The history of Medical Museums in Edinburgh

Abstract

• Edinburgh has a wealth of medical collections, thanks not only to its role in the Enlightenment and the diaspora of graduates from the large medical school, but also to recent developments in medical heritage. Concentrating on the collections of the University of Edinburgh’s Anatomy Department and Surgeons’ Hall Museums at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, this paper charts the complex and connected histories of the material culture of anatomy, pathology and surgery in the city. What roles did museums play, from their 18th century origins to their 21st century resurgence, and who used them?