Old Operating Theatre in London - Essay Example

The Old Operating Theatre’ in London: In the Context of Pierre Nora’s Concept of ‘Lieux de Memoire’ or Sites of Memory and Postmodernism Introduction Cultural transformations and developing technologies have caused a decline in the significance and role of old spaces and monuments. However, “the irrational fascination with the magical power of some places – including their power to activate memories has a long and dignified tradition in the West”1, and it is believed that this approach is likely to persist in some form. This tradition has been revived by some 20th century thinkers who opposed the influence of modern science and technology on an ideological basis. “Architectural phenomenologists have been particularly active in advocating a born-again power of places, which includes their symbolic and memorial functions”2. Tensions characterize the transitions in the last twenty years, related to the Postmodernist renaissance of monuments, and are evident in the preface to the first volume of Pierre Nora’s seminal Les Lieux de Memoire translated as ‘sites of memory’, which envisioned a collection of ‘memory places’ ranging from concrete structures to abstract intellectual constructions. On the other hand, in the last volume of Nora’s series written eight years later, the author complains that his formula ‘memory places’ has not been comprehended as the dematerialization of ‘places’ intended as symbolic instruments. Nora’s memory places were conceptualized as places within the mind, as in the conventional and Renaissance art of memory. These ‘sites of memory’ have displaced real environments of memory or Milieux de Memoire3. ‘The Old Operating Theatre’ in London dating back to 1822 has been preserved in the form of an unusual museum. “It is the oldest in Europe and found in a unique space in the Herb Garret of St. Thomas Church, and was a part of old St. Thomas Hospital”4. Thesis Statement: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the historically significant Old Operating Theatre in London, in the context of Pierre Nora’s theory of ‘sites of memory’ and postmodernism. ‘The Old Operating Theatre’ in London: In the Context of Pierre Nora’s ‘Sites of Memory’ and a Postmodernist Approach The consciousness of a break with the past is linked to the quintessence of memory in particular sites where an inherent quality of historical continuity still exists5. The trend of conferring significance to old building structures, sites, or spaces having symbolic and memorial importance, when separated from its ideological basis also led to the design of new ‘intentional’ monuments serving memorial functions in Postmodern architecture and urban design6. However, old, historically meaningful spaces such as the ‘Old Operating Theatre’ in London is highly educative regarding its past functions as an operating theatre where a great number of amputations and simpler surgical procedures were performed in view of a large audience of student doctors, using the coarse tools and methods of that time and age7. The Old Operating Theatre Museum is a place which has frozen in time, and has a rich store of memorable experiences for visitors interested in the past. In the barn-like roof space of the old St. Thomas Church, accessed by means of a rickety spiral staircase, the Museum a part of the old Herb Garret of St. Thomas Hospital. The herb garret has an old-world aura with its oak beams and bundles of herbs, but this charming space is offset by the grim Operating Theatre which “is a shocking reminder of the harsh reality of life before modern science and technology”8. The past comes alive in the operating theatre, where amputations and other operations were performed without anaesthesia or sophisticated surgical instruments. Further, there was no running water in the operating theatre, and sawdust was used to mop up blood. Even today, blood stains are visible on the operating table and other areas of the room. The operating theatre was separated from the women’s surgical ward Dorcas, by situating it in the Herb Garret of the Church. With a separate entrance for students to witness the procedures, there was a measure of sound proofing introduced in the plan of the operation theatre’s location. Further, “it was also approximately at the same level as the women’s surgical ward which aided the transport of patients to the theatre”9. The theatre has a large skylight to maximise the light from above; but there are no provisions for heating and ventilation. The area though small was ideal for demonstrating surgical procedures to a large audience of students who occupied rows separated by fences, in a sloping step-formation, to permit a good view of the proceedings at the base of the room. Only after 1846 were anaesthetics put to use in surgery. Until then, the only recourse was the mental preparation of the patient and alcohol or opiates to dull the patient’s senses; these were followed by the use of ether or chloroform. “The Operating Theatre had closed down before antiseptic surgery was invented”10. Most of the cases addressed in the operating theatre were related to amputations or superficial complaints; internal operations could not be carried out without antiseptic conditions It is evident that the Old Operating Theatre reveals limited information in the larger context of social medicine, only indicating that surgical procedures were carried out under harsh conditions without anaesthetics, antiseptics or antibiotics to provide relief and protection to the patients. The lack of wider social implications results in an inadequate perception of the history of medicine and surgery. Pierre Nora observed that memory is an unselfconscious, socially unifying connection to the past, which contrasted with history in the form of a more analytical and alienated connection with the past. The site of memory of lieux de memoire consists of ‘memory places’ ranging from concrete structures, objects and actual sites to abstract intellectual constructs. Postmodern literary arguments claim that historical as well as ficitional narratives attempt to make the past appear coherent and complete; however this is radically different from the inconsistent ways in which real lives have been lived. Pierre Nora’s Postmodern concept of ‘sites of memory’ explains the historically significant site of the Old Operation Theatre Museum, and its interiors and artefacts on display. The scholar states that what was once daily life and lived memory is now a historical object. He adds that the sites of memory exist because the environments of memory do not exist any more. The environments of memory refer to the actual concrete settings of early times, with all the structures and objects continuing to remain as they were in history. Nora further states that the conservation and transmission of collectively remembered traditional values is vital for creating the environment of memory11. The preservation of conventional customs and beliefs is carried out by families, churches, schools, and the state. Thus, the Old Operating Theatre which has been developed into a Museum to preserve its authentic appearance and to reflect its original function, actually serves solely as a site of memory or Lieux de Memoire. Only if the Museum can recreate and inform viewers of the social milieu and societal conditions of that time, can it create an environment of memory or Milieux de Memoire. Nora also claims that the goal of history is not to present facts in an uplifting manner, but to destroy what had occurred in reality. In this way, he presents history and memory as each other’s key reality or essence. “Where history is concerned, memory increasingly functions as an antonym rather than synonym; contrary rather than complement and replacement rather than supplement”12. Conclusion Bibliography Carpo, M. ‘The post-modern cult of monuments’, Future Anterior, vol.iv, no.2, 2007 Winter, pp.51-60. Klein, KL. ‘On the emergence of memory in historical discourse’, Representations, 127- 150, http://www.history.ucsb.edu/faculty/marcuse/classes/201/articles/00KleinMemoryHistDiscourseRep.pdf Nora, P. ‘Between memory and history: Les lieux de memoire’, trans. Marc Roudebush, Representations, vol.26,1989 Spring, pp.7-24. Thegarret.org 1. The Old Operating Theatre: Museum and Herb Garret, 2012, retrieved 9 November 2012, http://www.thegarret.org.uk/ Thegarret.org 2. The Old Operating Theatre, 2012, retrieved 9 November 2012, http://www.thegarret.org.uk/tour.htm Thegarret.org 3. The Operating Theatre, 2012, retrieved 9 November 2012, http://www.thegarret.org.uk/oot.htm Read More