What happened at the WUM during the Night of Museums?

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Participants of educational workshops conduct experiments at a laboratory table. Containers, bottles, and work materials are placed on the tabletop, and anatomical charts of the brain are visible in the background.
Several thousand people visited the Medical History Museum WUM on Saturday night. Medicines were the main theme of this year's edition of the event, because we are celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Faculty of Pharmacy. During the night tour, visitors could prepare a magistral formula, listen to students explain how to safely use popular medications, check whether bacteria actually respond to antibiotics and attend a lecture on counterfeit medicines. Those were only some of the attractions waiting for visitors.

As every year, the event significantly went beyond the halls of the Medical History Museum, which is located on the Banacha Campus in the Library and Information Center. The student booths filled the entire ground floor and part of the first floor of the building, where one of the latest exhibitions was located.

Student workshops and booths

Anyone who wanted to could prove themselves in the role of a pharmacist, preparing a magistral formula, or in the role of a diagnostician – by participating in diagnostic workshops. The visitors could also try their hand at surgical suturing on professional skin pads. Students of the Faculty of Dental Medicine demonstrated the proper technique for brushing teeth, and students of Emergency Medicine presented instruction on how to provide first aid. There was also an opportunity to learn how scientists studied the sensitivity of bacteria to antibiotics and to look at various preparations under a microscope.

A booth promoting prophylaxis was also very popular. You could measure your blood sugar, check your blood pressure and get tested for HCV (the virus responsible for hepatitis). There was also a long line at the booth of the Human Nutrition Student Research Club, where the visitors could undergo body composition tests (adipose tissue, muscle mass, bone mass, hydration, metabolic age). The demonstration of bone marrow collection from... a chicken thigh also generated a lot of excitement. 

Exhibitions, or a lesson in the history of medicine 

Of course, there was no shortage of history lessons – after all, the event was organized by the Medical History Museum. Visitors were given the opportunity to view exhibitions showcasing the history of academic medical education in Warsaw, as well as the historical activities of clinics specializing in cardiology, surgery, orthopedics, obstetrics and gynecology, pharmacy, and dentistry. Visitors could also see what Prof. Jerzy Choróbski's and Prof. Ireneusz Roszkowski's offices looked like. The two most recent exhibitions "The Medical Students' Society through the Years" and "100 years of the Faculty of Pharmacy, 1926-2026" were a huge hit.

Medications are not candy – lessons in anatomical theater

An anatomical theater was also opened for visitors. This part of the event was hosted by medical students. However, they did not teach anatomy lessons, as was the case in previous editions of the Night of Museums. This time, they discussed the safety of using medications. Students warned against pharmacological traps, such as the same substance "hidden" under different trade names (overdosing is easy in such situations). They also explained how opioid drugs, pseudoephedrine and antibiotics worked and what rules should be followed when taking them. The class lasted about 20 minutes, then another group of visitors could come in and the lesson started again.

Lectures on counterfeit medications and more...

"Counterfeit medicines are products that have been knowingly and intentionally falsified. They pretend to be legally existing medicinal products," said Agnieszka Kalicka from the Department of Drug Chemistry, Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis WUM, the first speaker of the Night of Museums. "They have counterfeit packaging. They contain ingredients other than those declared on the packaging. In many cases, their origin is also hidden (it is not entirely clear who manufactured them) and they are very often sold outside the legal market."

During her lecture, the expert showed examples of original and counterfeit medicines. It turns out that anabolic androgenic steroids, erection drugs and weight loss preparations are most commonly falsified. And how widespread is the problem?

"One in 100 drugs sold in pharmacies is counterfeit, while online, counterfeit medicines account for as much as 50%," warned Agnieszka Kalicka urging the listeners not to buy medicines online. "They can be ordered online, but we should always pick them up at the pharmacy." 

Dr Paweł Kozłowski from the Department of Laboratory Medicine WUM was the second lecturer of the Night of Museums. He talked about the work of laboratory diagnosticians and testing in the case of multiple sclerosis. Piotr Jakuciński from the Student Research Club at the Department of Laboratory Medicine WUM spoke about antibiotic resistance.

