The Semmelweis Medical History Museum, together with the National Medical History Library (1950) and the Archives (1974) make up the most important research basis of the Hungarian physician history.

The Museum was opened in 1965. In the last 4 decades the collections of the museum got highly extended, and thus by now they form one of the richest physician and chemist historical collection.

Our collection target embraces the whole of the Hungarian medicine, pharmacy and medical system, but these are naturally supplemented by the objective relics of western medicine. Several of our collections are of outstanding significance (numismatic collection, device collection, Fontana-collections, pharmacy bowls, painting collection).

Our permanent exhibition represents the development of western medicine from the prehistoric age to the beginning of the 20th century. We place special emphasis on the development of Hungarian medical system, the work of Semmelweis and the establishment of the modern Hungarian medication.

Up to the end of the 1990'ies nearly two third of our visitors were from foreign countries. In recent years we have managed to raise the interest of the Hungarian visitors as well, so by today we have almost the same number of Hungarian and foreign visitors.

Each year temporal exhibitions deal with healing methods and art activities connecting to medication. The other type of the temporal exhibitions represent the development of medicine in light of the connections with natural science, economical, cultural and political history.

Our periodical entitled looks back to a history of 47 years. In recent years we have published several albums of an artistic value. We restarted the series called Libri Historiae Medicae in 2001, through which we publish medical monographies and history of medical schools and Hungarian medication.

Benedek Varga