Surgeons' Hall Museums
@surgeonshall.bsky.social
Home to the largest & most historic collection of surgical pathology in the world.
Open 10am-5pm, 7 days a week.
Open 10am-5pm, 7 days a week.
This dental drill from the mid-19th century has four interchangeable burs and one drill. These were released and fixed in position by a thumb screw.
February 16, 2026 at 12:02 PM
This dental drill from the mid-19th century has four interchangeable burs and one drill. These were released and fixed in position by a thumb screw.
Happy Valentine's Day!
#ICYMI our Valentine's Day podcast episode covering syphilis is now available!
You can find Beyond the Knife wherever you get your podcasts.
shows.acast.com/beyond-the-k...
#ICYMI our Valentine's Day podcast episode covering syphilis is now available!
You can find Beyond the Knife wherever you get your podcasts.
shows.acast.com/beyond-the-k...
February 14, 2026 at 12:01 PM
Happy Valentine's Day!
#ICYMI our Valentine's Day podcast episode covering syphilis is now available!
You can find Beyond the Knife wherever you get your podcasts.
shows.acast.com/beyond-the-k...
#ICYMI our Valentine's Day podcast episode covering syphilis is now available!
You can find Beyond the Knife wherever you get your podcasts.
shows.acast.com/beyond-the-k...
Syphilis has a long history and has often been accompanied by social stigma. In this post, Honorary Research Fellow Professor Ken Donaldson explores how city officials in Edinburgh attempted to banish people with syphilis to Inchkeith Island.
surgeonshallmuseums.wordpress.com/2026/02/13/t...
surgeonshallmuseums.wordpress.com/2026/02/13/t...
The attempt to exile syphilis sufferers to an island near Edinburgh.
Syphilis has a long history and has often been accompanied by social stigma. In this post, Honorary Research Fellow Professor Ken Donaldson explores how city officials in Edinburgh attempted to ban…
surgeonshallmuseums.wordpress.com
February 13, 2026 at 12:34 PM
Syphilis has a long history and has often been accompanied by social stigma. In this post, Honorary Research Fellow Professor Ken Donaldson explores how city officials in Edinburgh attempted to banish people with syphilis to Inchkeith Island.
surgeonshallmuseums.wordpress.com/2026/02/13/t...
surgeonshallmuseums.wordpress.com/2026/02/13/t...
This brass shoulder badge was part of the uniform of the Scottish Women’s Hospitals. Around 1500 women served with the SWH in France, Russia, Greece, Corsica and Serbia. They cared for soldiers, civilians and prisoners of war in the heart of war zones.
February 12, 2026 at 12:02 PM
This brass shoulder badge was part of the uniform of the Scottish Women’s Hospitals. Around 1500 women served with the SWH in France, Russia, Greece, Corsica and Serbia. They cared for soldiers, civilians and prisoners of war in the heart of war zones.
For #WordOnWednesday this week we are looking for something you would find in our History of Surgery Museum.
February 11, 2026 at 10:01 AM
For #WordOnWednesday this week we are looking for something you would find in our History of Surgery Museum.
This is a Strabismus hook. Used in squint eye surgery for securing and isolating an extraocular muscle.
#TriviaTuesday
#TriviaTuesday
For #TriviaTuesday this week we have this object from the late 19th century. It is 12 cm in length.
Any ideas what it is?
Any ideas what it is?
February 10, 2026 at 4:32 PM
This is a Strabismus hook. Used in squint eye surgery for securing and isolating an extraocular muscle.
#TriviaTuesday
#TriviaTuesday
For #TriviaTuesday this week we have this object from the late 19th century. It is 12 cm in length.
Any ideas what it is?
Any ideas what it is?
February 10, 2026 at 10:01 AM
For #TriviaTuesday this week we have this object from the late 19th century. It is 12 cm in length.
Any ideas what it is?
Any ideas what it is?
Sir James Young Simpson (1811-1870) wore this silk top hat towards the end of his life. Once after a day of work, he said to his butler: ‘Hide my hat, it is ever such a tell-tale.’
Simpson regularly entertained guests at his house on Queen Street, Edinburgh and was popular with his patients too.
Simpson regularly entertained guests at his house on Queen Street, Edinburgh and was popular with his patients too.
February 9, 2026 at 12:02 PM
Sir James Young Simpson (1811-1870) wore this silk top hat towards the end of his life. Once after a day of work, he said to his butler: ‘Hide my hat, it is ever such a tell-tale.’
