New Exhibition at Observatory Museum
Friday, 26th July 2024
The Observatory Museum has a new exhibit that honours the Victorian Men of Science, Henry Carter Galpin and Dr. William Guybon Atherstone. Sinethemba Yame of the Observatory Museum recently led a tour of the new exhibition for Makhanda residents and learners, sharing stories about the lives of Galpin, who trained as an architect and civil engineer but became a well-known watchmaker and jeweller in Grahamstown, and Dr. Atherstone, Grahamstown's famous surgeon and geologist.
These two individuals, who came to our city, then known as Grahamstown, had scientific interests, primarily in astronomy, geology, and meteorology, and therefore contributed to scientific and technological information that continues to influence our lives today.
"The goal of this show is to bridge the gap between technology then and technology now, as well as to produce an exhibition that will be interesting to both young and old people. They used to operate without anaesthesia until they realized that Etha Burner could make people drowsy and make surgery easier. Dr. Atherstone was the second person in South Africa to administer Etha Burner as an anaesthetic. It's all about celebrating such moments."
The Observatory Museum opens Monday to Friday at 9:00 to 16:00 and every second Saturday at 9:00-14:00. Visits during the weekend require prior arrangement by contacting: + 27(0) 46 622 2312.
Click here to read more or check out this recent news article about the Observatory Museum.
