COMA Tasmania in South Hobart, Tasmania, Australia | Community organisation

COMA Tasmania

Locality: South Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

Address: Elboden St 7004 South Hobart, TAS, Australia

Website: https://www.medicalmuseum.org.au/

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25.01.2022 Join us on November 21st for our seminar 'The Witches' Cauldron: medical histories of South Hobart and the Hobart Rivulet'. Places are limited, but you can make a booking through this link: https://coma-tas-inc.square.site/ or by emailing us at [email protected] Why did Dr Swarbreck Hall called the Hobart Rivulet 'more poisonous than a witches' cauldron'? What would it have been like to have a baby at the Cascade's Female Factory? Where was Tasmania's infectious diseases hospital during the polio epidemic? Find out this and more at our seminar... https://www.facebook.com/events/1078557292577145

25.01.2022 COMA Tasmania Mystery Object Pop Quiz Answer: What was 'thymus extract' intended for? The Mystery Thymus Gland When glands and hormones were newly discovered, there was great speculation about the effects on human bodies and minds. Scientists became aware that the thyroid gland and iodine were linked to physical and cognitive development, and deficiencies or excess could have tragic results. What about the other glands in the body? One that seems to have caused great speculat...ion was the thymus gland, located in the chest between the lungs. It had no clear ducts so where did the hormone it created go? It was well developed in babies and children, but shrank in adulthood. ‘Enlarged’ thymus glands were thought to cause 'thymic death' by asphyxiation. Was the thymus even important? In the late 1890s, scientists considered a healthy thymus gland helped men maintain a healthy weight, and that overweight men must suffer from insufficiency of the thymus gland. By 1916 some scientists concluded that over-active thymus glands might lead to ‘men doing wrong’, and explain sexual crimes and violence, and that reducing the thymus might lead to reform and greater self-control. During the 1930s a series of newspapers published articles about enhanced physical and cognitive development in rats fed thymus gland. ‘BETTER THAN A MONKEY GLAND!’ was the headline. This might have led to Wellcome & Burroughs producing this ‘Thymus Gland Extract’ tabloid reduced weight, greater virility and muscle power might have been some of the intended results. In the 2020s scientists now know that the thymus gland produces ‘T-cells’ which are an important part of our immune system. See more

24.01.2022 COMA Tasmania Mystery Object Pop Quiz: can you guess what this object might have been used for?

22.01.2022 COMA Mystery Object Pop Quiz: Can you guess what these objects were and what role they may have played in women's health in the late 1800s-early 1900s?

21.01.2022 'The Witches Cauldron' seminar is now at full capacity. Our next seminar will be held next March and we are looking into larger venues to allow for social distancing - we hope to see you then! We are filming 'The Witches Cauldron' and plan to make the video accessible to our Friends via our new website. ... We apologize for any inconvenience caused.

21.01.2022 FIGHTING THE INVISIBLE ENEMY PT 2 Is it a comfort to have identified your enemy, but still have little defence against them? This was the position millions of people found themselves in in the 50 years between Koch's confirmation that bacteria caused systemic diseases such as anthrax and tuberculosis, and the discovery of the earliest antibiotics. Prevention was better than cure - especially when there was no cure. Tasmanians responded with increased vigilance about disinfection and soap to prevent infection from their invisible, frightening enemy: germs. [Hearne’s Bronchitis Cure Advertisement, Bacchus Marsh Express 18 November 1911, reproduced courtesy of Trove]

21.01.2022 CELLS & CELL THEORY: In 1849 an ambitious young doctor named Henry Butler arrived in Tasmania. He carried an important item in his luggage: a microscope. Influenced by Dr Theodore Schwann’s new ‘cell theory’, young doctors began to buy microscopes. Dr Butler took samples of blood and tissue from his patients that still survive. Did he see ‘germs’ in those samples? We don’t know. [Photograph reproduced courtesy of Libraries Tasmania.]

20.01.2022 COMA's Mystery Pop Quiz Answer: this photograph shows medical staff demonstrating a trans-cranial magnetic stimulation device in the 1990s in Tasmania. Early TMS machines were intended as diagnostic tools coils were placed at different sites over the skull, and pulses of electromagnetic energy were delivered to targeted areas of the brain to track how they affected movement, decision-making, mood and memory. Repetitive TMS has been found to have therapeutic benefits for maj...or depression, similar to ECT but without the convulsions, memory loss and need for anaesthesia. In the 1990s, psychiatrist Dr Saxby Pridmore, then head of psychiatry at the Royal Hobart Hospital, was an early advocate, and his team conducted blind trials into TMS, demonstrating its effectiveness: ‘When the first commercial TMS machine became available, we purchased one for the RHH. This was the first therapeutic TMS in the southern hemisphere.' See more

20.01.2022 'Monster soup!' Have you ever believed something to be true, only to discover that it wasn't? This happened to people all over the world as scientists developed first cell theory and then germ theory in the mid to late 1800s. As microscopes became more widely available, first scientists and then the public could see a tiny world, literally a 'microcosm' living alongside us and affecting us in almost every way. Over the next month we will explore the growing understanding of germ theory over the 19th and early 20th century. This cartoon, reproduced from the Wellcome Collection in London from 1840, shows the shock that people felt when they became aware of the micro-organisms that lived in the water they drank.

