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25 years of Planning and the First Donations
When the Committee of the Limassol Medical As-
sociation announced its decision to create a medi-
cal museum 25 years ago, not many people took
it seriously. It was well known that such a project
required a significant effort, and it was believed
few doctors were very enthusiastic about historical
medicine and old fashioned equipment.
So we were surprised to receive our first valu-
able donations from doctors and their families in
Nicosia. These donations were soon followed by
donations from the families of well known physi-
cians in Limassol, some of whom had preserved
heavy and complicated equipment left behind by
the deceased. Soon thereafter, we received obsolete
equipment and instruments from practicing physi-
cians, which they donated to our museum, rather
than disposing of it. We were ultimately able to ac-
cumulate an enormous collection of valuablemedi-
cal artefacts.
ADifficult Road
The construction of the museum was approved in
2001, and it was officially registered in 2003. The
road to the success of the museum was a difficult
one, however, and there were many obstacles. It
was difficult to find storage space, and efforts to
convince both state and municipal authorities to
provide us with an appropriate location to establish
the museum failed. A notable example is the fa-
mous abandoned Tritoftidis Clinic at the centre of
Limassol, which was eventually demolished, while
other buildings were used by the Limassol munici-
pality for the establishment of other museums.
In the midst of our frustration and disappointment,
the mayor of Kato Polemidia, George Georghiou,
informed us his council was willing to offer us a
unique old building in the historical sector of Po-
lemidia which was slated for renovation under
the supervision of the Department of Antiquities.
We were delighted by and thankful for Mayor
The Cyprus Medical Museum
A dentist in the old days
Reconstruction of child birth