Simpson regularly entertained guests at his house on Queen Street, Edinburgh and was popular with his patients too.
Simpson regularly entertained guests at his house on Queen Street, Edinburgh and was popular with his patients too.
Our current temporary exhibition 'A Fair Field and No Favour: The History of Women in Surgery' will close at 5pm on Sunday the 8th of March!
Not able to make it along to the exhibition before it closes? You can view it digitally on Bloomberg Connects: guides.bloombergconnects.org/en-US/guide/...
Not able to make it along to the exhibition before it closes? You can view it digitally on Bloomberg Connects: guides.bloombergconnects.org/en-US/guide/...
February 6, 2026 at 12:09 PM
Our current temporary exhibition 'A Fair Field and No Favour: The History of Women in Surgery' will close at 5pm on Sunday the 8th of March!
Not able to make it along to the exhibition before it closes? You can view it digitally on Bloomberg Connects: guides.bloombergconnects.org/en-US/guide/...
Not able to make it along to the exhibition before it closes? You can view it digitally on Bloomberg Connects: guides.bloombergconnects.org/en-US/guide/...
The answer this week is laudanum.
February 5, 2026 at 12:11 PM
The answer this week is laudanum.
It's time for the first #WordOnWednesday of the month!
This week we are looking for a word you would find in our History of Surgery gallery. Can you work out what the anagram is?
This week we are looking for a word you would find in our History of Surgery gallery. Can you work out what the anagram is?
February 4, 2026 at 10:01 AM
It's time for the first #WordOnWednesday of the month!
This week we are looking for a word you would find in our History of Surgery gallery. Can you work out what the anagram is?
This week we are looking for a word you would find in our History of Surgery gallery. Can you work out what the anagram is?
This is a saliva ejector used to remove fluids such as saliva and blood from a patient's mouth during procedures.
#TriviaTuesday
#TriviaTuesday
It's time for the first #TriviaTuesday of February!
Up this week we have this object from the 19th century. It is 11.5 cm in length, and 7 cm in width at it's widest part.
Any ideas what it is?
Up this week we have this object from the 19th century. It is 11.5 cm in length, and 7 cm in width at it's widest part.
Any ideas what it is?
February 3, 2026 at 4:38 PM
This is a saliva ejector used to remove fluids such as saliva and blood from a patient's mouth during procedures.
#TriviaTuesday
#TriviaTuesday
It's time for the first #TriviaTuesday of February!
Up this week we have this object from the 19th century. It is 11.5 cm in length, and 7 cm in width at it's widest part.
Any ideas what it is?
Up this week we have this object from the 19th century. It is 11.5 cm in length, and 7 cm in width at it's widest part.
Any ideas what it is?
February 3, 2026 at 10:01 AM
It's time for the first #TriviaTuesday of February!
Up this week we have this object from the 19th century. It is 11.5 cm in length, and 7 cm in width at it's widest part.
Any ideas what it is?
Up this week we have this object from the 19th century. It is 11.5 cm in length, and 7 cm in width at it's widest part.
Any ideas what it is?
This is a set of four dissecting hooks with ebony handles. They were used to hold flaps of skin in place that have been cut and pulled back during a dissection to reveal the underlying layers.
February 2, 2026 at 12:02 PM
This is a set of four dissecting hooks with ebony handles. They were used to hold flaps of skin in place that have been cut and pulled back during a dissection to reveal the underlying layers.
Reposted by Surgeons' Hall Museums
Podcasts like this are catnip for me
Beyond the Knife is back for 2026!
In a not-so-romantic pre-Valentine’s special, our Human Remains Conservator Cat Irving unpacks the fascinating history of syphilis.
You can listen wherever you get your podcasts.
shows.acast.com/beyond-the-k...
In a not-so-romantic pre-Valentine’s special, our Human Remains Conservator Cat Irving unpacks the fascinating history of syphilis.
You can listen wherever you get your podcasts.
shows.acast.com/beyond-the-k...
January 30, 2026 at 9:22 AM
Podcasts like this are catnip for me
Beyond the Knife is back for 2026!
In a not-so-romantic pre-Valentine’s special, our Human Remains Conservator Cat Irving unpacks the fascinating history of syphilis.
You can listen wherever you get your podcasts.
shows.acast.com/beyond-the-k...
