The Museum of History of KazNMU was opened in 2001; in the 2008-2009 academic year, a complete reconstruction of the exhibition halls was carried out on an area of 280 sq.m. The new 54 showcases, 3 podiums and 2 turnstiles are made taking into account modern design and decorated with interesting materials. It reflects the main stages of ancient and medieval medicine, the medical heritage of the great Kipchak Al-Farabi, Kazakh folk medicine, the development of state medicine from the 19th century to the present day, the history of KazNMU.
Currently, the Museum’s collections contain more than 55,000 items. In a very short time, the Museum has gained popularity among students and teachers, and has become an active center for educational work, on the basis of which excursions and various extracurricular activities are held: curatorial hours, meetings with war and labor veterans, scientists and famous figures of the republic.
The goals of extracurricular museum activities arise from its specificity as a special type of educational work and from the specifics of educational subjects at a medical university. Therefore, extracurricular activities at the Museum have a dual purpose: firstly, it is the education of the worldview of medical students, their ideological, patriotic, moral character, the formation of their aesthetic taste, and secondly, it is the improvement of students’ knowledge.
The main, most specific form of the Museum’s work is an excursion (educational or educational). It is the excursion that creates the most favorable opportunities for assimilating the facts and concepts contained in the exhibitions, and plays an active role in shaping the morals and beliefs of the younger generation. Using the example of the life and work of the luminaries of Russian medicine, future doctors develop the qualities of a real doctor: fidelity to duty, moral purity, humanism, and the ability to compassion.
Moral education is closely intertwined with the formation of students’ civic position and patriotism, pride in the achievements of the new Kazakhstan. In this work, a visual role is played by exhibitions dedicated to the history of the 30s, repressions, and the war against fascism. The unique exhibition is dedicated to young doctors Manshuk Mametova and Vladimir Ivanilov, who were posthumously awarded the high title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
At the Museum, students meet with WWII veterans and their descendants and watch documentaries about the history of medicine during the war.
Work experience shows that acquaintance with the Museum of History of KazNMU provides great opportunities not only for ideological and patriotic education, but also aesthetic. The most effective means of shaping aesthetic tastes and spiritual and moral education of young people is art. In 2009, on the basis of the Museum, a film lecture “The History of Masterpieces of World Art” was opened for students, which is very popular. In addition, the permanent exhibition of the Museum contains a fairly large number of rare antique books and art objects, including the famous historical and ethnographic paintings by S. Aitbaev “Happiness” and People’s Artist of the USSR, laureate of the USSR State Prize K. Telzhanov “On the Land of Grandfathers”. Authentic objects of art include a good collection of Kazakh wooden utensils from the 19th and 20th centuries, wooden yurt furniture and some exhibits of applied art. Such items are not only exhibits of home hygiene, they are made very professionally, and the artistic level of the Kazakh artisan is visible in them. The Museum’s display cases also display objects from archaeological excavations: ceramic water pipes from ancient Taraz, vessels from Otrar, indicating the degree of development of hygiene in medieval Kazakh cities and the high level of working with clay. These exhibits always arouse students’ interest.
During the excursion, students receive a sufficient and reasoned amount of scientific information. The guide must indicate the authenticity, rarity, uniqueness or typicality of the museum item, provide information about the history of the exhibit, the technique of restoration work, the rationale and prospects for the development of the Museum, etc. This approach strengthens the role of the Museum in the process of assimilation by young people of the historical and cultural values of the republic, as well as in the education of museum culture.
Thematic classes conducted at the Museum and based on close cooperation with specialized departments of the university (history of Kazakhstan, course in the history of medicine) are very effective. Such classes involve familiarization with the scientific content of the exhibition, the Museum’s collections, and then subsequent cooperation with the most gifted students, involving them in scientific work. Similar work is also carried out with non-core departments. For example, in the curriculum of the departments of Kazakh and Russian languages there is the topic “Our University”. The clarity and authenticity of exhibits on the history of KazNMU very effectively help to master educational material on this topic.
Numerous Kazakh household items and ethnographic paintings from the Museum’s art gallery are demonstrated in the “Cultural Studies” course. For all cadets of the FPC, seminars are held on the basis of the Museum on the topic “Experience
Brief information about the employees:
- Sayatova Aliya Saparovna – head of the Museum of History of KazNMU, Ph.D. honey. Sciences, Associate Professor, tel. 292-69-69 (ext. 277)
- Sagimbayeva Gulnazira Syzdykovna – restoration artist
- Baitulenova Fatima Tanatovna – Chief custodian of funds