Hong Kong Museum of Medical Sciences
This museum charts the historical development of medical science in Hong Kong. It's located in the century-old, Edwardian-style former Pathological Institute, which was founded to combat the colony's most horrific outbreak of bubonic plague. Back then, British patients were treated upstairs, while the Chinese were relegated to the basement rooms. Several rooms remain almost exactly as they were, including an autopsy room and a laboratory filled with old equipment, while others serve as exhibition rooms devoted to such areas as the development of dentistry and radiology (note the X-ray of the bound foot). But what makes the museum particularly fascinating is its unique comparison of traditional Chinese and Western medicine, and its funding of research into Chinese medicine. Included are displays on acupuncture and traditional Chinese herbs. You can spend up to an hour here.
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| Hours | Tues-Sat 10am-5pm; Sun and holidays 1-5pm | |
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| Address | 2 Caine Lane | |
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| Location | Mid-Levels | |
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| Transportation | MTR: Central; then bus 26 from Des Voeux Rd. in front of Hongkong Bank headquarters to Man Mo Temple; walk up Ladder St. (a particularly grueling set of stairs) to Caine Lane. Or take Minibus 8 or 22 from in front of Central's Star Ferry to Ladder St. (pronounced Lau Tai Kai in Chinese) | |
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| Phone | 852/2549 5123 | |
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| Web site | www.hkmms.org.hk | |
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| Prices | Admission HK$10 (US$1.30/70p) adults, HK$5 (US65¢/35p) children, students, and seniors | |