From Lego Robotic to Living Autopsies.... Our Spring Events Are Here!

We are delighted to announce our Spring 2022 events programme.  The programme is incredibly diverse and there is something for everyone.

Every Saturday and Sumday at 2pm- Blood and Guts: The Twists and Turns of Edinburgh's Medical History walking tour- We will take you through the highs and lows of Edinburgh’s world renowned medical history. Discover the intrigues, rivalries and dedication to the cause as our guide leads you through the sites where anatomists, surgeons and physicians worked, operated and squabbled in the quest for medical advancement.
Tickets for the tours also include museum access!


April

12th- Body Builders Drop in Sessions- 

Can you help to build a human body?  Come along to our drop-in session and create internal organs out of Play-Doh for our human body model.

13th- ComputerXplores Lego Robotics- Join ComputerXplorers this Easter in this fun filled, hands on workshop as we learn how to use robotics technology to build and program Lego robots which can move using motors, gears and sensors. We will also be finding out how robotics technology can be used and applied to modern day medicine.

16th- Life Drawing- Intrigued by life drawing? Too bamboozled to know where to start? Don't trust your ability to even draw a stick figure? Great. This class is for all of you who have thus far been too terrified to pick up a pencil in front of a naked person. Come just for the morning tutored class and spend the rest of your Saturday gently recovering, or bravely stick around to put your new skills into practice in our afternoon untutored session. Tutored class | 10am -11.30am | all materials provided |Untutored class | 12.30pm - 2.30pm | basic materials to borrow, materials to buy, or BYO dry​ materials (we're in a carpeted room!)


May

12th- 200 Years of Surgical Instrument Making: The Edinburgh Firm Archibald Young- We know much about the lives of Edinburgh’s surgeons and their contributions to the improvement of surgical techniques. But what do we know about the surgical instrument makers? What histories can we find? How does this knowledge benefit museums and their collections? This presentation reveals the story of Edinburgh firm Archibald Young (& Son) (Ltd) beginning in the late 18th century and traces their development through the 19th and 20th centuries. Using examples of instruments from Surgeons Hall Museums and historical documents held in UK archives this talk will present a fascinating glimpse into one of Edinburgh’s longest surviving surgical instrument makers.

26th- Living Autospy with Dr. Suzy Lishman CBE- 

Join consultant histopathologist Dr Suzy Lishman CBE as she performs a living autopsy to investigate the effects of modern living on the body. Discover what an autopsy involves and how post-mortem examinations have transformed our understanding of disease and why future investigations may not require a scalpel. Her award-winning living autopsy has been seen by thousands in real life, and over one million people online. In her day job, Suzy specialises in bowel cancer diagnosis and establishing accurate causes of death. Out of work Suzy gives regular talks to schools, specialist societies and the public, and has appeared on numerous television programmes discussing historic murders and diseases such as bubonic plague, syphilis and arsenic poisoning. Find out more about the tour here https://www.rcpath.org/discover-pathology/diamond-jubilee/living-autopsy-tour.html

June

17th- Surgeons' Hall Book Club-  

Taking place in the beautiful surroundings of the Fellows Library, in the A Listed William Playfair building. The Museums inaugural book club session will discuss 'The Butchering Art' by Lindsey Fitzharris.
In The Butchering Art, historian Lindsey Fitzharris recreates a pivotal point in medical history, when Joseph Lister transformed surgery from a brutal, harrowing practice to a far safer and smoother process, that we are familiar with in present times. The book is available in our Museum shop. All purchases will gain complimentary access to the Museum with each copy.

24th- Phases of Matter Film Screening + Director Q&A- Phases of Matter made its premiere at the International Rotterdam Film Festival 2020 and won the Best Documentary Film Award at the 57th Antalya Film Festival and the 39th Istanbul Film Festival. As a non-traditional cinematic documentary with an observant style, the film meticulously portrays the story of not only a hospital, but also a country, helping the audience to understand and empathize with health workers in a way that regular style of documentary filmmaking can't. It is the latest film of director and artist Deniz Tortum, who is based in Philadelphia and was featured on “25 New Faces of Independent Cinema” by Filmmaker Magazine.