Yesterday there was a group excursion to Tournai and Lessines. First we visited Tournai; a charming town about 90 minutes from Brussels with a spectacular church and a nice art museum containing some great French impressionist pieces. If ever you’re in the area, I’d recommend checking it out. I’m sure there’s not too much to do, but the old architecture and general feel of the city is very welcoming. Word of warning though, if you visit the church, be careful not to get shat on by pigeons. I’ve seen it happen and it’s not a pretty sight.
In Lessines we visited an old religious hospital. It was an interesting journey through the evolution of the medical field. I’d recommend it to anyone interested in medical history and its intersection with religion.
As we were visiting the hospital, we saw a few fairly macabre items. From old bone saws to lobotomy apparatuses; a couple of the tools were a bit disconcerting. I thought I was comfortable with ancient medicals practices, having seen some saw and gizmos around the museum. I was wrong. I saw a full size mannequin of this and my heart stopped. The drawing doesn’t properly convey the terror that washes over you when you unexpectedly are faced by this demon spawn in an old hospital (which is already inherently creepy). I have a picture with it and I’m terrified to look at it, in fear that I’ll notice its position shifted ever so slightly from what I remembered. Just thinking about it gives me goosebumps. Next to My Worst Nightmare was another mannequin of a man in a nice suit and a top hat, but with a bit of thought, I realized that this character was probably The Fear’s assistant and under his top hat is probably hidden a horrifying lobotomy device. Why would the Man from My Nightmares do this to this assistant? So he can’t object to the horrors he helps his master commit (obviously). Seriously though, how scary is the thought of a dude wearing a full leather cape outfit with a mortifying bird-creature mask? Add on top of that the fact that he has no objection to using outdated primitive pseudo-medicine on people who can’t defend themselves? Welcome to my nightmares.
TERROR!
Hopefully I’ll be able to sleep tonight.
Have Diploma, Will Travel 