In a not-so-romantic pre-Valentine’s special, our Human Remains Conservator Cat Irving unpacks the fascinating history of syphilis.
You can listen wherever you get your podcasts.
shows.acast.com/beyond-the-k...
January 30, 2026 at 9:15 AM
Beyond the Knife is back for 2026!
In a not-so-romantic pre-Valentine’s special, our Human Remains Conservator Cat Irving unpacks the fascinating history of syphilis.
You can listen wherever you get your podcasts.
shows.acast.com/beyond-the-k...
In a not-so-romantic pre-Valentine’s special, our Human Remains Conservator Cat Irving unpacks the fascinating history of syphilis.
You can listen wherever you get your podcasts.
shows.acast.com/beyond-the-k...
The answer to #WordOnWedneday this week is William Hare!
January 28, 2026 at 4:55 PM
The answer to #WordOnWedneday this week is William Hare!
January 28, 2026 at 10:01 AM
These are foreign body forceps used to remove foreign bodies from patients. These were made by Joseph F. B. Charriere in Paris.
#TriviaTuesday
#TriviaTuesday
Happy #TriviaTuesday!
This instrument made from ivory and metal is from the 19th century. It is 14.3 cm in length and is 1.4 cm in width at its widest point. Do you know what it is?
This instrument made from ivory and metal is from the 19th century. It is 14.3 cm in length and is 1.4 cm in width at its widest point. Do you know what it is?
January 27, 2026 at 4:45 PM
These are foreign body forceps used to remove foreign bodies from patients. These were made by Joseph F. B. Charriere in Paris.
#TriviaTuesday
#TriviaTuesday
Happy #TriviaTuesday!
This instrument made from ivory and metal is from the 19th century. It is 14.3 cm in length and is 1.4 cm in width at its widest point. Do you know what it is?
This instrument made from ivory and metal is from the 19th century. It is 14.3 cm in length and is 1.4 cm in width at its widest point. Do you know what it is?
January 27, 2026 at 10:01 AM
Happy #TriviaTuesday!
This instrument made from ivory and metal is from the 19th century. It is 14.3 cm in length and is 1.4 cm in width at its widest point. Do you know what it is?
This instrument made from ivory and metal is from the 19th century. It is 14.3 cm in length and is 1.4 cm in width at its widest point. Do you know what it is?
The earliest illustration of a chair being used during childbirth dates to 1450 BC. This birthing chair from the mid-18th century has an adjustable headrest and the base can be anchored to the floor.
January 26, 2026 at 12:02 PM
The earliest illustration of a chair being used during childbirth dates to 1450 BC. This birthing chair from the mid-18th century has an adjustable headrest and the base can be anchored to the floor.
Reposted by Surgeons' Hall Museums
For #NationalHandwritingDay here's proof that doctors don't have terrible handwriting! This beautifully handwritten letter (c.1735) diagnoses a patient with breast cancer, a “disorder rarely hitherto known to yield to any milder remedy than the knife”.
January 23, 2026 at 9:43 AM
For #NationalHandwritingDay here's proof that doctors don't have terrible handwriting! This beautifully handwritten letter (c.1735) diagnoses a patient with breast cancer, a “disorder rarely hitherto known to yield to any milder remedy than the knife”.
This leather retractor dates from the mid 18th century. Surgeons use retractors during amputations to pull back tissue, allowing the bone to be cut as near to the tissue as possible without damaging it. The hole in the middle of the retractor varied in size depending on the bone.
January 23, 2026 at 9:04 AM
This leather retractor dates from the mid 18th century. Surgeons use retractors during amputations to pull back tissue, allowing the bone to be cut as near to the tissue as possible without damaging it. The hole in the middle of the retractor varied in size depending on the bone.
This inhaler from the 1950s was used for giving dental patients anaesthetic. Cyprane Ltd. pioneered the production of calibrated inhalers. Inhalers of this type were also used for self administering pain relief during childbirth.
January 22, 2026 at 12:01 PM
This inhaler from the 1950s was used for giving dental patients anaesthetic. Cyprane Ltd. pioneered the production of calibrated inhalers. Inhalers of this type were also used for self administering pain relief during childbirth.
The answer to #WordOnWednesday this week is cleft lip!
January 22, 2026 at 10:30 AM
The answer to #WordOnWednesday this week is cleft lip!