Find out more…
If you’ve enjoyed our anniversary stories, explore the links below for more history of medicine resources.
Days out:
There are hundreds of places for BSH members to visit and enjoy the history of medicine across the UK. Here is just a selection:
Medicine: The Wellcome Galleries at the Science Museum, London
‘The most significant medical collections in the world through more than 500 years of history, showcasing 3,000 extraordinary medical artefacts including the world’s first MRI scanner, Fleming’s penicillin mould, and robotic surgery equipment.’
‘Follow the story of medicine as you wander through the streets of Victorian Leeds, watch operations in a 19th-century operating theatre and discover the medical innovations that changed the world.’
Surgeons’ Hall Museum, Edinburgh
‘One of Scotland’s old museums, the medical collections have been open to the public since 1832 and are home to one of the largest collections of surgical pathology in the world.’
‘A free visitor destination for the incurably curious, exploring the connections between medicine, life and art in the past, present and future. Contemporary and historic exhibitions and collections.’
Dr Jenner’s House, Museum and Garden, Gloucestershire
‘Discover the birthplace of vaccination and the home of the country doctor who changed the world.’
‘Visit the George Marshall Medical Museum and The Infirmary to discover a collection of death masks of hanged criminals, a reconstructed apothecary shop and Victorian operating theatre.’
London Museums of Health and Medicine
There are 26 medical museums to explore in London alone, covering almost every speciality and type of health care – browse the website to discover them all.
Resources:
Many haematology professionals have been fellows of the Royal College of Physicians and Royal College of Surgeons. Both Colleges have online obituaries of fellows available to search by name or keywords:
British Society for the History of Medicine
An umbrella organisation bringing together medical history societies and medical museums from all over the UK.
Inspiring Physicians, Royal College of Physicians, London
Biographies and obituaries of fellows of the Royal College of Physicians from 1518 to the present day.
Plarr’s Lives of the Fellows, Royal College of Surgeons of England
Biographies of deceased fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons of England.
Over 100,000 medical history images including paintings, portraits, illustrations, photos and more, freely available to download for personal and commercial use.
Online exhibition:
Our Journey, Our Story: History and Memory of Sickle Cell Anaemia in Britain 1950 - 2020
The Sickle Cell Society has launched an exploratory exhibition on the history of sickle cell, the NHS and the Black British community with Black Cultural Archives (BCA). Our Journey, Our Story: History and Memory of Sickle Cell Anaemia in Britain 1950 – 2020 unveils the campaign to make sure that sickle cell was recognised by medical professionals and how treatment has evolved.
For the first time, the exhibition collects the testimonies and experiences of people living with sickle cell; photographs and archives about the history of sickle cell campaigning; and original art by Black artists.
Blood in art:
Blood has been a topic in art for centuries. Here are some recent examples:
Self by Marc Quinn, 2006, National Portrait Gallery, London
A self-portrait cast with ten pints of the artist’s frozen blood.
Heart by Angela Palmer, 2018, Royal College of Physicians, London
The human heart as a three-dimensional drawing on glass. It uses a series of magnetic resonance images (MRIs) of a cannulated heart filled with formalin to retain its shape.