Project

Neurosciences and History in Images

The Spanish Society of Neurology’s museum and historical archive (MAH SEN) is entrusted with promoting historical research and the conservation and donation of historical material. It also publicises the history of neurology in Spain and that of its Society, the SEN. One of the museum’s key objectives is to foster historical neurology research and making younger generations of neurologists aware of how their field has evolved.

When the SEN created its historical archive in 2003, the idea of exhibiting collections began to take root. The next logical step was the founding of the museum in 2007. The museum employs an integrated system based on three key activities: collection management, communication, and research.

MAH SEN’s collections have grown considerably since its early days, and they now include a wealth of scientific and historical information in the form of original material (95% of the full collection) and digital copies of manuscripts and photographs. In 2011, the archive was transferred to a new location which currently houses the SEN’s institutional historical archive, all personal collections and bequests that have been received to date, a major library of works on the history of the neurosciences, audio-visual material, and a collection of neurological instruments. MAH SEN’s constantly expanding audio-visual collection includes a wide variety of material –photographs, videos, audio recording, negatives, etc.– spanning the period between the late 19^th century and the present.

The project “Neurosciences and History in Images” will entail digitising the SEN’s audio-visual archive and publishing it online. The purpose of the project is to present historical developments in the neurosciences since the late 19^th century to specialists and anyone else with an interest in the field, and this initiative will raise exciting new topics for historical research. This project was accomplished thanks to the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies - FENS Funding for European Neuroscience History Projects in 2013. “Neurosciences and History in Images” will pursue the following objectives:

• Digitise the Spanish Society of Neurology’s audio-visual archive.
• Create a webpage in Spanish and English presenting the online version of the archive. The online version will include both a search catalogue and virtual displays of archive contents.
• Document the history and development of the neurosciences in Europe. Each image will be accompanied by interpretive text explaining the image’s context from a medical, historical, and sociocultural viewpoint.
• Promote audio-visual collections as sources for historical research.