STUDENTS have stepped back in time to learn about the history of Medicine in a new and exciting revision day in Leeds.

As part of their History GCSE programme, the Richmond School and Sixth Form students participated in hands-on workshops at the Royal Armouries and saw the Doctor’s Show, an interactive theatre production.

At the Royal Armouries, the students focussed specifically on the role of warfare in medicine.

They were able to handle weapons and armour from the medieval and Renaissance periods and the First World War.

They could see the progression in technology and the impact this had on medicine and surgery and the staff made the students really think by posing challenging questions.

The students were taken through some of the galleries by museum staff and specific objects were considered in relation to their medicine course.

The visit to the Armouries ended with a live firing of British and German First World War guns to show the differences and issues.

Staff, students and some passers-by were astonished at the loudness of the firing and it gave students a real flavour of the noise of a battlefield.

The students thoroughly enjoyed their time at the Armouries with several planning a return visit to explore the museum further.

The Doctor’s Show, at the City Varieties Theatre in Leeds was a live play about some of the key individuals in the history of medicine. It was a new and very positive experience for the students, presenting the information in a visual way to aid revising. There were some memorable performances by the cast, such as the rivalry between Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch and how operations were performed without anaesthetics during the middle ages. The play was divided into sections and between each part, students were guided through exam questions and encouraged to do marking exercises. They were also given excellent revision tips and again encouraged to revise in an exciting and practical way.

Mrs Mawer, Lead Teacher for History said: “Students and staff thoroughly enjoyed the visit and found it very stimulating and enjoyable. The workshop was specially devised by the Armouries education team and it delivered tailored revision in a very interesting, visual and practical environment. It was really great fun for the students to have the opportunity to touch and try on artefacts.”