Surgeons' Hall Museum

Surgeons' Hall Museum Home to the largest & most historic collection of surgical pathology in the world.
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Surgeons' Hall Museum 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.

26/06/2026

In this episode, we’re joined by Malcolm MacCallum, Curator of the Anatomical Museum at the University of Edinburgh, and Thomas Elliott, Head of Surgeons Hall Museum, as they explore the origins of the world's oldest medical school in the English-speaking world. Inspired by our latest exhibition, this talk uncovers the innovations behind Edinburgh’s medical success, the growth of its anatomical collections, and how the human cost of that progress is being reassessed today.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts: https://shows.acast.com/beyond-the-knife/episodes/edinburgh-city-of-medicine

This case of amputation instruments was used by Robert Liston between 1815 and 1825 and was made by Stodart of London. T...
25/06/2026

This case of amputation instruments was used by Robert Liston between 1815 and 1825 and was made by Stodart of London. The knives are of the type used for circular amputation.

This blood transfusion set is believed to be the type used during World War One. It is made up of rubber and glass tubin...
24/06/2026

This blood transfusion set is believed to be the type used during World War One. It is made up of rubber and glass tubing. You can just see the hollow steel needle.

This dental mirror was made by Julien Marmont. Marmont is credited with inventing the odontoscope in 1803. The inscripti...
23/06/2026

This dental mirror was made by Julien Marmont. Marmont is credited with inventing the odontoscope in 1803. The inscription on the mirror gives an address at 'Rue Nueve des Petits Champs' - this street was renamed as 'Rue Danielle Casanova' in 1944.

We were delighted to be joined by RCSEd's Dental Dean and dental students from Dundee University for our Teen Take-Over....
22/06/2026

We were delighted to be joined by RCSEd's Dental Dean and dental students from Dundee University for our Teen Take-Over. Their 'Bite Into Dentistry' station allowed attendees to get hands-on with dentistry to discover how techniques, tools, and treatments have changed over time.

We are delighted to launch our latest events programme!In July we will have a talk by historian, researcher and writer i...
19/06/2026

We are delighted to launch our latest events programme!

In July we will have a talk by historian, researcher and writer in residence Bipasha Bhattacharyya exploring racism in interwar medical archives. Later in the month we will be joined by Madeline Pelling who will be discussing her new book ‘Hoax’ in our latest Dissecting the Author online event.

In August we will be making our Edinburgh Fringe debut with ‘In Her Hand’- a play inspired by real journals and letters from women serving with the Scottish Women’s Hospitals in WW1. We are now delighted to announce Joyce Falconer (River City) and Clare Yuille (Emmerdale) will be joining us to bring this defiant, darkly witty play to life. Tickets are selling fast- Saturday’s performance is sold out and there are now limited tickets available for the Monday performance.

In September our Human Remains Conservator, Cat Irving, will the story of "A Nursery for Teachers of Anatomy": The Great Windmill Street Anatomy School in a lunch time talk.
Finally, we have added additional Blood and Guts: The Twists and Turns of Edinburgh’s Medical History walking tours. Tours will now run on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays throughout the summer.

https://museum.rcsed.ac.uk/whats-on/events/events-library

It's been a long time coming.... we finally have a new website 🎉From podcasts to catalogue searches- you can now find ev...
18/06/2026

It's been a long time coming.... we finally have a new website 🎉
From podcasts to catalogue searches- you can now find everything in one place!

https://museum.rcsed.ac.uk/

Guillotine tonsillectomy instrument was considered to be a quick and reliable method for safely removing tonsils. The en...
15/06/2026

Guillotine tonsillectomy instrument was considered to be a quick and reliable method for safely removing tonsils. The enlarged tonsil was captured in the circular space at the front, and as the blade was pushed forwards, severing the tonsil.

This case contains 177 porcelain partial tooth sets. The case has ' Kelt, Dentist, Dunfermline, 1900 printed on it. It ...
12/06/2026

This case contains 177 porcelain partial tooth sets. The case has ' Kelt, Dentist, Dunfermline, 1900 printed on it. It is believed to have once belonged to James Alexander MacIntosh Kelt, a surgeon-dentist who was practicing in the area at the time.

This case of surgical instruments contains 2 steel scalpels and a lancet saw. Both used in surgery for opening up the sk...
11/06/2026

This case of surgical instruments contains 2 steel scalpels and a lancet saw. Both used in surgery for opening up the skin, and cutting through tissue. One of the scalpels has a small arrow on it which would suggest that it was possibly property of the War Office during WWII.

Address

Royal College Of Surgeons Of Edinburgh, Nicolson Street
Edinburgh
EH89DW

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 5pm
Tuesday 10am - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 5pm
Saturday 10am - 5pm
Sunday 10am - 5pm

Telephone

+ 44 131 527 1711

Website

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