Hunterian Museum
Inside the Royal College of Surgeons, the Hunterian reframes 18th-century ‘anatomy fever’ for a modern audience. John Hunter’s specimen empire—once fuelled by curiosity, controversy and the black market of bodies—now anchors a lucid story of how surgeons learned, erred and improved. The 2023 revamp swaps shock value for context: exquisite preparations, early instruments and patient stories explain how techniques evolved from speed and spectacle to evidence and ethics. Expect 60–75 focused minutes; it’s compact but densely illuminating.
Opening Hours
What's not to miss inside?
Specimen Gallery, Reimagined
From cabinets of wonder to evidenceThousands of preparations—human and animal—arranged to teach pathology rather than merely astonish.
📍 Main hall vitrines
Tools of the Trade
Surgery before anaesthesia & antisepsisBone saws, tourniquets and bullet extractors reveal why speed once trumped subtlety.
📍 Introductory galleries
Learning to See
When microscopes changed diagnosisTiny lenses turned surgeons into historians of tissue—suddenly disease had a timeline.
📍 Microscopy & teaching section
Human Stories
Patients as partners, not propsLetters, sketches and consent histories shift the focus from specimen to person.
📍 Case notes & portraits
Inspire your Friends
- The famous skeleton of Charles Byrne—the 7’7” ‘Irish Giant’ purchased by John Hunter in 1783—is no longer on display; after the 2023 reopening it’s retained for research, reflecting modern ethics around consent.
- Much of Hunter’s original collection was damaged in the Blitz (1941); meticulous catalogues and surviving preparations allowed a post-war reconstruction of the museum.
- John Hunter’s private school trained a generation of surgeons who spread his specimen-based teaching across Britain and beyond—an early ‘open source’ of medical technique (minus the open licensing).
