Entry No. 1 — the Monterey file — filed under: medical museum
Medical History Museum at Salinas Valley Health
Appendix slices sliced into discs and preserved in paraffin wax hang under a sign asking "Could one of these be yours?" next to a two-sided Civil War amputation blade (flesh on one edge, bone on the other) and a 1920s radium-lined Revigator water crock that still sets off a donated Geiger counter.
The story
In the 1980s, when Salinas Valley Health began pitching its outdated equipment during a modern overhaul, Chief of Staff Dr. June Dunbar stepped in to intercept the haul. Rather than letting decades of discarded scalpels, diagnostic tools, and quack remedies vanish into a dumpster, she gathered the hospital's obsolete hardware into a subterranean repository beneath the concrete. The resulting collection sits buried on the basement level under a parking garage, documenting the uncomfortable boundary line between early medical progress and outright nightmare.
The artifacts don't pull punches. You'll find a 1920s Revigator—a ceramic water crock lined with real radium intended to poison drinking water with supposedly health-giving radon, which still happily sets off a donated Geiger counter today. Next to it sits a gruesome, two-sided Civil War amputation blade engineered with a fine flesh-slicing edge on one side and a bone saw on the other. Nearby, an array of appendectomy specimens sliced into disc-shaped paraffin wax mounts hangs beneath a sign asking, 'Could one of these be yours?' right beside a wall mounted with five distinct colors of vintage hospital bedpans.
What it's like
To find it, skip the main medical center lobby and head straight for the basement level of the Sam Downing Building, positioned directly under the parking garage. The room is quiet, clinical, and completely free to enter during weekday business hours. You can casually browse the display cases on your own, but if you call volunteer services ahead of time, a docent from the hospital's Service League will meet you downstairs to walk you through specialized displays like the eyes/ears case and the OB-GYN tools.
The move: Wander the free basement displays on your own during weekday business hours, or call ahead to have a volunteer docent walk you through the eyes/ears case, the OB-GYN case, and the wall of five different-colored bedpans.
- 📍 Salinas
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 450 E. Romie Lane, Salinas, CA 93901 (Sam Downing Building, basement level, under the parking garage)
Hours: Added 2026-07-20 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Pair it with
- Pacific Biological Laboratories ("Doc's Lab") — Match the hospital's subterranean human specimens with Ed Ricketts' working Cannery Row lab, where marine life was preserved for scientific supply.
- Giant Artichoke — Trade hospital basement oddities for a classic roadside detour north to Castroville for fried artichoke hearts beside a oversized concrete vegetable.
- Shakespeare Society of America (New Shakespeare Sanctuary) — Pair the hospital's quiet basement collection with another dense hoard of history—thousands of salvaged theatrical artifacts crammed into Moss Landing.
Good to know
Where in the hospital complex is the museum located?
It sits in the basement level of the Sam Downing Building, directly beneath the parking garage at 450 E. Romie Lane.
Is there an admission fee?
No, access to the basement displays is completely free.
Do I need to schedule a tour to see it?
No, you can wander the basement displays on your own during weekday business hours, though calling 831-755-0772 allows you to set up a docent-guided tour.
Is the radioactive crock safe to stand near?
Yes, the 1920s Revigator radium crock is enclosed behind display glass, though it still registers on a Geiger counter.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: montereycountynow.com · Official site
last checked: 2026-07-20