The Hunterian Collection

Bill writes: First up was the Hunterian Collection housed in the Royal College of Surgeons building, a fine and imposing structure that by its greek columns shows you right off that this is a profession that can trace its ancestry right back to Hippocrates.



The Hunterian Collection was put together by the surgeon John Hunter who collected specimens of plants, animals, and people, producing many thousands of preparations during the 1700's which were then purchased by the government in 1799. The present collection consists mainly of several enormous rooms filled with what are politely termed "medical preparations." In actuality, it represents thousands of jars and boxes filled with diseased body parts. Although a hugely important collection from a medical and teaching standpoint, its curiosities range from the fascinating to the freak show. With endless rows of tumours, deformities, and injuries, it is a catalog of the pain nature inflicts on the human body. In the end, it is difficult to recommend the Hunterian Collection, as it is a museum consisting mainly of things you'd rather not know.

Photographs weren't allowed, but you can read and see more of it here.

http://www.rcseng.ac.uk/museums/history

http://www.rcseng.ac.uk/museums/history/collections.html