18.01.2022 From Libraries Tasmania... 'Influenza: Instructions to volunteer nurses or family attendants'

18.01.2022 QVMAg's new exhibition Minds Do Matter explores mental health through art.

18.01.2022 'INVISIBLE MICROZYMES' By the 1860s Dr Edward Swarbreck Hall wrote reports to 'The Mercury' on the correlations between weather and deaths from ‘zymotic diseases’ like typhoid. He believed that invisible ‘microzymes’ could be breathed in miasma or drunk in dirty water. He became a passionate advocate for the right to clean drinking water for all people in Hobart. [Photograph reproduced courtesy of Libraries Tasmania.]

18.01.2022 Wild Polio Virus Eradicated in Africa... 'Frontline workers, 95% of whom were women, managed to navigate areas of conflict like Lake Chad by boat and deliver vaccines to remote communities.' Personally, I am in awe of the courage of the women who risked their lives, and sometimes died, to ensure that no child in Nigeria would suffer from polio. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-53887947

17.01.2022 DEFEATING THE INVISIBLE ENEMY - ONE HORSE TABLET AT A TIME... Paramisan Sodium, by Hertz Pharmaceuticals c 1950s If you suffered from tuberculosis in Tasmania in the 1940s-60s, you might remember choking down these Paramisan ‘horse tablets’ as part of your treatment. The antibiotic Streptomycin was one of the first effective treatments for tuberculosis, but scientists quickly recognised the possibility of the bacteria developing resistance to the drug. Paramisan sodium in combination with streptomycin antibiotic was more effective than the antibiotic alone.

14.01.2022 Mystery Pop Quiz answer: This was a 'scarificator', used for smallpox vaccination in the mid to late 1800s. Before scientists had identified exactly what organism caused smallpox, 'vaccination' was performed by transferring the pus or 'lymph' from infected cow pox sores on cattle or humans, into a series of cuts on a patient's arm. 19th century small pox vaccination looks like a bit of a brutal process - first the cuts through this spring loaded device, rather like the ones used for 'bleeding' and cupping, and then the lymph scraped into the cuts. But given how deadly or disfiguring small pox could be, a sore arm would have been a small price to pay. Once we are open again to the public, you would be able to see this scarificator and more in our display 'Miasmas, Humours & Germ Theory'.

13.01.2022 COMA Tasmania's Mystery Object Pop Quiz is back! Can you guess what Wellcome & Burroughs 'Thymus Gland Tabloids' might have have been for? As always, feel free to speculate in the comments below, and we will publish the answer tomorrow.

13.01.2022 We've not posted a great deal on the Covid 19 pandemic - but this is worth celebrating. If I or friend or family member of mine was involved in this I would be feeling pretty proud right now. https://www.abc.net.au//coronavirus-vaccine-oxfor/12475892

10.01.2022 COMA Tasmania Mystery Object Pop Quiz: can you guess what this object is and how it might be used? (note, something like this is still in use today...)

06.01.2022 EUREKA In 1877 Dr Robert Koch took the first photographs of anthrax bacteria, and proved they caused the disease. But the world had to wait 50 years for effective treatments of sulphonamides and penicillin for systemic diseases like anthrax and tuberculosis.

05.01.2022 COMA Tasmania Mystery Pop Quiz Answer: The Ingram's Whirling Spray and the St George's Enema Syringe were used by women for contraception and 'intimate hygiene'. Before the development of modern contraception , the women of days past relied on douching - vaginal rinsing with the help of enema syringes. Douching was believed to flush out sperm after intercourse. It was also used to prevent body odours and infections. These are two common examples of enema syringes from th...e early 20th century. The whirling spray and the enema syringe work in very similar ways, with the spray containing the solution in its bulbous area and be squeezed to take effect while the syringe has to be connected to a separate source of solution with the bulb acting as a vaccuum pump. The enema solution was made up of household disinfectants like creosol and Lysol and in later years, spermicidal jelly, spray, and foam solutions were sprayed directly into the vaginal cavity. The procedure was officially sanctioned in 1832 by American physician, Charles Knowlton, resulting in the opening of douching clinics in 1836 as the practice became more popular. See more

