Dec 2013
Death happens to anything and everything that lives, and it is something that really freak the hell out of me because I know one day, there won't be any me. But I always have an interest in dead things, call me morbid maybe but when I look up places to go in Bangkok, Siriraj Medical Museum really caught my attention 2 years ago. But it was only last December I visited it alone, because no one I know wanna visit such places. Given that humans are afraid of the unknown....
So here I am, taking the subway to Saphan Taksin BTS, board a ferry and pay THB15 for the ferry ride and alight at Wang Lang Pier. Since I am only going to one pier, it is not worth it to pay for a day pass at THB 150. In addition, I did not pay for my trip back because it was so crowded in the ferry and the staff could not possibly make sure everyone pays for it.
Once I alight at the pier, I walked out and at the right side, there is an old building and it is the Siriraj Hospital.There are a total of 3 museums to look for. They are Congdon Anatomical Museum (at the 3rd floor, Anatomy Building- Free entry), Sood Sangvichien Prehistoric Museum (ground floor, Anatomy Building-free entry) and Museum at Adulyadejvikrom Building - THB 200. Well prepared with my map of the hospital, the first museum I found was the Anatomical Museum at the Anatomy Building. The building is very old and it is kinda very silent for one person to just walk in and you can get freak out of any sound which happens to me.
Walking up, I saw this dissecting room which state no entry sign but you can literally just walking in. I saw something that resemble a corpse lying on the cold metal table covered up underneath a sheet.
Up the staircases are pictures or drawings of figures or well known people whom I have no idea of. I couldn't understand since it was all in Thai writing.
The first preserved body I see is of a boy who was cut up into 3 parts. As mentioned in my earlier blog entries, I have lost my phone and some of the photos taken in here. This is the side view of the boy. You can see that he still has his organs and his brain in the skull.
The entry to the Anatomical Museum. There isn't many visitors here so I was freaked out when I heard sounds which was from another foreign visitor. Oh well, it is also could be the fact that I was breaking the rules by secretly taking photos here as photography is prohibited.
The front view of the boy. Thank God, his eye was closed. If it's a scary movie scene, it surely opens up suddenly.
Skeletons on display and some have well known public figures photographs and some writings. I believe these skeletons belongs to them.
Joints and ankles and hands on display...with most of the flesh removed to show the bone structures.
Skeletons of babies and infant / small child
Pelvis bones
You can even see that the toe nails are intact. It must be a male feet since the size is big to me.
Bat
The tallest skeleton is due to gigantism.
This guy has badly twisted limbs and he has severe scoliosis
Baby skeleton once again. Human child are born with some gaps in between the skull. As the child grows, the skull bones will fuse as one.
It looks like the growing stages of a rat or something.
This shows how many dissected brain parts here.
A man with exposed front to show the organs and his limbs are removed
The section about conjoined twins and abnormal foetus are on display as well. There is a security camera there so my photo taking stops here.
Do look out for two of the most incredible and famous displays in the anatomical museum of the nervous and arterial systems of the body.
Entry of
Museum at Adulyadejvikrom Building - THB 200. You can borrow for a headphone with laser pointer to scan for English explanation of the display there by submitting your passport and return the equipment when you are done for your passport. I did not see the locals taking it since the exhibits are well explained in Thai words.
There are no photographs of this museum however it is not to be missed even though it is the only one you have to pay entry for.
It exhibits many objects collected from homicides, suicides and accidental + natural death causes - skulls, skeletons, preserved organs that shows injury+ organs involved in natural deaths.
There are preserved bodies of rapists and the famous Si Ouey who was sentenced to death for killing six children and eating their organs, believing that it will bring him good health. There is also exhibit of the blood stained clothes from the Nualchawee murder cases.
The Ellis Pathological Museum at the same Adulyadejvikrom Building also feature exhibits of the common types of cancers, feta development and congenital anomalies and heart diseases.
Up Next: BANGKOK II: Day 5 (Last Day) Part 2: Street Food outside Siriraj Hospital
