARCHES

This article is devoted to a comprehensive analysis of the history, formation and current state of medical museums as specialised institutions of preservation and popularisation of historical and medical heritage. It traces the stages of formation and development of the origins of museum work in medicine, starting from the ancient practices of collecting medical instruments and knowledge in Egypt, Greece and Rome (the works of Hippocrates, Galen, Ebers papyrus), through the contribution of medieval scientists of Central Asia (Ibn Sina), up to the key stage of institutionalisation in the early 20th century. The article considers medical museums as scientific and educational institutions whose main mission is to collect, preserve and display artefacts (instruments, pharmaceutical objects) to visualise the historical path of medicine. The importance of pharmaceutical heritage as the oldest form of activity is emphasised.