Hunterian Museum, London facts for kids
The museum in 2007. The skeleton of the 7+1⁄2-foot (2.3 m) tall "Irish Giant" (no longer on display) is visible in the middle of the photo.
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| Established | 1799 |
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| Location | Royal College of Surgeons of England, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, England |
| Collection size | approximately 3,500 specimens |
| Visitors | 85,000 per year |
| Public transit access |  Holborn |
The Hunterian Museum is a really interesting museum in London, England. It's located inside the Royal College of Surgeons of England building. This museum shows off many old medical and body specimens. It's a great place to learn about how the human body works and how medicine has changed over hundreds of years.
Contents
History of the Hunterian Museum
How the Museum Started
The museum began with a famous Scottish surgeon named John Hunter. He was a very important doctor who collected many different specimens. In 1799, the government bought his huge collection. They then gave it to the Royal College of Surgeons. This collection became the main part of what we now call the Hunterian Museum. Over time, other collections were added. These included a collection about teeth and natural history items.
Growing and Rebuilding the Museum
The first museum building was not big enough. So, it closed in April 1834 for a big expansion. New galleries were added, and it reopened in February 1837. More rooms were built over the years. However, in May 1941, the college building was badly damaged by bombs during a war. Some parts of the museum and their contents were completely destroyed.
After a long time of rebuilding, the Hunterian Museum reopened in 1963. It was a bit smaller than before, but it still held many important items.
What You Can See at the Hunterian Museum
Amazing Collections
The Hunterian Museum is part of a group called The London Museums of Health & Medicine. It displays thousands of anatomical specimens. These are preserved body parts or models that help us understand anatomy. You can see special items like the Evelyn tables, which are very old preparations of blood vessels. There are also surgical tools that belonged to Joseph Lister, a pioneer in modern surgery.
Unique and Unusual Items
One of the most talked-about items was the skeleton of a very tall man named Charles Byrne. He was known as the "Irish Giant." His skeleton was on display for many years. However, it was removed from public view in 2023. It is still kept in the museum for scientists to study.
The museum also has a collection all about teeth. This includes teeth found from soldiers at the Battle of Waterloo. There's even a necklace made of human teeth. An explorer named Henry Morton Stanley brought it to England. You can also see a set of dentures that belonged to Winston Churchill, a famous British Prime Minister.
Another fascinating item is the foot of an Ancient Egyptian mummy. A chemist named John Hadley studied it in 1763. This was the first time a mummy was dissected in British history. For some unknown reason, an onion was attached to the foot before it was studied!
Recent Renovations
The museum closed in May 2017 for a big renovation project. It reopened its doors on May 16, 2023. The renovations made the museum even better for visitors.
Curators of the Museum
- From 1862 to 1884, William Henry Flower was the curator of the museum. A curator is like a manager who takes care of the museum's collections.
Gallery
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The skeleton of Charles Byrne (1761–1783)
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Scyllarides latus, the slipper lobster
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Skeleton of Dinornis novaezealandiae, the extinct North Island giant moa
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A species of large toad dissected to show ripe ovaries and contracted oviducts
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