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Looking at this 18thC model of female pelvic anatomy, you see three foetuses. This isn’t showing pregnancy with triplets - it’s an intended to show different types of ectopic pregnancy. You can see ovarian, tubal, and peritoneal. It was produced by sculptor Francesc Citarelli to teach obstetrics
Magiae Naturalis or Natural Magic. This book includes a recipe for Witches’ Unguent that supposedly allowed witches to fly at night… or at least they thought they could, due to its hallucinogenic properties!
Chomp! Love this little guy taking a bite out of the gastronomy map of France (Cours gastronomique, ou, Les diners de Manant-ville, c.1809) 😋
1800s medical kit containing Spanish fly. Also known as Blister Beetles because they were applied to the skin in order to create blisters which supposedly forced the sickness out
Blog post! Prohibition stories... Anti-tea and coffee spokespersons had once decried those drinks as creating ‘tea mania’ and ‘coffee drunkards’. But by 1920 the Temperance Movement was advocating for more coffee shops and tearooms as an alternative to pubs. 👉 www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/her...
Chinese utensils used in preparing and drinking tea, from a 1600s work by Simon Paulli Find out more about the history of tea in our exhibition ‘Hooked’ www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/hoo...
The hematologist Oswald H. Robertson pioneered the idea of "blood banks" in WWI by packing glass jars of citrated blood from universal donors in an ice-filled chest that he had constructed from ammunition cases. Learn more in my book THE FACEMAKER: drlindseyfitzharris.com/the-facemaker/
Fishwives, or ‘oyster lasses’, were common figures in the streets of 1700s Edinburgh. Oysters were so plentiful that they were considered to be cheap snack food. The shells themselves, when ground up, were taken to relieve heartburn
Class card belonging to Murdoch Cameron, a pioneer in caesarean section under antiseptic conditions. The card shows attendance at Joseph Lister's Clinical Lectures on the Cases of Surgical Patients, held in 1867 at Glasgow Royal Infirmary
Good point!
I think I prefer the summer treatment…winter is a bit too uriney
Charcot was a French neurologist who studied hypnotism in cases of hysteria. He held public displays of his skills which were attended by actors, authors and others, including a young Sigmund Freud. They were viewed as salacious as they often involved semi-clad young women
A strong start to your 1600s surgical textbook when you begin with allegorical winged and cloaked death images like these – a stark reminder to all medical students
This 16thc text contains descriptions of over 200 spas as well as collecting together the works of over 70 classical, Arabic and contemporary writers on the subject of bathing. This illustration shows visitors bathing, drrinking and defecating at the spa
Stop by today! It is our 🎉 FREE 🎉 #Edinburgh science fun day! 10am – 2pm 🔬 Try testing ‘urine’ in our lab 🐍 Meet a real snake and learn what snakes have to do with bladders 💪 Get sparkly with glitter tattoos 🩺 Listen to talks from real doctors FREE Find out more www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/sna...
Condom, or ‘rubber sheath’, over 100 years old. This was used as evidence in the court case of a quack imposter physician ‘Dr’ Massie in Edinburgh in 1914
Visit our free #Edinburgh exhibition Hooked. Exploring pills, drink, snuff and cigarettes, we uncover the many faces of addiction and the many attempts to combat it. 📍 Physicians’ Gallery, 11 Queen Street, EH2 1JQ 📅 Mon – Fri, 10am – 4.30pm Find out more 👉 www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/hoo...
Blog! The science behind murder, exploring the murder weapon collection of forensic expert Sydney Smith 👉 www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/her...
The Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh first opened its doors #OTD 1729 after a fundraising campaign by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. It was known as the Little House and, showing it was a hospital for all of Scotland, its first patient came from Caithness
👍
18thc copy of ‘Aristotle’s Masterpiece’, a sex manual and midwifery guide. According to one theory, the hairy woman on the frontispiece served as a warning – if you lusted after a man other than your husband during pregnancy, both you and your child could become deformed.
Fancy a pint of frogspawn?
