Surgeons' Hall facts for kids
Surgeons Hall Museum
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| Established | 1697 |
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| Location | Nicolson Street, Edinburgh |
| Public transit access | Lothian Region buses 3,5,7,8,14,29, 30, 31,33,37, 47, 49 to Nicolson Street |
Surgeons' Hall in Edinburgh, Scotland, is a very important building. It is the main home for the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd). Inside, you'll find the Surgeons' Hall Museum, along with a library and archives.
The building you see today was designed by William Henry Playfair. It was finished in 1832. This historic building is considered a special "category A listed building" in Scotland.
The Surgeons' Hall Museum is Scotland's biggest medical museum. It's also a popular place for tourists to visit in Edinburgh. The Scottish Government recognizes its collections as nationally important.
The museum closed for a big update for 18 months. It then reopened in September 2015 with many new and improved displays.
Contents
History of the Museum
How it Started
The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh began on July 1, 1505. They received a special document called a charter. This document allowed them to be known as "The Incorporation of Surgeons and Barbers of Edinburgh."
Barbers were part of the group until 1722. Apothecaries, who prepared medicines, joined in 1657. In 1788, King George III added "Royal" to their name.
The museum itself started in 1699. The surgeons announced they were collecting "natural and artificial curiosities." They even advertised for items in a local newspaper.
An early visitor in 1726, Daniel Defoe, wrote about the "chamber of rarities." He said it had too many interesting things to describe. Many of these early items were later given to the University of Edinburgh in the 1760s.
Growing Bigger in the 1800s
By the early 1800s, the group became the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. Their main job was to teach anatomy and surgery. They also trained surgeons and tested their knowledge.
Anatomy and pathology specimens were key for this teaching. The museum grew a lot when it got two large collections. John Barclay, a famous anatomy teacher, gave his collection.
Sir Charles Bell, a surgery professor, sold his collection to the museum. These collections were too big for the old building. So, the surgeons asked William Henry Playfair to design the current Surgeons' Hall. It opened in 1832.
At first, the whole top floor was for the museum. It was open to everyone and attracted many visitors. Over time, surgeons and pathologists donated more items. These included interesting specimens, surgical tools, and equipment.
As science advanced, the museum also collected new things. These included equipment for anesthesia, microscope slides, X-rays, and photographs.
Changes in the 1900s
In the early 1900s, the College needed a large meeting hall. About half of the museum space was changed into the main College hall. Some thought the Barclay collection was no longer useful.
However, the collection was saved and moved to a new area. This new area was made by joining an old building next door.
Over time, specimens in jars became less important for training surgeons. The collections started to focus on special areas. These included dentistry, tissue studies (histopathology), and X-ray imaging (radiology). They also kept collecting surgical items like instruments.
In the 1950s, much of the Barclay collection went to other museums. For doctors, the collections became more for researchers and medical historians. While the museum had always been open to the public, by the 1960s, visits were mostly by special appointment.
Making it Fun Again
Later in the 1900s, the museum wanted to be more interesting for everyone. In 1989, a special exhibit called 500 Years of Surgery in Scotland opened. It used models, paintings, films, and old items.
This, along with new temporary exhibits, made more people visit. The museum worked hard to make its displays easy to understand.
Big Updates in 2014–2015
In June 2014, the museum closed for a major upgrade. This project added a lift for easier access. It also improved and updated all the displays. These were the biggest changes to the building since 1908.
The museum reopened in September 2015. The updates allowed twice as many items to be shown. The work cost £4.2 million. A large part of this, £2.7 million, came from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
More Space in 2015
In February 2015, the College announced plans for a £1.5 million expansion. This would create a new center for conferences and events. They took over a three-floor building next door.
This new building, which used to be a language school, opened in 2016. It was named the Prince Philip Building, after the College's patron, Prince Philip.
The Museum Buildings Today
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The museum collections first filled the entire top floor of Playfair's Surgeons' Hall. This building was made just for them. Around 1905, about half of this space became the College's main hall.
But the original Playfair pathology museum kept its design and display cases. It is now called the Wohl Pathology Museum. The History of Surgery museum, dental collection, and technology displays are in other rooms. These rooms were once part of the building next door at 9 Hill Square.
Amazing Collections
The Charles Bell Collection
Charles Bell was born in Edinburgh in 1774. He studied medicine at the university. He also learned anatomy from his older brother, John Bell. Charles greatly admired his brother.
Charles became a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. But both brothers faced difficulties from the Scottish surgical leaders. Neither got a job at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.
Charles moved to London in 1804 when he was 30. There, he bought the Great Windmill Street Anatomy School. He became known as a great teacher of anatomy and surgery. He worked at the Middlesex Hospital and became a surgery professor.
In London, he gathered a huge collection of anatomy and pathology specimens. It became one of the largest collections of its time. In 1825, he sold this collection to the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh for £3000. This would be worth about £2.4 million today.
Dr Robert Knox, the museum's curator, oversaw the packing of the collection. It was shipped to Leith, Edinburgh's port. This collection became the main part of the Playfair Museum when it opened in 1832. Much of it is still on display today.
