I haven’t put the spotlight on a museum for quite a while but my recent trip to Edinburgh’s Surgeons’ Hall Museums, which houses collections of anatomical specimens and artefacts, is a find worth sharing.
If you dip into my archive a trend for unique and often macabre museums begins to appear. I didn’t think I would be able to top the Hunterian Museum in London or the KunstKamera Museum in St.Petersburg since both display a wide number of jars filled with curious medical afflictions and dissected body parts. But Surgeons’ Hall Museums tops them both easily.
Located opposite Edinburgh University on Nicholson Street, Surgeons’ Hall Museums was founded in 1505 and is one of the oldest Museums in Scotland. It was originally developed as a teaching museum for students of medicine, but it has been open to the public since 1832 and features a fascinating collection, including bone and tissue specimens, scientific instruments throughout the ages, photographs and works of art. It was reopened in 2015 after a major £4.4 million redevelopment project and still looks brand-spanking new with super fresh displays and interactive elements for learning.
Surgeons’ Hall Museums is spilt up into several rooms including pathology, surgery and dental, thus making it feel like mini museums within a museum.
I initially heard about this place because of the notorious Burke and Hare murderers. They were two serial killers in the 1820s who started killing people after they discovered selling bodies for medical research to Edinburgh University fetched a pretty penny. They suffocated at least 17 people and pretended they died of natural causes. This was never questioned since they targeted the elderly or local drunks. However, they began to arouse suspicion after they murdered a young and healthy woman who had been seen a few days earlier. Soon enough their terrible crimes were exposed.
Hare confessed to their crimes and was given only 6-months as part of a plea bargain whereas Burke was sentenced to hang on the Royal Mile. Then, in a twist of irony, Burke’s body was sent to the university to be used in dissection and anatomy classes! Today, you’ll be able to spot his death mask on display and interestingly – or rather morbidly – there’s also a wallet made from Burke’s skin too (I have no idea why??).
At Surgeons’ Hall, you’ll also find glass jars filled with gangrenous fingers, bodies wounded in battle, diseased brains and even a few penises with the odd unfortunate affliction…. (If you want to see more on that topic, read about my trip to the penis museum in Iceland).
As I made my way around the museum I really did start getting a greater sense of knowledge about my body. This is what makes this museum so great – it’s not just for medical students or people within that profession, it’s for anyone who’s curious. The human body is such an incredible thing made up of many different parts, and this museum has done an amazing job capturing these elements to help understand what goes on inside ourselves and how we live.
Further information
Address: Nicolson Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9DW
Website: www.museum.rcsed.ac.uk
Opening hours: Everyday 10:00 – 17:00
Admission: Adults £7, concessions £4
If you’re looking for more things to do in Edinburgh, get inspiration from these tours.
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