A large anatomical ‘fugitive leaf’ from Cassell’s People’s Physician, Vol. 5, published in the 1930s. These kind of anatomical illustrations with fold out sections functioned as paper dissections, and were intended to help non-medical audiences learn about anatomy.
Definitely, good point
Lovely!
Vapo-Cresolene lamp. A 19thc invention where a small flame was used to vaporise the chemicals in coal tar. Used as a treatment for chest complaints including bronchitis and asthma, in 1908 its efficacy was, unsurprisingly, debunked but it continued to be used into the 1950s
Honestly, that's mostly it. We couldn't resist the punny event title 'Snakes & Bladders'. And it is an excuse to get some bladder specialists to do a talk with snakes about why we need bladders and they don't 😀
Strongly agree!
Come along to our 🎉 FREE 🎉 fun day and learn all about the bladder! Sat 16 Aug 🔬 Try testing ‘urine’ in our lab 🐍 Meet a real snake and learn what snakes have to do with bladders 💪 Get sparkly with glitter tattoos 🩺 Listen to talks from real doctors Find out more 👉 www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/sna...
Tincture of Castoreum, extracted from beaver anal scent glands. Used in the 18thc as a stimulant and antispasmodic, particularly in cases of hysteria and epilepsy
Join us and @sexhistorian.bsky.social on 10 Sept to explore women’s experiences of HIV/AIDS care and activism in Scotland Book your ticket now 👉 www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/womens-his...
This pipe was made in a factory in the East End of Glasgow. Slave-produced goods like tobacco were the main items of trade in the city. Along with tobacco came other related trades – snuff production, tobacco spinning and clay pipe production Find out more in Hooked www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/hoo...
You heard it here first – a 17thc cure for love addiction ‘he must drinke… no wine upon any tearmes: because that wine inflames the blood, and makes men the more prone to lust’ Find out more about the history of love addiction in our exhibition ‘Hooked’ www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/hoo...
The Royal Edinburgh Hospital accepted its first patient #OTD 1813. Although funded by public donations, for the first 30 years they only accepted patients who could pay their one guinea fee. The city’s poor would have to wait a little longer for access to treatment
Today marks the start of South Asian Heritage Month. To celebrate we have a wonderful new blog post by Dr Theeba Krishnamoorty, discussing the very 1st South Asian women to qualify to practice medicine heritageblog.rcpsg.ac.uk/2025/07/18/a... #SouthAsianHeritageMonth #RootsToRoutes #womeninmedicine
Definitely agreed
I'm afraid so!
Parsley, leek, bread, polenta and cheese...another 18thc recipe where the nice food gets applied on the skin and the patient has to eat dung
Check out #ThePeoplesDispensary – our free new online resource about charitable medicine in Edinburgh. It includes a fully transcribed and digitised archive of over 10,000 pages of Georgian patient case notes from the Edinburgh Public Dispensary 👉 www.rcpe.ac.uk/peoplesdispe...
On 12 Aug join the @rcphysicians.bsky.social, @rcpsgheritage.bsky.social & @rcpedin.bsky.social heritage teams in a virtual discussion to share early research into records of South Asian doctors migrating to the UK since the 1840s. Book free👉 stories_of_medicine_and_migration.eventbrite.co.uk #SAHM
In this episode we explore the Rs. Find out about the history of rabies, radium girls and rosacea on our podcast. 👉 www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/rad...
