Ever wonder if you could have survived the measles
epidemics and the streets that ran with sewage in the West’s early
days? An exhibit of over 200 artifacts from the 1880s to World War
II at the High Desert Museum in Bend, Ore., might test your
imagination. The exhibit features an “aroma interactive” of Native
American herbs and ointments, an early electroshock device, hooks
for extracting teeth and even live leeches. “This may be the first
exhibit we’ve had that specifically attracts the attention of
junior high-age boys,” says the museum’s Jack Cooper. The year-long
exhibit grew from the private collections of doctors with support
from the St. Charles Medical Center in Bend, which began as an
emergency hospital for two timber companies. Contact the High
Desert Museum, 59800 S. Highway 97, Bend, OR 97702-7963
(541/382-4754).
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Leeches and cod liver oil.
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