Collections

Collection of Traditional Medicine Objects

The Collection now contains around 250 objects related to various aspects of healing. The Collection includes bloodletting and tooth extraction equipment, folk remedies of mineral, herbal and animal origin, amulets, apotropaic objects and jewelry for protection against illness and spells, Christian votives such as medallions - pendants for protection, Lambs of God (jagnuše), holy icons, Christian records, Muslim records, containers and writing utensils, etc. The objects date from the 18th to the early 21st century, and originate mostly from Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. A large part of these objects was donated to the Museum by Stanko Sielski, MD, who collected them while practicing medicine in the regions of Bihać and Banja Luka in the 1930s. The Collection also contains packaging of particularly popular pharmaceutical preparations from various periods of the 20th century, most often purchased without a prescription and used for almost any symptom or disease. Research into traditional medicine in the Museum was largely neglected, but since the 1970s, this topic has been addressed as part of team field research in the Zagreb area, when the Department of Traditional Medicine and Nutrition was established, but not separate collections. During field research in 2000 and 2001, conducted with the aim of collecting material for the exhibition Traditional Medicine, many objects were collected and documented, testifying to the practices of alternative medicine in Croatia. During the research, magical, religious and so-called rational healing practices, knowledge and skills were recorded, as well as beliefs related to the actions of individual practitioners of traditional medicine, which is very important for documenting and preserving our intangible cultural heritage.

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