Previous Exhibitions

Words and Deeds: Women, Caregiving and Warfare

Open to the public from 13th June - 1st December 2013

On 13th June 2013, Words and Deeds: Women, Warfare and Caregiving opened at Surgeons’ Hall Museum. The exhibition, in partnership with The University of Edinburgh, featured reinterpretation of surgical and military objects and new research by Yvonne McEwen, The Centre for The Study of Modern Conflict, The University of Edinburgh.

By reexamining the history of women in warfare through their own stories, the exhibition uncovers the diversity of roles women have played in warfare. The exhibition starts with the ‘curious’ tale of James Miranda Barry, an army Surgeon whose hospital had the most successful recovery rates during the Crimean War and who rose to the rank of Inspector General (equivalent to Major General). At this time in Scotland, women were not permitted to study medicine or join the army. Therefore, when Edinburgh graduate Dr Barry died and the body was laid out, it came as a shock to discover that Dr Barry was a woman.

The voices of women from The Crimean War, The American Civil War, The South African War, WWI & WWII tells the moving, harrowing and inspirational story of women who fought with opposition, often giving their own lives, to save those of the wounded. The astounding courage of Dr Elsie Inglis, who established The Scottish Women’s Hospitals during WWI is highlighted in this exhibition. When initially offering to set up women's medical units on the Western Front, she was told by officials: "my good lady, go home and sit still". However, Dr Inglis did not go home, instead forming one of the most successful medical initiatives of WWI.

Watching on the Heights: The Life and Work of Joseph Lister

Open to the public from 13th February - 20th September 2012

The Museum’s exhibition Watching on the Heights: The Life and Work of Joseph Lister will be on display from the beginning of February until September 2012. Over the last months, much work has been carried out to reassess and reinterpret many fascinating items from the collections and to explore important themes that dominated Lister’s life. The archives are rich with artefacts associated with Lister; medals, letters, certificates and instruments which can all be used to present an original interpretation of his story. For instance, the frock coat that we will have on display belonged to Lister and demonstrates the sort of coat which would be worn by a surgeon when operating. The coat not only provides a visual reference to what Lister would have been dressed in, but also serves to highlight the lack of hygienic standards before Lister’s advocacy of his system and the introduction of antiseptic technique. The associated pathology on display will illustrate the severity of infection and highlight the life threatening conditions which occurred due to the lack of sterile environments in hospital treatment. Wound infection, or “hospital gangrene” was of particular interest to Lister and he noted the positive results when the wound did not become infected. By viewing the pathology of these conditions, visitors will be able to observe the vicious nature of the infections which Lister helped eliminate from hospital wards.

Lister’s family background and his early years will be an important theme of the exhibition. In addition to text and artefacts relating to this subject, a short dialogue of an actor in the guise of Lister has been filmed. This film will show ‘Lister’ talking about the discovery of the antiseptic technique. Through this performance, the visitors will get a sense of the mannerisms and language used by Lister, such as his use of the personal form ‘thee and thou’ throughout his life which betrayed his Quaker upbringing. ‘Lister’ will also appear in live interpretation sessions, which will run throughout the celebrations. There has been much written about Lister and our interest is in ensuring that new information and different angles are presented in the exhibition. Agnes Lister is often ignored as a significant contributor to Lister’s work and by exploring her own writings, we hope to bring out a fuller picture on Lister’s life. The lab notes written by Agnes document her in-depth involvement in Lister’s research, her letters and diaries show that the two were practically inseparable until her death in 1893, while on holiday together in Rapello.

It was Sir Thomas Clifford Allbutt who stated, Lister saw the vast importance of the discoveries of Pasteur. He saw it because he was watching on the heights, and he was watching there alone. Besides Lister’s own story, his achievements will be placed in context with those of other scientists of the time. Pasteur, Koch and Semmelweiss were all working on theories in the latter half of the nineteenth century in what was a period of monumental change in medical practices. The term ‘Watching on the Heights’ refers to Lister’s ability to take account of their developments in science and form his own theories from them.

Part of the Museum’s mission is to make our exhibitions accessible to all, including younger visitors. The opportunity to develop an interactive which shows Lister’s vascular experiments with a horse has been an interesting challenge. Lister went to extraordinary lengths to support his theories. This particular interactive will show how Lister built a large contraption so that a horse could be studied standing, on its side, and with limbs elevated. With the horse in these positions he was able to demonstrate arterial contraction. The reconstruction of this experiment in small scale will convey the diverse nature of Lister’s pioneering techniques and what they achieved. Microscopes will also form part of the interactive element of the exhibition. Joseph Jackson Lister, Lister’s father was a microscope pioneer and seems fitting that we have an interactive that demonstrates his discoveries. The week following the Lister celebrations, we will also be running special microscope workshops and ‘portraits of putrefaction’, special art classes focusing on the decay of the human body.

The Accoucheur: Sir James Young Simpson

Open to public from 2nd June - 28th September 2011

In 1847, Simpson challenged the medical convictions of the time and demonstrated that a woman could be safely delivered from the pains of traumatic labour by the administration of general anesthetic. He later added to his fame when he introduced chloroform, which was endorsed by Queen Victoria and administered during the birth of Prince Leopold in 1853. This new exhibition, celebrating the bicentenary of Sir James Young Simpson, charts the remarkable journey made by the seventh son of a village baker from his rural home in Bathgate to one of the greatest figures in the history of medicine. The areas of Simpson’s life which are explored incorporate a diverse range of topics including: early childbirth; Simpson’s innovations in obstetric pain relief and instruments; and his involvement in religion and controversy. A fascinating selection of objects from The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, including Simpson’s letters and notebooks, illustrations and instruments, will be on view. Many of the objects for this exhibition are rarely seen by the public. Adult bone pathology, fetal pathology and illustrations, normally in restricted areas, demonstrate the complexities of childbirth at the dawn of modern medicine.

Surgeons at War 1939-1945

To commemorate the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of World War Two, Surgeons’ Hall Museum presents a temporary display of material relating to the practice of surgery in theatres of war from 1939-45. The exhibition highlights the contribution of some of the Fellows of RCSEd and other Scottish doctors including: Sir John Bruce, John Gillingham, Donald Young, Jock Milne, Angus Hedley Whyte and Dr Thomas Durie.

Written on the Body - August 2008 to January 2009

The exhibition was part of the larger national programme, led by the National Library of Scotland, Scottish Printing Archival Trust and the Scottish Print Employers Federation, to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the printed word in Scotland.

Scotland and Medicine in Print shows examples of the printing and publishing of medical and health related works in Scotland over the past 500 years. The content of this exhibition will continue to grow, further illustrating Scotland’s rich heritage in the development of medical printing.

Visit www.scotlandandmedicineinprint.com for more details (opens in a new browser window).

The Scottish Womens' Hospitals - July 2005 to June 2006

..."these quiet women...were the true pioneers. They did not call upon the world to listen to what women might, could or should do under quite different conditions; they simply did - under the existing conditions - first the thing that needed to be done, then and there"...

Audubon in Edinburgh - 1st August 2003 to 29 September 2003

'My situation here borders almost on the miraculous. Without education, [and with] scarce one of those qualities necessary to render a man able to pass thro the throng of the learned here, I am positively looked on by all the Professors & many of the principal persons here as a very extraordinary man.'

John James Audubon, American ornithologist and artist, c.1826.

"...a fascinating exhibition."

The Scotsman, 16 September 2003.