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Surgeons' Hall Museums was developed as a teaching museum for students of medicine, its fascinating collections, including bone and tissue specimens, artefacts and works of art, have also been open to the public since 1832, making it Scotland’s oldest museum. Please note photography is prohibited in the museum in accordance with the Human Tissue (2006) Scotland Act.
Operating as usual
The baroque style handles of these mid 18th century dental forceps suggests Spanish influence. Seals were added to the circular ends to convert the forceps into a holder for tapers, or for impressing wax on sealed documents. This conversion was probably carried out before 1814.
#OTD in 1758 John Barclay was born. A successful anatomy teacher, he had built up a collection of 2,500 specimens in his private anatomy school. He donated his collection to the Royal College of Surgeons' of Edinburgh in the 1820's. Some of his collection is still on display.
Most of us know tuberculosis as a disease that affects the lungs, but in 15-20% of untreated cases it affects other parts of the body. Spinal tuberculosis is seen in less than 1% of all cases of untreated tuberculosis.
You can read more here: https://buff.ly/2ZazMRU
#ICYMI we have opened up additional spaces on our Internal Reflections: Representing Anatomy in Art 2 week course with our Human Remains Conservator.https://buff.ly/3l8F5ZZ
There are also limited spaces left for "Forensic Art: An Introduction to Forensic Art and Facial Reconstruction" with Forensic Artist Karen Fleming https://buff.ly/2GCW3AM
James Syme was born #OTD in 1799. Syme was Edinburgh's leading surgeon of the day, with a worldwide reputation. As a student, he devised a solution for waterproof silk rain wear but was beaten to the patent by Charles Macintosh. So we were almost wearing Symes instead of Macs!
"A moral man, Phineas Gage
Tamping powder down holes for his wage
Blew his special-made probe
Through his left frontal lobe
Now he drinks, swears, and flies in a rage"
You can read more about Phineas Gage in our latest blog from our Senior Research Fellow, Professor Ken Donaldson.
Image originally from the collection of Jack and Beverly Wilgus, and now in the Warren Anatomical Museum, Harvard Medical School., CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons: https://bit.ly/38iINg2
We have limited tickets available for both sessions of Forensic Art: An introduction to Forensic Art and Facial Reconstruction next weekend.
We have also opened up some additional spaces for Internal Reflections: Representing Anatomy in Art course which had previously sold out.
You can find full information about our upcoming events here: https://buff.ly/2BLUydG
#OTD in 1847 James Young Simpson and 2 assistants inhale chloroform for the first time to see if it could be used as an anaesthetic. Within weeks of the discovery, chloroform had almost replaced ether in general surgery procedures in Britain.
Harry Goodsir was born #OTD in 1819. Harry Goodsir was a promising anatomist and conservator of Surgeons’ Museum here in Edinburgh, but he gave all that up in 1845 when he took up the post of ships surgeon and naturalist on the Franklin Expedition to find the North West Passage through the Arctic.
The expedition set sail in May 1845 but the 129 crew members and officers never returned home. The two ships, the Erebus and the Terror, sank after being frozen in pack ice for 3 years, having only made it half way through the North West Passage.
Museum Research Fellow, Professor Ken Donaldson, will be delivering an online talk on Harry Goodsir and the Franklin Expedition later this month. Tickets are available from: https://deathinthearctic_shm.eventbrite.co.uk
Death In The Arctic: Harry Goodsir and the Franklin Expedition
If you have bought a ticket for "Potted Pathology: The Brain and Neurological Disease" please check your inbox for details on how to access the recording.
This email may have been filtered into your junk folder.
If you don't have tickets and would like to watch this lecture, tickets are still available.
Once purchased you will receive an order confirmation from Eventbrite with login details.
Tickets are £2 and can be purchased from:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/potted-pathology-the-brain-and-neurological-disease-tickets-119231152587
Coming up this November at Surgeons' Hall Museums.
For full information on our events visit: https://buff.ly/2BLUydG
Do you love visiting us?
Introducing our new season tickets. These passes allow you to visit us as much as you'd like for 12 months!
Passes are £20 for adults and £11 for concessions and can be purchased on arrival at the museum.
Log in information for "The Bloody History of Surgery" workshop for adults has been sent to ticket holders.
If you have not received this email, please check your spam folder or get in touch with us at [email protected]
Onychogryphosis, or Ram’s Horn Nail, is a condition in which there is abnormal nail growth. It causes the nail to become very overgrown, often resembling a ram’s horn, as the name suggests. You can read more about Onychogryphosis on our blog: https://buff.ly/3hxXdtP
We've added an extra "Blood and Guts walking tour this Saturday!
