What are the opening hours?

Monday 10am - 4:30pm Tuesday 10am - 4:30pm Wednesday 10am - 4:30pm Thursday 10am - 4:30pm Friday 10am - 4:30pm

Physicians’ Gallery

Name: Physicians’ Gallery
Address: 11 Queen Street, Edinburgh, EH21JQ, GB
Telephone: +441312473600

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Physicians’ Gallery

A free museum and library exploring the science and humanity of medicine at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh

22/06/2026

We are very pleased to have unveiled our first painting of a global majority doctor.

Dr Krishnabai Kelavkar was one of the earliest women physicians in India. She was a social reformer and the founder of the Kelavkar Medical Centre in Kolhapur.

Kelavkar was one of the first two female students admitted to Fergusson College, Pune, before going on to attend the Grant Medical College in Mumbai. Around the same time, she also joined a social reform society which was focused on promoting female education, campaigning against the caste system and abolishing child marriage.

With grants and funding from the state, Kelavkar was able to continue her medical studies in Dublin, Ireland, where she undertook a surgical course in obstetrics. After returning to her childhood home of Kolhapur, Dr Kelavkar worked tirelessly to improve maternity care. In addition to founding the Kelavkar Medical Centre, she wrote widely on topics relating to pregnancy, childbirth and infant care. Kelavkar was awarded the Kaisar-i-Hind Medal in 1908 for her work on improving public health.

Descendants of Dr Krishnabai Kelavkar, including Dr Shyam Kelavkar who kindly donated the painting to us, visited our hall and unveiled this beautiful new addition to our building.

The artist who painted this work was Riaz Samadhan.

18/06/2026

These objects are on permanent display in our Physicians’ Gallery.

Dagger (1868)
Shiv (1900s)

These weapons were retrieved from crime scenes and then labelled and exhibited in Scottish murder trials. They were collected by Sydney Smith, who was Professor of Forensic Medicine at the University of Edinburgh. Smith was part of a long line of high-profile Edinburgh forensic specialists. The University of Edinburgh was the first in Britain to deliver lessons in forensics in 1789. Forensic science, as it was understood then, included not only murder and assault but also impotence, virginity and syphilis.

Smith was a renowned forensic pathologist, and his expertise was in great demand. In Egypt he developed new ballistic techniques to aid his investigation of an assassination. While holidaying in Australia he gave evidence in the high-profile Shark Arm case – where a tiger shark vomited up the arm of a murdered man.

Come and visit 👉 https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/physiciansgallery

15/06/2026

New blog!

Within our collections, several items have hidden q***r stories and broader connections to LGBTQ+ culture, life, and history. From mythical creatures to the natural world to alchemical experiments, this blog delves into symbols present in the collections to reveal their q***r significance.

Read now 👉 https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/heritage-blog/q***ring-collections

12/06/2026

This object is on permanent display in our Physicians’ Gallery.

Bleeding Bowl (1822)

In ancient times, it was believed that keeping healthy was all about keeping your body in balance. People believed that someone could have too much blood and so bleeding would restore the balance. Bloodletting was the standard treatment for a wide range of diseases – from plague to smallpox and acne.

Throughout history bloodletting has taken many different forms. Leeches could be applied to the skin to draw out the blood. Another method involved puncturing the patient’s skin with a lancet or fleam, like these ones. The blood was usually collected in a bleeding bowl or, in the Scottish Highlands, more often in a porringer.

Come and visit 👉 https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/physiciansgallery

11/06/2026

Explore some baffling bodies with us this summer!
Join us for a packed programme of hands-on activities exploring brains, biology and who looks after us when we get sick.

🗓️ 13th – 29th July

🧠 Brain Lab
7th July | 11am – 2pm
Explore how the brain works, what it’s made of and how it changes

🧠 Brilliant Brains
13th July | 11am – 2pm
Come and learn about your brain, what it looks like and why it's so important

👩🏽‍⚕️ What does a doctor look like?
21st July | 11am – 2pm
Join us for a crafty activity day celebrating diversity within the medical community

🤰 How you were made
23rd July | 11am – 2pm
Come and learn how you were made and how you grew

Link 👉 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/cc/family-activities-4808418

09/06/2026

We're hiring!

We're looking for a Project Library Cataloguer to catalogue modern (post-1900) library collections to agreed professional standards onto the College’s online library catalogue Liberty. The ideal candidate will have a postgraduate library qualification, experience of cataloguing library collections and an interest in the history of medicine.

• £34,384 pro rata
• 6 month contract at 35 hours per week
• Option for flexible/part time working
• Deadline: 2 July 2026

Find out more 👉 https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/college/project-library-cataloguer

08/06/2026

This object is on display in our temporary exhibition ‘Rag: A History of Blood’.

Choices Board Game (1990s)

By the end of the 1980s, Edinburgh had an HIV infection rate that was almost seven times the national average. The British press dubbed Edinburgh the ‘AIDS capital of Europe’. Although HIV is a blood-borne virus that can be transmitted through blood transfusions and the use of non-sterile syringes, early HIV-policy was focused on the risks to homosexual men.

This board game was created by the Lothian Health Board and Lothian Regional Council as part of a campaign aimed at raising awareness of the risks surrounding HIV and AIDS. 200 copies were distributed to schools, residential children’s homes and youth centres. High levels of he**in use, and needle sharing, was a major contributor to the high rates of HIV in Edinburgh.

Courtesy of Lothian Health Services Archive, Edinburgh University Library

Find out more 👉 https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/rag-history-blood

05/06/2026

New podcast episode 👉https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/straitjacket

This week, we’re talking about straitjackets. Despite many seeing the straitjacket as an extreme method of patient restraint, in the 1700s it was introduced as a modern and humane solution. Early adopters recommended straightjackets because, unlike the chains and manacles previously used, wearers were able to walk around and interact with other inmates.

04/06/2026

1700s treatment for a sore throat. Ashes of burnt swallows and the oil of boiled frogs anyone?

03/06/2026

This object is on display in our temporary exhibition ‘Rag: A History of Blood’.

Anon, Aristotle's Compleat Masterpiece (1771)

This is a Zodiac Man. These were created to show the relationship between parts of the body and the zodiac – from Aries at the top of the head, to Pisces at the feet. Stories were told to explain these connections – the heart was Leo because lions were brave, Cancer was the chest wall because crabs have hard shells.

The Zodiac Man determined when surgery could be carried out, when medicine should be taken, or even when toenails could be cut. But most importantly, it told you when you could be bled. When the moon was in Gemini, you could not bleed from the arms, when it was in Ta**us, it was dangerous to bleed from the neck.

Find out more 👉 https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/rag-history-blood

Address

11 Queen Street
Edinburgh
EH21JQ

Opening Hours

Monday	10am - 4:30pm
Tuesday	10am - 4:30pm
Wednesday	10am - 4:30pm
Thursday	10am - 4:30pm
Friday	10am - 4:30pm

Telephone

+441312473600

Website

https://linktr.ee/PhysiciansGallery, https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/gallery-library-newsletter

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