Riga, Latvia
P. Stradins Museum for History of Medicine
Medical museum that houses most notably the taxidermied remains of Vladimir Demikhov's famous two-headed dog experiment.
Soviet Scientist Vladimir Demikhov surgically attached the front half of one dog onto the neck of another dog by combining their two circulatory systems. Yes, this happened.
Though Demikhov’s experiments may seem a little freakish, he was a pioneer in organ transplant surgery. He died in obscurity but his work inspired what is now a modern medical procedure – the transplanting of vital organs. The museum also contains several space-exploration-related medicine exhibits with taxidermied dogs and a monkey that were early Cosmonauts in the Soviet space program (not Laika, but some of her canine “colleagues”).
There is an affiliated pharmacy museum and a small anatomy museum. The Anatomy Museum houses a collection of abnormal anatomy specimens, particularly specializing in anomalies in infants and embryo development.
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