On the uncropped version of the x-ray you can see a bit more info - at the bottom it says that the injection was done by H J Stiles (made a Fellow of the College of Surgeons in 1889) and H Rainy (made a Fellow of the College of Physicians in 1896) did the skiagraph
This doesn't answer your question but on the uncropped version of the x-ray you can see a bit more info - it says that the injection was done by H J Stiles (made a Fellow of the College of Surgeons in 1889) and H Rainy (made a Fellow of the College of Physicians in 1896) did the skiagraph
The morbid art of flaying human skin for anatomical study - one student visiting Leiden university wrote that they had seen a skeleton on display with ‘a shirt made of his own bowels and shoes of his own skin’
In Scotland porringers like this one were multi-purpose tools. They are often associated with serving porridge but were also used for bloodletting. One surgeon wrote in 1617 that ‘Blood porringers are necessary, to be the more certaine of the quantity of blood which is taken’
X-ray by Dawson Turner, 1896. A primitive x-ray installation, the first in Edinburgh, was set up in Turner's house at George Square. As a result of his work he had several of his fingers amputated and lost an eye
Our new major exhibition is open! Discover art by and about nurses. It explores the role of art in constructing and resisting stereotypes, by exposing the complexity, labour and expertise of nursing. 🎨 Find out more: www.rcn.org.uk/news-and-events/news/art-of-nursing-exhibition #ArtOfNursing
We've got something for everyone in our summer programme! Daytime talks (with free cake!), family fun day, history lectures and talks for young people thinking about a career in medicine. Find out more www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/eve...
This book by Jacob Winslow explores stories of being buried alive. It suggests tests to make sure a person is dead before burial – including pouring ‘vinegar and salt or warm urine in the mouth’ and putting ‘insects in the ear’.
Sometimes ignorance is bliss!
"Instruments to pull out, cut, and file superfluous teeth" from The Whole Course of Chirurgerie by Scottish surgeon and our College founder, Peter Lowe. The book was first published in 1597. The woodcut illustrations were added to the 2nd edition published c.1612 #dentistry
The book is John Moncrief's Poor Man's Physician (1731). As you guessed this is a book of lay remedies, not the recipes of trained physicians
Fair!
Blood of bat, blood of frog, hemlock, leeches and burnt ashes… Just another ordinary everyday 18thc medical treatment, this time for excessive hair
Have you visited our Hooked: 500 Years of Addiction exhibition yet? Combining rare books, historical objects, artworks, interviews and digital interactives, the exhibition explores the meaning of addiction through history. www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/hoo...
Smoking in coal mines was a serious offence due to the fire risk, so many miners would chew tobacco instead. This tin is from an English mining town - belonging to John Cole from Castleford in West Yorkshire. Find out more in Hooked www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/hoo...
Ooh, good call. Not quite the context, but apparently the juice of this plant was rubbed on the skin as a treatment. You may have nailed it!
You ask a good question. The one hit when you google it is this recipe, which is unhelpful!
Pomegranates, honey and roses...all given in 1785 as cures for 'Women's Longing' (same cure used for worms)
🩸 It's National Blood Week!🩸 In Victorian times, blood transfusions were rare, experimental and risky! Fast forward to 2025 - the NHS is currently experiencing a critical shortage of blood. If you are able, consider donating - it's quick, safe and saves lives. www.blood.co.uk
In this episode we explore the Ps. Find out how wheat and frogs could tell you you’re pregnant, why Pepys had a party every year because of medicine and how a Brontë sister showed her love of head shapes 👉https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/pregnancy-pepys-and-phrenology
There's definitely the suggestion that these electrical boxes were inspired by Michael Faraday's work, haven't heard that about the name though so can neither confirm nor deny!
Agreed!
This machine was designed to administer mild electric shocks. It was a popular Victorian treatment for many disorders, especially those associated with mental health. The strength of the shock was controlled by how fast the handle was turned
Agreed, this one image has so many messages in it
This moralising 1800s print shows the perils of over indulgence in alcohol, from illustrations of a woman being thrown out of her home and two drunk men fighting, to ‘degradation’, ‘gambling’ and ‘idleness’. Find out more in Hooked www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/hoo...
Book a free school visit and join us to explore medicine, past and present. Students can tour the museum and historic rooms, view historic items connected to their school subjects and learn from experts about medicine and its history. Find out more www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/sch...
Trade card of Richard Middleton, coffin maker and undertaker - 19th century.
Definitely fo not take this bluesky post as medicinal advice! 😬
Thumbs up emoji!