Charles Bell’s Corunna Paintings
From a young age, Bell showed artistic talent. He took lessons from a famous Scottish painter, David Allan. Bell used these skills throughout his life to illustrate his many textbooks.
In 1809, he went to Portsmouth to help soldiers injured in the Battle of Corunna. There, he used his art skills to create 15 oil paintings. These paintings show the details of gunshot wounds suffered by the soldiers.
These paintings are on display in the museum. They offer a valuable look at how gunshot wounds were treated in the early 1800s.
The Barclay Collection
John Barclay (1758–1826) had his own anatomy school. It was in his house at 10 Surgeons' Square, next to the College of Surgeons. His school was very successful. He became one of Europe's most famous anatomy teachers.
He donated his collection of about 2,500 specimens to the museum. However, by the 1950s, most of this collection was given to other museums. Only a few items remain, like an elephant skull and some human skeletons.
The Greig Collection
This collection has about 250 skulls. It was given to the museum by David Middleton Greig (1864–1936). Greig was the museum's curator from 1920 to 1936.
He was a surgeon in Dundee and an expert on bone diseases and skull problems. During his career, he collected about 200 skulls. He recorded details for each case, often with drawings and photos.
The Menzies Campbell Collection
John Menzies Campbell (1887–1974) was a dentist and dental historian from Glasgow. Over his life, he gathered a huge personal collection. It included specimens, instruments, and paintings related to dentistry.
He donated this collection to the museum in 1964. The display includes a 19th-century dentist's office. It is complete with tools from that time.
Casts and Moulages
In the 1800s and early 1900s, wax and plaster casts were used for teaching. These casts, called moulages, showed different body problems and diseases. The museum has several of these casts.
They show things like tumors of the face and eye. There are also casts showing how babies develop before birth. Others show the anatomy and problems of the intestines.
Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes, and Joseph Bell
Joseph Bell (1837–1911) was an Edinburgh surgeon. He was president of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh from 1887 to 1889. He was known for his amazing ability to diagnose illnesses.
He did this by carefully observing small details. He was also interested in handwriting and different accents. One of his medical students was Arthur Conan Doyle. Bell chose Doyle as his assistant.
Doyle later became a writer. He became famous for his Sherlock Holmes stories. He wrote to Bell, saying, "...it is most certainly to you that I owe Sherlock Holmes.”
The Edinburgh Seven
In November 1870, a public disturbance happened at the Hall. The first group of female medical students from the University of Edinburgh tried to take their anatomy exam. A crowd, including male medical students, tried to stop them.
These first seven women faced many challenges during their studies. But they also received support from others. Several of the Edinburgh Seven later started new hospitals. They made big improvements to healthcare for women around the world.
Special Exhibitions
The museum often has temporary exhibitions. Recent topics have included breast cancer care and Charles Bell. Other exhibits focused on chloroform, Joseph Lister, women's hospitals, and James Young Simpson.
Learning and Education
The museum hired its first full-time education officer in 2006. Since then, it has offered regular tours and workshops for school students. These programs help young people learn about medicine and surgery.
Public Programs
In 2010, the museum added a public engagement officer. This person organizes many public programs throughout the year. These programs explore different parts of the museum and library collections.
They help more people of all ages and interests learn about the museum. The museum also works with writers, artists, and musicians. Its volunteers help with talks, classes, and workshops on many topics.
Research at the Museum
Research at the museum involves identifying and understanding individual objects. Recent projects have looked at genetic markers for diseases. They have also done facial reconstructions from skulls in the Greig collection. Another study used MRI scans to diagnose bone diseases.
The Collections Today
The museum collections are set up in four main displays:
Wohl Pathology Museum
This museum is in the Playfair Hall. It shows pathology specimens, surgical instruments, casts, and paintings. These items help explain different diseases and how they affect the body.
History of Surgery Museum
On the ground floor, there's a mock anatomy theater. A short video plays here, showing the public study of David Myles's body in 1702. As each body part is described, it's shown on a plastic model.
The display cases tell the story of surgery from the 1500s to today. They especially highlight Edinburgh's important contributions.
Techniques and Technologies and Dental Collection
This area shows surgical instruments and methods from Roman times to now. The original Menzies Campbell collection has grown. It includes dental tools, artifacts, and pictures related to dentistry.
Body Voyager Gallery
The Body Voyager gallery shows new advances in robotic surgery. It's divided into three parts: the head, the torso, and the limbs. The gallery also has interactive computers.
Visitors can try out a robotic surgery console. There are also displays of working surgical instruments. You can watch videos and see photos and paintings of robotic surgery.
Demonstrations, seminars, and lectures happen in the "anatomy lab." There is also a gallery for temporary exhibitions.
Today, the museum no longer collects human tissue specimens. The focus is now on explaining surgical diseases to the public. It shows how they were treated over centuries and how they are treated now. New tools like videos, hands-on simulators, and touch screens help visitors learn.
Other Uses of the Hall
The Quincentenary Conference Centre is a modern part of the site. Every August, it becomes a theater venue for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. A company called theSpaceUK runs it as theSpace @ Surgeons' Hall. theSpaceUK also uses another College building, the Symposium Hall, nearby.
