Take a Look Inside the Heart of Cape Town Museum
This one goes into the ‘unusual things to do in Cape Town’ category and while you think it might be boring, its actually pretty interesting.
If you’re on a tight schedule and limited time in Cape Town, and its your first time in the city, then you might skip it.
Buuutttt, if you are interested in medicine, or human anatomy, or just enjoy doing something a little different, then this could be for you.
The tour is guided and runs every hour on the hour but I would phone ahead and check. You don’t need to pre-buy any tickets, you just buy them when you get there.
READ: Best Things To Do in Cape Town With Kids – The Safari Compass
Why is this Museum So Special?
This museum is a tribute to history of the late Professor Christiaan Barnard and his momentous time of successfully managing the first successful human-to-human heart transplant in the world.
Yep, in the world.
It also stands on the exact site where this transplant took place in Groote Schuur Hospital in Observatory.
That Fateful Day in 1967
On 3 December 1967, at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, surgeon Professor Christiaan Barnard and a large medical team transplanted the heart of Denise Darvall into Louis Washkansky, making history in the medical field around the world.
Denise was with her mother, crossing the Main Road in Observatory after buying a cake from a local bakery, when crossing the road they were both knocked over by a drunk driver. Very sadly, Denise’s mother passed away at the scene, however Denise was still alive but has incurred a skull fracture and other serious head injuries.
At Groote Schuur hospital, her father made the difficult decision to donate Denise’s organs after she had been declared brain dead by the medical team at the hospital.
Not only was her heart transplanted, but her kidney was also donated and it saved the life of a young boy.
What Do You See on the Heart of Cape Town Museum Tour?
Everything along this tour has been created and set up extremely well; get to see the models of the medical teams who were in theatre that day.
There were of course two teams; one operating to remove Denise’s heart, and the other was looking after the recipient, Mr Louis Whaskansky.
The fantastic team at Madame Tussauds in the UK created these models out of silicone, as wax would melt in the South African heat. But they really are incredible; very lifelike. Like you just want to poke them for a feel…
There is also an interesting section showing some of the many letters received by Professor Chris Barnard – some inspiring and some quite nasty.
And at the end of the tour is an informative 15-minute video where you can learn more about the history and what it meant for medical science.
The tour is about an hour or so, and it is interesting for teenagers and adults; I think young children interested in medicine, or learning about the human body will also find this outing extremely valuable.
While you are in Cape Town, there really are a lot of other great places and activities to explore. Why not have a look and see what interests you?
Want to Explore Somewhere Else in Cape Town with Kids?