A handy 18thc cure for stupidity. Just swop your cup of tea for Hyssopus officinalis, a medicinal plant Find out more about the history of tea in our exhibition ‘Hooked’ www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/hoo...
Check out our latest free exhibition! 'Hooked' explores the history of addiction, from snuff to gambling, from alcohol to love. It runs until Feb 2026. Find out more www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/hoo...
Scottish botanical artist Elizabeth Blackwell described the coffee plant as good for those who had a naturally cold disposition, but for those who ran hot, drinking too much could ‘bring on them nervous distempers’ Find out more in Hooked www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/hoo...
Woodcut illustration by Guilio Casserio from Adriani Spegelii's De formato foetu (c.1626), a treatise on pregnancy, the placenta and the child.
That's really interesting, thanks!
😂
Handy tip from an 18th century medical guidebook – always remember to prepare your medicinal woodlice in the same manner as your bees
Happy pride month! In our new blog post we’re exploring queer ecology – plants, queerness and medicine #pridemonth www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/her...
In the 1930s Jamaica Ginger users experienced paralysis of the limbs that they called Jake paralysis. A manufacturer included a plasticizer usually used in paint. Blues songs were written about it, including Jake Walk Blues and Jake Walk Papa Find out more in Hooked www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/hoo...
Our exhibition is now open! ‘Hooked’ explores the complex history of addiction - running until 13 Feb 2026 www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/hoo...
Blog! Exploring the history of working class skin – the fear of the proximity of poor bodies and the experimentation on the skin of poor patients in hospitals and dispensaries www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/her...
An anatomical model made from papier-mâché, but not from the Auzoux workshop! This one was part of a series dissecting the head and neck that were made in Edinburgh between 1893 and 1927 by Archibald Young and Sons, surgical instrument makers.
Oh dear 🫤
It is from 1890 - the image is taken from the Edinburgh and Leith Post Office Directory
Love it! 🤩
Gout? Sore throat? Asthma? Indigestion? Look no further than the world-wide famed magnetic curative appliances – works by radiating ‘magnetic influence’ and restoring your ‘vital force’
Mark your calendars for our next exhibition ‘Hooked’ which opens on 30 May. From love addiction to smoking jackets, explore the history of addiction with us! www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/hoo...
18thc Discourses on Tea for #internationalteaday ... 'One may experience Tremors and Pains for the other Sex, from an indiscreet Use of Tea’
This is the first anatomy theatre in Leiden, set up by Prof Pieter Pauw. He filled the space with prints, skeletons and skulls (under the table) – all to serve as educational resources for students, even when a dissection was not underway
Have you booked yet? Plants & potions children's workshop this half-term at the RCP. Join us & @oldoptheatre.bsky.social on 28 May to: 🌿 Create your own pomander 👃play smelly bingo & explore the RCP Garden 🩺get hands on with medical history Book now tinyurl.com/yy39demm @rcphysicians.bsky.social
Chilled dung then?
Warm cow dung round the waist anyone? #springfashion
Our new podcast explores the Ns – nurses, nails and nymphomania. We uncover how fingernails could give away your social class and how good food could cause nymphomania. Tune in now on all major podcast sites or check the link below! www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/nur...
'De humana physiognomonia', 1586, where a dog-like face made you avaricious and mule-features meant you were easily angered
The Latin phrase memento mori, or ‘remember that you must die’, relates to the use of visual symbols such as the skeleton to remind us of our own mortality. These examples are taken from the 17thc anatomical atlas of Dutch physician Govert Bidloo
For today's #Archive30 we're looking at our William Macewen #ArchiveCollection. Macewen is the father of neurosurgery, a pioneer of asepsis, bone, & lung surgery plus so much more! Amongst the collection are his casebooks, correspondence, clinical photos, lectures & instruments tinyurl.com/48aycmra
Blog post! Physicians used the clothing they wore in their portraits to show their mental and social prowess. A turban could display intellectual freedom, while a toga symbolised power www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/her...
You ask the pertinent questions. Gonna say yes?
We all thought it.
Best not to wonder too hard!