Among the guests of this year's Night of Museums was Prof. Olga Ciepiela, the Vice Dean for Education in the field of Medical Analytics at the Faculty of Pharmacy WUM. The event was organized by the Medical History Museum WUM in cooperation with: the Faculty of Pharmacy WUM, KLIO Student Research Club, IFMSA-Poland – Warsaw Branch, the Polish Society of Students of Pharmacy – Warsaw Branch, the Student Society of Laboratory Diagnosticians WUM, the Polish Society of Dentistry Students – Warsaw Branch, AGAR Student Research Club, ANCONA Student Research Club, Clinical Nutrition Student Research Club, Human Nutrition Student Research Club, Sferocyt Student Research Club, and Physiotherapy Student Research Club.

An educational stand in a museum corridor. At a long table, presenters talk with visitors, and brochures, equipment, and colorful samples for demonstrations are arranged on the surface.
Practical activities at a table – participants work with anatomical skin models and educational tools. Medical containers and training materials are visible on the table.
A workshop station with educational materials. People in protective lab coats stand by a table holding tooth models, silicone molds, bowls, tools, and substances for practical activities.
A demonstration table with medical equipment. In the foreground, monitor screens displaying vital parameter charts are visible, alongside a medical mannequin with a ventilation mask and training equipment elements.
An educational presentation in a museum room. A person standing in the center shows a sheet with an illustration, surrounded by participants; anatomical charts and medical devices are visible in the background.
A crowded museum corridor with numerous educational stands. Visitors stand at workshop tables, talk to instructors, and examine educational materials; balloons and elements of the permanent exhibition are visible in the background.
An educational station with a UV lamp. A child puts their hands into a device emitting blue light, and hand hygiene disinfectants and informational materials are placed on the table nearby.
Visiting a museum exhibition. Three people stand by a glass display case and observe historical documents and dried plant specimens labeled with exhibition tags.
Educational workshops at a table. People wearing gloves and lab coats perform tasks using laboratory equipment and containers, while educational posters about brain structure and observing participants are visible in the background.
A crowded educational stand in a museum space. The presenter demonstrates materials at a table covered with numerous small bottles, leaflets, and tools, while a group of visitors gathers in front of the stand.
A museum exhibition hall filled with visitors. Numerous people view anatomical charts and exhibits arranged on walls and at educational stations.
A lecture in an auditorium filled with attendees. People sit on benches and raise their hands, while at the front a presenter displays an educational slide on a screen.
An informational and educational stand in a bright room. Visitors stand at a table with leaflets and teaching aids, talking with presenters; a backdrop with logos and a screen is visible behind them.
Educational workshops in a museum room. At tables, several people observe a demonstration using an arm model with a transparent container filled with red liquid, while the presenter explains the course of the experiment.
A rack with laboratory test tubes with colored caps placed on a table. In the blurred background, people in lab coats are visible during educational activities.
A microscope placed on a workshop table. Hands adjust the focus of the device, and Petri dishes and illustrated observation cards lie nearby.
A close-up of hands in protective gloves holding a Petri dish and a laboratory tool. Other Petri dishes with samples and reagent containers are placed on the table beside them.
A workshop station with a microscope and sample containers. Presenters in lab coats show laboratory materials to visitors, who observe the exhibits and talk at the table.
An educational presentation in a lecture hall. A person standing at a lectern speaks into a microphone, while a presentation about the role of laboratories in diagnostics is displayed on the screen behind them.
A view of a lecture hall filled with attendees seated on benches. At the front, the presenter discusses a slide, while participants watch the lecture.
A group photo of participants and organizers of an educational event in a museum space. Dozens of people stand and kneel in front of exhibition boards dedicated to the history of academic medical education in Warsaw.
The building of the Medical University of Warsaw seen from the outside after dark. The name of the university is visible on the facade, along with the illuminated main entrance.