Museum of Radiology

Museum

Introduction

The museum houses a vast collection of machines that have made the history of Radiology, accompanying the visitor along a museum route that leads him to discover the history of radiology by recounting its events, the men who have dedicated their entire lives to this science, and finally, the instruments that characterize it and differentiate it from all other medical disciplines. The museum was born from an idea matured by Prof. Adelfio Elio Cardinale, on the occasion of the analysis of some problems connected with the renewal of the equipment of the Institute of Radiology, which took place in 1995 in conjunction with the approaching centenary of the discovery of X-rays by Wilhelm Conrad Rӧntgen. Driven by the two contingencies, an intense search was thus started for instruments, devices, volumes and documents of various kinds, both scientific and private, relating to Radiology, in public institutions and private professionals, which could serve as the constituent nucleus of the nascent museum.

History

Most of the devices and instruments that make up the museum collection come from donations made by former professionals active in the field of Radiology or their heirs, while the remainder come from the former Institutes of Physics, General Pathology and Dermatology of the University of Palermo, from the former Institute of Radiology "R. Cignolini" of Palermo, and finally from the High School "G. Garibaldi" of Palermo.

Inaugurated in December 1995, the museum is the only one of its kind in Italy and, together with the Curie Musèe in Paris, the Rӧntgen Museum in Ramscheid and the Belgian Museum of Radiology in Brussels, one of four in Europe. In 2012, the Museum's scientific collection was reorganized into a new exhibition path divided into six thematic sections. In October 2018, the Museum underwent an expansion of the collection, with the strengthening of the museum layout. Since the foundation of the museum, the collection has been significantly expanded through numerous acquisitions from various public bodies, companies and private donors.