Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Latvia Riga P. Stradins Museum for History of Medicine

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.

Riga, Latvia

Added By
Parus radious
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
  User Submitted
  User Submitted
  User Submitted
  User Submitted
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

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.

Related Tags

Two Headed Animals Anatomy Museums Medical Museums Taxidermy Museums And Collections Hunting And Taxidermy Dogs Heroes Of Taxidermy Animals

Community Contributors

Added By

pieofthemonth

Edited By

hrnick

  • hrnick

Published

May 16, 2013

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
P. Stradins Museum for History of Medicine
Antonijas iela 1
Riga, LV-1010
Latvia
56.957084, 24.108258
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Art Nouveau in Riga

Riga, Latvia

miles away

The World of Hat

Riga, Latvia

miles away

Freedom Monument

Riga, Latvia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Riga

Riga

Latvia

Places 27

Nearby Places

Art Nouveau in Riga

Riga, Latvia

miles away

The World of Hat

Riga, Latvia

miles away

Freedom Monument

Riga, Latvia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Riga

Riga

Latvia

Places 27

Related Places

  • A Nicobar Tree Shrew in the Grant Museum of Zoology

    London, England

    Grant Museum of Zoology

    The only university zoological museum in London houses extinct animals, bizarre natural history specimens, and a Micrarium of microscopic creatures.

  • Washington, D.C.

    Owney the Postal Dog

    A traveling postal dog covered 48 states and more than 140,000 miles, and he lives on as taxidermy, patched up with a rabbit's foot and a pig's ear.

  • Hachikō, Jirō, and Kai Ken

    Tokyo, Japan

    Hachiko

    After a profound show of devotion for his master, a dog becomes the symbol of loyalty for an entire nation.

  • Museo de Anatomopatología

    Mexico City, Mexico

    Museo de Anatomopatología (Museum of Pathological Anatomy)

    Located in a veterinary school, this macabre exhibit displays the effects of animal diseases.

  • Peter the dog.

    Brisbane, Australia

    Queensland Police Museum

    It's home to the taxidermy remains of Peter, the dog who helped convict a murderer.

  • One of the museum’s dioramas of animals staged in their natural habitats.

    Birchington-on-Sea, England

    Powell-Cotton Dioramas

    An English explorer's vast natural history collection has the first realistic dioramas of animals staged in their natural habitats.

  • Sculpture of John Rex Gates with a Pointer and Setter behind a covey of quail exploding upward in flight

    Grand Junction, Tennessee

    National Bird Dog Museum

    An homage to the pointers and retrievers that have long been a hunter's best friend.

  • Knut the Polar Bear

    Berlin, Germany

    Knut the Polar Bear

    Berlin's beloved bear is immortalized at the Museum für Naturkunde.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.