scavenger hunt

This online scavenger hunt using MGH’s catalog of art and artifacts is more fun with friends. Do the hunting separately, then compare your answers and explain why you picked what you did.

Find something in the catalog…

—That lets us see the human body in a new way (or did, in the era it was used). Think about how you’d like to approach this—which category do you want to browse? Or if you prefer the search box, what search terms can you use—X-ray? What else?

—Related to something you’ve heard on the news or in a book or movie. (It doesn’t have to be something in the news recently.)

—That is outdated, but has a present-day equivalent. Has anyone you know used the modern tool you’re thinking of, or has someone used it on them?

—That celebrates or remembers a person or event, rather than being a tool someone used. Why did someone think that person or event was worth commemorating? Do you agree?

—That took a lot of training to learn to use.

—Used by a team of people with different skills (or was, in the era it was used).

—That might have changed the way someone thought about medicine.

—That you’d like to learn more about. Where might you go to find out more?

As a bonus, watch the 1936 short silent film The Advent of Anesthesia.

—What do you think the characters are saying in between the title cards (when the dialogue is on the screen)?

—What do you think is going through their minds?

—In 1936, when this film was made, silent films had just recently gone out of style. If you were going to tell the story anesthesia using another form of media, what would you choose and why?