Addington Centenary Museum

About Addington Centenary Museum

In 1879, Addington Hospital, named after Rt. Hon. Henry Addington (Prime Minister of Great Britain, 1801) was built across the beach from the Indian Ocean of KwaZulu Natal. In its centenary year Addington Hospital opened a speciality museum, The Addington Centenary Museum.

As Durban's most well known hospital its boasts an extensive record of service and equipment. The fascinating museum displays showcase the leaps in medical achievement over the last hundred years of health care. Situated between the Bay and the Ocean this museum has artefacts dating back to the turn of the 19th century.

The sea, visible from hospital rooms, was responsible for the shipwreck of Ovington Court in 1940. Doctors from this hospital were despatched to the shore to administer first aid. This 4500 ton merchant ship stands as rusted testimony to the first hand historical experience exhibited by the museums rare artefacts.

The primitive history of healing highlights modern day technology's assistance in the preservation of human life. Items of medical interest include an ancient scanning machine, an authentic original dental department, an old fashioned iron lung used as a breathing device, historical apparatus and nursing equipment, antique books and collector's medical journals. The thought of surviving an operation in the original antique operating theatre might be enough to induce a panic attack but the knowledge that modern medicine is practised a few feet away is enough to survive the museum visit with gratitude.