If you aren't able to make it to the museum in person this weekend, we will also be running "The Bloody History of Surgery" online workshop for adults.
https://buff.ly/2BLUydG
The frontal section of these gold bases upper and lower dentures is set with human teeth. It is possible that these are 'Waterloo teeth' extracted from cadavers after the Battle of Waterloo.
You can read more about Waterloo teeth over on our blog: https://buff.ly/35z1GbI
The second installment of Potted Pathology with Professor Ken Donaldson will be available to watch next week.
The focus of this latest lecture is the brain and neurological disease. Potted Pathology is designed to be accessible to all and no previous medical experience is required.
https://buff.ly/3dPwpVq
There's just one week to go until our "Bloody History of Surgery" workshop for adults.
Tickets are available from: https://buff.ly/37z5hZP
Our Human Remains Conservator, Cat Irving, tells us more about the history of insulin.
surgeonshallmuseums.wordpress.com/2020/10/23/a-question-of-balance/
Our Human Remains Conservator, Cat Irving, tells us more about the history of insulin. Anyone with type 1 diabetes is familiar with the concept of balancing their blood sugar – weighing activity an…
Emails with login information have been sent to ticket holders for our Medicine and Blood online workshop for kids.
Emails from Eventbrite are sometimes filtered into recipients spam folder. If you have any problems, please get in touch.
This dental drill from the mid-19th century has four interchangeable burs and one drill. These were released and fixed in position by a thumb screw.
After trying out carbolised silk as a ligature, Lister then searched for a material that could absorbed within the body, settling on catgut. Lister spent many years refining ligature & suture material; by 1881 he was using carbolised catgut that had been hardened by chromic acid.
Looking for something to do this weekend?
We still have tickets available for our Blood and Guts: The Twists and Turns of Edinburgh's Medical History walking tours!
We will take you through the highs and lows of Edinburgh’s world renowned medical history. Discover the intrigues, rivalries and dedication to the cause as our guide leads you through the sites where anatomists, surgeons and physicians worked, operated and squabbled in the quest for medical advancement.
Tickets for the tour also include museum access.
https://blood_and_guts_shm.eventbrite.co.uk
After suffering an injury at the Battle of Gettysburg, Major General Daniel Sickles presented his amputated leg to
National Museum of Health and Medicine.
Sickles visited the leg every year on the anniversary of its amputation.
You can read more about Daniel Sickles in our latest blog from Senior Research Fellow, Professor Ken Donaldson:
https://surgeonshallmuseums.wordpress.com/2020/10/14/meet-daniel-sickles/
Our Medicine and Blood: Online workshop for kids is sold out!
However, if you're a grown up and are looking for something a bit different to do on Halloween, there are still spaces available for our Bloody History of Surgery online workshop. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-bloody-history-of-surgery-online-workshop-for-adults-tickets-119237397265
We would love to broaden our Neurosurgery collection. If you have any equipment or instruments from recent or current neurosurgery, please get in contact with our Curator to discuss. It could go on display in our new galleries…
http://museum.rcsed.ac.uk/about/contact-us
We are still open!
You can pay us a visit from 10am-5pm, 7 days a week.
The safety of our team and visitors is our top priority. You can find out more about the safety measures we have in place at the museum here: https://buff.ly/2WaeCAM
We have added extra dates for our Blood and Guts: The Twists and Turns of Edinburgh's Medical History walking tours.
The tours will now be available until the 13th of December. More info here: https://blood_and_guts_shm.eventbrite.co.uk
Thomas Keith died #OTD in 1895. He practised obstetrics & gynaecology & carried out his first ovariotomy in 1862. Between then and 1880, he carried out 136 such operations with 81% recovery. He also performed 33 hysterectomies with only 3 deaths, a remarkable feat at that time.
We've had a few enquiries asking if we will still be open in light of the new COVID-19 measures just announced for Scotland.
The answer is yes! We will be open as usual from 10am-5pm.
We do have a number of COVID-19 safety measures in place at the museum including an online reservation system and a one way system. To find out more about what to expect from your visit head over to our website: https://museum.rcsed.ac.uk/covid-19
Edith Pechey was born in Langham #OTD in 1845. Pechey was one of the first women doctors in the United Kingdom. She was part of the Edinburgh Seven who campaigned for women to have the right to university education.
