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

Museum of Anaesthesia

Name: Museum of Anaesthesia
Address: 21 Portland Place, London, W1B1PY, GB
Telephone: 02076311650
Price range: $

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Free London medical museum exploring the weird and wonderful history of anaesthesia. Find us at the Association of Anaesthetists, 21 Portland Place, London.

The Anaesthesia Heritage Centre at the Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland was founded from a donation by A Charles King but has since embraced numerous contributions. The collection encompasses the entire history of anaesthesia, from Morton's demonstration of ether inhalation in 1846 to modern anaesthetic machines and appliances still in use today. An archive and library provide excellent facilities for research into the history of anaesthesia. The Anaesthesia Heritage Centre is open Monday - Friday, 10.00 - 16.00. Free admission. Tube stations: Oxford Circus, Regents Park, Great Portland Street
Train stations: Euston, St Pancras/ King's Cross
Buses: 7, 8, 10, 18, 25, 27, 30, 55, 73, 88, 98, 176, 205, 553, C2

For more information visit:
https://anaesthetists.org/Home/Heritage-centre

09/10/2026

Meet Dr Harold Moody!

Moody was a physician who founded the League of Coloured Peoples in 1931. As a result of his work, he is remembered and celebrated as a key figure in the UK civil rights movement.

For more information and stories, please check out the resources on the final page!

07/10/2026

October marks Black History Month in the UK!

It calls on us to reflect on challenges faced in medicine, past and present, and celebrate the vast contributions of Black healthcare professionals.

Today’s post looks at Kofoworola Abeni Pratt, a pioneering nurse from Nigeria who became one of the first Black nurses in the NHS.

For more information and stories, please check out the resources on the final page!

01/10/2026

Take a look at this hospital set-up - what do you see?🔍

Can you spot the different types of equipment anaesthetists use?

29/09/2026

Happy world heart day! 🫀

Today’s object is a Cardio Aid 730 from 1985! This monitor and defibrillator combo was used by the ambulance service on the Isle of Man. Its tidy design is also reflected in its paddles, which twist off to reveal paediatric paddles!

Unfortunately, after short-circuiting in 1989, this device suffered a small fire and had to be rebuilt. And it was not a cheap repair, costing over £4,000 at the time! It eventually retired in the mid 90s. What a life it led !

Defibrillator-use is still low in cardiac arrest cases, at 10% according to the British Heart Foundation in 2023. With greater education and awareness, more people can confidently save more lives❤️‍🩹

Do you know where your nearest defibrillator is?

25/09/2026

What did pain relief look like before 1066?

While the Anglo-Saxons didn't have medicine as we know it today, they definitely knew how to make a bunch of herbal concoctions! And some were more sophisticated than you might think.

Bald's Leechbook (laece meaning healer/doctor in Old English, not leeches!) is a medical manuscript dating back to the 10th century. It contains a range of remedies, including advice on toothaches. This remedy involves chewing pepper, followed by vinegar or w**e-soaked henbane root. 🌿

Interestingly, henbane (part of the nightshade family) does in fact have anaesthetic properties. If used carefully, it would have provided genuine relief. Too much however... and it becomes deadly.

Similar knowledge of plants can be found in other Anglo-Saxon remedies. For example, the remedy for eye pain includes onion, garlic, w**e, and ox gall. All of these have been proven to have antibacterial properties! (though we imagine this mixture stung a bit)

So, while pepper and henbane probably couldn't quite save those injured during the invasion, Bald's Leechbook's herbal remedy likely did soothe the dreaded toothache! 🦷

Can you name any other plants with anaesthetic properties?

19/09/2026

At the Association of Anaesthetists' Annual Congress 2026 we celebrated 80 years of the Liverpool Technique. The use of muscle relaxants, in combination with sedatives and analgesia, became a gamechanger in the world of anaesthesia. Drugs dosages reduced, intubation spasms stopped, and general anaesthesia found its balance!⚖

Dr Thomas Cecil Gray pioneered this technique after his thorough work on d-tubocurarine with Dr John Halton. Check out the journey of this incredible drug from the Ecuadorian Amazon to Liverpool!

17/09/2026

Happy World Patient Safety Day! 🏥

This year, together with WHO, we reflect on ‘Safe care for life’. The theme focuses on safe care for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). People with NCDs are frequently exposed to treatment and healthcare systems, and are at increased risk of harm. It is vital we make their experiences in care as safe, high-quality, and welcoming as possible.

How has anaesthesia helped patient safety throughout history? 🫁

These objects hint at a technique in anaesthesia developed 80 years ago. While the drugs might have changed a little bit, the principal idea stayed the same! Can you work out what it might be?

Share your thoughts - we will be posting more about the technique later this week🌿
(Hint! If you are currently at Annual Congress, you might have seen our digital exhibition about it...)

13/09/2026

Can pain relief become poetry?🖊

Humphry Davy's findings on the effects of nitrous oxide (laughing gas) brought together scientists, artists, and philosophers. Intrigued by the way it altered their state, it offered new ways to think about human consciousness.

How would you describe anaesthesia?

Join us in October for our anaesthesia-inspired creative writing workshop (no Laughing, Hippocrene, or Poetic gas involved).
🗓Thursday 15th October, 18:00 - 20:00
📍 21 Portland Place, London
Book now on our Eventbrite!

Image: Poets composing verse under the influence of gases specific to particular genres, analogous to laughing gas. Coloured etching by R. Seymour after himself, 1829. (Wellcome Collection)

10/09/2026

How did people use the Schimmelbusch mask in the past? Watch our amazing volunteer, David, explain… please do not try this at home! 🩺

08/09/2026

Inspired by !

We realise this might not answer all of your queries. If you're planning a visit and have any questions, please reach out! 🌿

Address

21 Portland Place
London
W1B1PY

Opening Hours

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

Telephone

02076311650

Website

https://linktr.ee/museumofanaesthesia

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