President's column

摘要

I would urge everyone to visit the Science Museum in the next six months. You will find in the prime exhibition space 'Mind Maps: Stories from Psychology', which the Society has supported through its History of Psychology Centre (see also News, p. 70). I was greatly honoured to open this fascinating exhibition early in December. At the press preview I was allowed to stand next to an electrotherapeutic cage entitled 'President of the ! body'! I also handled part of an exquisite papier 丨 maché model of the brain. The exhibition, which includes a rich array of historical and contemporary objects, artworks and archive images, spans four episodes between 1780 and 2014. It considers assessment and treatment tools ranging from mesmerism to cognitive behavioural therapy. There is a display of original instruments used by Luigi Galvani not seen by the public for over a hundred years. Galvani used the instruments to see whether electricity might help with psychological disorders. I was captivated by the last artefact on display, the 'Communicube'. Its inventor John Casson gave me graphic examples of its use in psychotherapy and its potential application in a variety of settings.