Vienna Medical History Tour

Find out on my Vienna Medical History Tour why my city was worldwide of great importance in the field of Medicine in the 18th and 19th centuries.

A sense of humour complements my narrative, helping to ensure a fun and enriching experience.

Do you know which Viennese physicians and scientists influenced Medicine in the 19^th century? Which Medicine Nobel Prize winners worked in Vienna? Which treatment methods and surgical practices belong to the past? Why was the first clinic for mentally ill patients (Narrenturm) round? Why is Sigmund Freud world famous? Why was the interaction of science and culture in Vienna around 1900 so formative for the world?

I’ll take you on a journey through the history of Medicine in Vienna. We begin at the majestic, main building of the University of Vienna and its arcaded courtyard, ornated with busts of prominent scholars. You will learn about the importance of the Viennese Medical Schools of the 18th and 19th centuries and about the impact and contribution of important physicians such as Gerhard van Swieten, Theodor Billroth, Carl von Rokitansky, Ignaz-Philipp Semmelweis and others.

On our walk through the grounds of the old General Hospital (AKH), you will see the Narrenturm (18^th century clinic for mentally ill patients), hear about the history of hospitals and nursing care in Vienna and about institutions that have survived for centuries.

The tour will end at the classicistic Josephinum building in Währingerstrasse, which was an 18^th century Medical-Surgical Academy. Today it is the seat of the Institute for History of Medicine and keeps a unique collection of wax models of human organs and body parts used for student education in the 18^th century.

The Narrenturm, houses an exclusive pathological-anatomical collection. Highly recommended! With around 50,000 objects, this collection in Vienna is now the world’s largest collection of pathological specimens. On request I can organize a guided tour there (admission not included).

This tour can take place only on workdays.

To learn more about Vienna’s importance as a scientific and cultural hub in 19^th and 20^th century I recommend my Vienna 1900 Tour or my Jewish Vienna Tour.