Nature and medicine

Three large models of pathogens hang from the ceiling. Many of us have already become acquainted with one of them: the coronavirus. Next to it, a plague bacterium and a malaria parasite dangle above a large circular table where you can learn about the problems of factory farming and wildlife markets. On the second floor of the Senckenberg Nature Museum From spring 2024, visitors will be immersed in topics relating to human health and their relationship to nature.

The Senckenberg Society for Natural Research operates three natural history museums in Dresden, Görlitz and Frankfurt am Main. Together they are one of eight research museums in the Leibniz Association. The Frankfurt house is named after Johann Christian Senckenberg, son of a Frankfurt doctor and later a practicing physician himself. From a current perspective, the science city on the Main is also an important location for research. At four media stations in the exhibition, Senckenberg researchers provide – not only, but also – an insight into their work.

In addition to interactive touchscreen tables, there are also classic exhibits that are worth seeing. For example, a black lemur was specially prepared by the zoological taxidermists for the new exhibition. Adela Kutschke, curator of the exhibition, explains: “Black lemurs nibble on millipedes. To defend themselves, they spray a secretion that the black lemurs use to smear their fur. It is used by lemurs to combat parasites. Apart from that, it puts them in a state of intoxication.” According to Kutschke, another highlight in the exhibition area on animal medicine is the wall projection. Accompanied by sound effects, animals are visualized using nature's active ingredients to treat illnesses.

The focus of the exhibition is a facade modeled on Frankfurt's Hirsch Pharmacy from the 1930s. In the post-war period, Else Kröner developed the Fresenius healthcare group from it. The Else Kröner-Fresenius Foundation, which supports the exhibition project, goes back to her. Curator Thorolf Müller says: “The physical presence of this facade in the room shapes the exhibition. Walking past it and looking through the windows and doors is an experience in itself.” Anyone who enters the pharmacy room is presented with an unrestricted view of an illuminated image. It is teeming with plants, animals, bacteria and other organisms that contain substances that fight diseases and develop their effects in medicines.

In one of the display cases in the pharmacy room, a huge tiger skin immediately catches your eye. It stands for organisms that only supposedly contain active ingredients. “Because of lack of knowledge or misconceptions, people kill animals – and thereby cause a loss of biodiversity,” says Müller. “The most illegally traded animal in the world is currently the pangolin. And even though we could simply chew off our fingernails: they contain the same keratin that some people claim to have a healing effect.”