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Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Gilded wooden statue of Saint Cosmas, Spanish, 1770-1850
St Cosmas (said to have lived in Cilicia, now southern Turkey, sometime dur-ing 301-400) practised medicine free of charge with his twin St Damian. Here St Cosmas is performing a technique known as uroscopy, in which urine from the patient is observed, smelt and even tasted. Bodily fluids gave clues about the state of the balance of humours and could give the physician ideas for how to treat the patient. The statue is carved from a single piece of wood and painted.
Details
- Category:
- Classical & Medieval Medicine
- Object Number:
- A61558
- Materials:
- complete, gold plated (gilded), paint and wood
- type:
- statue
- taxonomy:
-
- visual and verbal communication
- sculpture
- credit:
- Chavet, A.