(Image via Wellcome Library )
These tools were used by Joseph Lister for cleft palate operations. They had originally been owned by J. Smith but were modified by Lister to meet his needs.
If you have a ticket for Potted Pathology: Cardiovascular Disease you will have received an email with the log in details to view the talk.
This email may have been filtered into your junk folder.
If you have any issues please get in touch!
Tickets are still available for the talk. Once purchased you will receive a confirmation email with all the information you'll need to access the recording.
https://eventbrite.co.uk/e/potted-pathology-cardiovascular-disease-tickets-119228669159
Tickets are £2 and available until 7pm on the 11th of October.
Coming up this month at Surgeons' Hall Museums.
For full information on our events visit: https://buff.ly/2BLUydG
This is an Aspirateur de Dieulafoy. It is a suction pump used to remove fluid from the pleura. It was designed by French physician and surgeon Paul Georges Dieulafoy (1839 –1911).
Royal College Of Surgeons Of Edinburgh, Nicolson St
Edinburgh
EH8 9DW
Bus numbers: 3,5,7,8,14,29,33, 37,47
| Monday | 10:00 - 17:00 |
| Tuesday | 10:00 - 17:00 |
| Wednesday | 10:00 - 17:00 |
| Thursday | 10:00 - 17:00 |
| Friday | 10:00 - 17:00 |
| Saturday | 10:00 - 17:00 |
| Sunday | 10:00 - 17:00 |
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Looking for something to do this weekend? We still have tickets available for our Blood and Guts: The Twists and Turns of Edinburgh's Medical History walking tours! We will take you through the highs and lows of Edinburgh’s world renowned medical history. Discover the intrigues, rivalries and dedication to the cause as our guide leads you through the sites where anatomists, surgeons and physicians worked, operated and squabbled in the quest for medical advancement. Tickets for the tour also include museum access. https://blood_and_guts_shm.eventbrite.co.uk
Ambroise Paré is often regarded as the father of modern surgery. In our latest "Tales from Surgeons' Hall" our Director of Heritage, Chris Henry, talks about Paré's book "Les Oeuvres"
In this "Tales from Surgeons' Hall" our Senior Research Fellow, Professor Ken Donaldson, tells us about the mystery of black lungs in the 19th century.
Thinking of visiting the museum? Here are some things you'll need to know before your visit. As of today face masks are now mandatory in museums (unless medically exempt). For more information visit: https://buff.ly/2WaeCAM
In the latest "Tales from Surgeons' Hall" our Head of Museum Learning and Interpretation, Thomas Elliott, tells us more about the incredible Elise Inglis.
Due to popular demand, we have added an extra 'Blood and Guts: The Twists and Turns of Edinburgh's Medical History' walking tour this Sunday! You can book your tickets here: https://blood_and_guts_shm.eventbrite.co.uk Tours also include museum access.
In this "Tales From Surgeons' Hall" our Human Remains Conservator, Cat Irving, tells us about a broken femur that was not set properly. There are still some tickets left for Cat's online course "Immortal Remains: A History of Preserving the Human Body". More information available here: https://surgeonshallmuseums.eventbrite.co.uk
Our Blood and Guts: The Twists and Turns of Edinburgh's Medical History walking tours return next weekend! Drawn from the archives at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh you will hear little known accounts of iconic writers, chloroform tea parties, pioneering women, grave robbing and of course Britain’s first serial killers the infamous Burke and Hare. Due to current circumstances, we've made some changes to the tours. This video explains the new procedures that we have put in place. Tickets are available from: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/blood-and-guts-the-twists-and-turns-of-edinburghs-medical-history-tickets-55286101217
In this Tales from Surgeons' Hall our Senior Research Fellow, Professor Ken Donaldson, talks about a fascinating eyewitness account of Burke's execution and dissection. You can view the account for yourself on our Library and Archive's Digital Collection website: https://archiveandlibrary.rcsed.ac.uk/special-collections/thomas-hume-autobiography?
We are open! We've already welcomed our first visitors since March. If you are thinking of paying us a visit, you can read about our new safety measures here: https://museum.rcsed.ac.uk/covid-19
We are reopening on the 15th of July. In order to keep our staff and visitors safe, there are some new safety measures in place. You can find out more on our website: https://museum.rcsed.ac.uk/covid-19
Some exciting news today as the Scottish Government has confirmed that Museums can reopen from the 15th of July! We have been working hard to ensure the museum is a safe and enjoyable place for our staff and visitors. In this video our Learning Officer, Carl Ronan, explains a bit about the safety measures we have put in place. We will be open 7 days a week from 10am-5pm. Please note: visitors will require a reservation to visit. You can book your reservation here; https://surgeonshallticketreservation.eventbrite.co.uk We look forward to being able to welcome you to the museum again!
