[Image from unsplash.com]
Historically, medical devices could be scary and unorthodox. Surprisingly, some people still thought them helpful until the FDA started preapproving devices in the 1970s. There are a handful of museums in the U.S. that display some of these earliest medical devices and quackery devices. Be warned: The experience can be spooky. You might wonder how the devices ever worked.
Here are five medical history museums to check out in some of the top U.S. medtech hubs.
Danielle Kirsh is an award-winning journalist and senior editor for Medical Design & Outsourcing, MassDevice, and Medical Tubing + Extrusion, and the founder of Women in Medtech and lead editor for Big 100. She received her bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism and mass communication from Norfolk State University and is pursuing her master's in global strategic communications at the University of Florida. You can connect with her on Twitter and LinkedIn, or email her at dkirsh@wtwhmedia.com.
![An illustration showing the Edwards Lifesciences Sapien M3 transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR) system's valve being placed in the heart. [Image courtesy of Edwards Lifesciences]](https://www.medicaldesignandoutsourcing.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Edwards-Lifesciences-Sapien-M3-TMVR-valve-delivery-268x170.jpg)