Hunterian Museum of Surgery and Medicine, London
The Royal College of Surgeons Museum Offers Free Access to Visitors
Jan 1, 2009
The Hunterian Museum aims to encourage the widest possible audience to explore the scientific, cultural and historical importance of the collections that have inspired surgeons, scientists and artists for over 200 years. There are also temporary exhibitions and events, detailed on the Museum's website. A £3.2 million redevelopment, funded by six major sponsors, was completed in 2004, creating modern galleries where fragile exhibits can be displayed in controlled conditions, as well as study and screening areas.
Exhibits include a diseased 18th century spinal column, an embalmed crocodile emerging from the egg, a set of eighteenth-century surgical implements, and a wonderful collection of drawings. You can see the skeleton of Jonathan Wilde, the notorious thief-catcher hanged at Tyburn in the eighteenth century, and Winston Churchill's false teeth.
Free Talks By Experts
The Museum has a distinguished panel of volunteer surgeons and scholars who give free talks on topics related to the collections and the Museum's subject areas. Topics include collection founder John Hunter, the development of surgery from monasteries to modern hospitals, the evolution of heart surgery, and eighteenth-century treatments for syphilis. Call +44 (0) 20 7869 6560 to find out about talks on the day of your visit.
History of the Museum
Surgeon and anatomist John Hunter (1728-1793) collected specimens that might help him and his fellow surgeons improve their skills and practices. Hunter was one of the leading modernisers in an ancient trade. Henry VIII founded the Company of Barber Surgeons in 1540 from two separate trade guilds. The limited degree of surgical knowledge in England expanded rapidly in the 18th century, and surgeons like Hunter wanted independent professional recognition. In 1745 a separate Company of Surgeons was formed, and in 1797 the Company purchased a property in Lincoln's Inn Fields and was entrusted with Hunter's collection.
The buildings have been replaced, but the College of Surgeons of England stands on the same site today. Visitors to the Museum also see the College's impressive entrance halls and main staircase, adorned with portraits of the distinguished surgeons who have been Presidents of the College and Company.
Visiting the Museum
The Museum is closed on Sunday and Monday, and open on other days from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Check for holiday closures on the website. Admission is free, but donations are encouraged to assist with the Museum's running costs and with providing study and educational facilities.
A curator leads a free guided tour every Wednesday at 1 p.m. to introduce visitors to the collection. The tour is limited to 25 people, so advance booking is recommended. Guided tours for groups of 6-30 people can be booked at other times: there may be a charge, but school tours are free of charge. Group leaders and teachers should book online, by email to museums@rcseng.ac.uk, or by telephone on +44 (0) 20 7869 6560.
The Royal College of Surgeons of England is at 35-43 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London WC2A 3PE, a ten minute walk from Holborn or Aldwych Underground stations. For those who can't visit, there is a virtual tour available on the website.
The Museum is part of London's Museums of Health and Medicine, a group of 22 museums formed in 1991. Check out their website - a medical tour of London is an unusual and enjoyable way to learn about the city.
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