Hospital museum visitors can 'carry out surgery'

Harriet Hathaway, a curator at the museum, said the £60,000 project would be a great way to help tell the hospital's story

Opportunities to get to grips with medical equipment in a virtual setting are now available thanks to new interactive displays at Worcester's Infirmary Museum.

An amputation station, microscope station and keyhole surgery station offer visitors the chance to handle equipment used in procedures and see the results of their work.

The £60,000 project is said to bring the story of Worcester's old hospital to life.

"Our museum will really benefit from these fantastic new interactive displays, encouraging more people to visit to find out more about the history of the city’s former hospital," said Harriet Hathaway.

Worcester Infirmary once operated from the same site of University of Worcester’s City Campus, between 1771 until 2002.

The amputation station will offer visitors an insight into the process while exploring the different techniques tested during the hospital's operation.

The microscope station gives visitors a closer look at a variety of "slides" under a "microscope", using a digital touch screen animation.

The keyhole surgery station offers an opportunity to "perform" key-hole surgery. Visitors use real medical instruments to manipulate organs in a model body, whilst looking at a television monitor to see their results.