My son's on his Spring Break this week, so I took him to the International Museum of Surgical Science today. I thought it would be a good idea. He's almost 13, has braces, and is shaving. I thought seeing the gory history of surgery would be right up his alley.

He told me I'm never allowed to pick the museum again.

His statement wasn't due to any gross-out factor. In fact, it was just the opposite. There are displays of surgical and optical equipment, and three rooms dedicated to Medical Imaging (X-Rays, to us laypeople). There's even an Iron Lung, which was used in the 50's to help polio victims breathe and looks like a cross between a submersion tank and a Jules Verne submarine. Various rooms focus on the history of medicine in different cultures, including Japan, Latin America, and the Netherlands. The library contains volumes of medical knowledge spanning centuries, and the Hall of Immortals is lined with statues of famous figures like Hippocrates.

Gee, and I wonder why he was bored.

For students of medicine, or those fascinated by it and its history, the musuem would be fascinating. It's not something I'd recommend for a child or someone only marginally interested or looking for a thrill reminiscent of a b-slasher film. The museum is dedicated to the serious history of surgery and the geniuses behind each medical breakthrough.

International Museum of Surgical Science
1524 N Lake Shore Dr
(312)642-6502