Key Collections

Instruments

Surgeons' Hall Museums house a large collection of surgical and dental instruments. Some, such as the Sqires Inhaler shown here, hold a significant place in the history and development of safe surgical procedures.

Radiology

In 1971 Scotland’s first radiological collection was begun at Surgeons’ Hall by Dr Bill Copland. A bequest from the estate of Mr Bruce M Dick covered the cost of adapting the old museum workshop and staff room into a dedicated space for the new X-ray collection with viewing equipment, donated by Kodak.

Histopathology

The 1840s had seen the establishment of the use of the microscope in medicine and the study of tissue at a minute level, what is now called, histology. In 1846 the museum began forming a series of microscopic preparations on glass slides, the early foundation of the museum’s histology collection.

Casts and Models

The Barclay Collection

John Barclay (1758-1826), a leading anatomy teacher in Scotland, had a particular interest and expertise in comparative anatomy and had amassed an impressive teaching collection of over 2,500 specimens. He bequeathed his collection to the College on the condition that a new hall was built to accommodate it; this was completed in 1832. Much of Barclay's collection was transferred to other musuems in the 1950s, but a few specimens are still kept at Surgeons' Hall.