05.01.2022 This animated article shows the different treatments presently being tested for Covid 19, including plasma donation, antivirals and drugs to drugs to calm down over-excited immune responses. https://www.abc.net.au//coronavirus-treatments-a/12527034

05.01.2022 Mystery object pop quiz answer: it was called an 'Invigorator'. This belt was intended to be worn around the waist and groin of either men or women, and was believed to create a small charge of electricity to 'invigorate' the muscles and nerves. In the 18th to early 20th centuries scientists speculated that human bodies were a little like batteries, and that small amounts of 'the right kind' of electricity would 'revitalise' people suffering from mental illness, 'nerves', and... muscle pain - after all, these were all nerve signals created by electricity. This idea was quickly marketed and by the 1900s devices like the 'Invigorator' could be worn, or hand-held devices could be used to 'top up' depleted energy and create more masculine men and more feminine women as a result. More stories about electricity and health can be found in our display 'Cured by Lightning!' once we re-open. See more

03.01.2022 COMA SEMINAR & AGM UPDATE We've had some enquiries whether we are planning to hold our next seminar and AGM for 2020 in September. Sadly at this time we will be unable to host them in September, due to ongoing restrictions for visitors to Jane Franklin Hall into November, to ensure student safety. We are looking at dates after that, either at Jane if possible, or at another venue if the restrictions continue, and will let our friends know as soon as we have our seminar date and venue confirmed. We support Jane Franklin Hall's decision to keep their students' health and safety the priority as they are their primary duty of care.

03.01.2022 FIGHTING THE INVISIBLE ENEMY Pasteur and Lister’s discoveries about infection and ‘germs’ led to the use of carbolic acid and eucalyptus oil in Tasmanian sick rooms as disinfectants. The word 'germ' originates in the Latin word 'germen' - 'a seed or sprout'. 'Germs' were believed to be tiny 'seeds of life' that could be carried in the air, or present on surfaces.

03.01.2022 Soon to be released ! 100 Years of The May Shaw , a history of healthcare on the east Coast, written by Hilary Burden, an author and broadcaster, now a full tim...e resident of Swansea, who often holidayed here as a girl when her father was the G.P. for Derby to our north. Craig Johnston asked Hilary to research and write a history of May Shaw and as he states in the book’s dedication, May Shaw has always belonged to the community, is managed by a committee for the community and provides ongoing Multi-Service Healthcare for the community. Craig Johnston has dedicated many years of service to the community and in particular May Shaw Health Centre both as Citizen and Councillor. The assistance provided by Craig and Jennifer Johnston to many organisations and in particular May Shaw is not always well known, but be assured they have been generous benefactors in the past and continue to do so, by publishing this book , all proceeds from the sale of the book will go to May Shaw. There are Three versions available, a limited edition collectors volume in a stylish black slip case and this is priced at $80 and limited to 100 signed copies. A hardback volume at $ 50 and a Paperback or softcover volume at $ 30. Books can be ordered and prepaid for at May Shaw Reception and will be available on the launch day scheduled for 2 PM on the 31st of October, In the R.S.L. dining room and, Carpark and the Swansea Courthouse. It is hoped for a celebratory atmosphere with Afternoon Tea, refreshments some light entertainment, we are hoping to bring residents from May Shaw weather permitting and books can also be purchased on the day of the Launch. There is to be an auction of one very special collector’s volume which contains the signatures of many people featured in the book. As early as 1910 from the Bush Nursing Association through to the May Shaw Bequest given by Howard Amos in memory of his wife in 1936, through different buildings within the town to the current location has been a journey involving many of our citizens past and present, many being born in the various buildings or treated after accidents, the surprising number of people I have encountered who have worked for the many guises of Health Care in Swansea and in particular May Shaw has amazed me , and this booklet which does not try to catch everyone or every event, gives an invaluable snapshot of the last 100 years of health care in Swansea, and the sales will hopefully assist in providing many more years of service to our community. Noel Stanley

02.01.2022 COMA's Mystery Object Pop Quiz is back by popular request... this very Steampunk looking object was popular for a variety of ills during the early 1900s. A closer look at the image might give you a clue about what its inventors believed it might do for the human body. We'll publish the answer for what it is tomorrow, but as always please feel free to speculate in the comments below.

02.01.2022 You might remember the animated article from the ABC website showing how viruses like Covid 19 work in cells, and how different drugs interfere with those processes? This article is describing one of the possible therapies and its effectiveness. Hopeful stuff. https://www.sciencedirect.com//arti/pii/S0166354220302011