In this latest "Tales from Surgeons' Hall" our Senior Research Fellow, Professor Ken Donaldson, discusses the connection between our Museum and the ill fated Franklin Expedition.
People are fascinated with cutaneous horns, but what are they and why do they happen? Our Human Remains Conservator, Cat Irving, tells us more in this latest "Tales From Surgeons' Hall" #MuseumFromHome
The story of Charles Anderson is one that really stands out to a lot of our visitors. In this latest "Tales from Surgeons' Hall" our Head of Learning and Interpretation, Thomas Elliott, reminds us of this incredible story.
In 1828, James Syme removed a 72oz fibro-osseous tumour from a man called Robert Penman. The procedure was carried out in 24 minutes without anaesthesia. Our Director of Heritage, Chris Henry, tells us more about this incredible story in our latest "Tales from Surgeons' Hall"
In this instalment of "Tales from Surgeons' Hall" our Human Remains Conservator, Cat Iriving, discusses a very large kidney stone.
In our latest "Tales from Surgeons' Hall", our Senior Research Fellow, Professor Ken Donaldson, talks about the research he carried out on John Goodsir's involvement in trying to diagnose Charles Darwin's stomach problems. Do you want to know more about being a Senior Research Fellow? Perhaps you would like to know more about Professor Donaldson's research? Join us tomorrow for a Q&A session with Ken. If you would like to read more about Professor Donaldson's research, you can do so over on our blog: surgeonshallmuseums.wordpress.com/2020/06/03/research-in-surgeons-hall-museums/
Our Director of Heritage, Chris Henry, tells us thee incredible story of Alphonse Louis and his mask in our latest "Tales from Surgeons' Hall".
In this "Tales From Surgeons' Hall" our Head of Learning and Interpretation, Thomas Elliott, tells us about facial reconstruction that was carried out on a skull showing very severe syphilis.
Our Human Remains Conservator is back in this latest "Tales From Surgeons' Hall". In this latest instalment, Cat tells us about hyperkeratosis and some conservation work she carried out on a foot showing the condition.
In this Tales From Surgeons' Hall our Senior Research Fellow, Professor Ken Donaldson, talks about stonemasons silicosis and how it affected the stonemasons who built Edinburgh's New Town.
Our Human Remains Conservator, Cat Irving, tells us more about a glass tube that was left in a patient in our latest 'Tales from Surgeons' Hall'.
In case you missed it, our latest Tales from Surgeons' Hall features our Director of Heritage talking about Charles Bell's famous painting showing a soldier in the final stages of tetanus.
In this instalment of Tales from Surgeons' Hall, Professor Ken Donaldson, Senior Reserch Fellow at the Museums talks about a different kind of specimen from our collections.
Since you can't come to us, we'll bring the museum to you! I'm this instalment of 'Tales from Surgeons' Hall' our Human Remains Conservator, Cat Irving, talks about corrosion casts.
In our latest Tales from Surgeons' Hall, our Librarian has a story about an Edinburgh surgeon, a minister’s son from Ayrshire & the unique Scot’s crime of “Hamesucken”.
Our Head of Museum Learning and Interpretation, Thomas Elliott looks at a very topical subject- infection control. Learn more about Joseph Lister and carbolic acid spray in our latest installment of Tales From Surgeons' Hall. Remember to wash your hands!
Since you can't come to us, we thought we would come to you! We'll be bringing you a series of videos called #TalesFromSurgeonsHall. First up we have our Director of Heritage, Chris, talking about the Culloden skull. Let us know what your favourite parts of our Collection are.
Blood and Guts: The Twists and Turns of Edinburgh's Medical History Walking Tour. Every Saturday and Sunday at 2pm. Hear tales of old Edinburgh, disease, dissection and curious methods of treatment on this 70 minute walking tour through Edinburgh's Old Town. We'll make you glad you live in the 21st century! https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/blood-and-guts-the-twists-and-turns-of-edinburghs-medical-history-tickets-55286101217
St Cecilia's Hall: Concert Room & Music Museu
50 Niddry StreetMuseum Brasserie & Balcony Café
chamber street
National War Museum Of Scotland
EH1 2YT
Anatomical Museum, Teviot Place, Edinburgh, T
Teviot Place, Doorway 3
