Born #OTD 1873, Dr Archibald Young, pioneer in the operative treatment of fractures and in the study of methods of relieving pain. During #WWI he acted as a neurological expert focusing on nerve injuries. Young was President of our College from 1935-37 #onthisday #histmed

Today's #Museum30 is all about a #box. This lovely gavel casket in our collection was made using timber from the former Lister Ward at Glasgow Royal Infirmary. The box was presented to the College to remember Andrew and William Brown who were instrument makers for Joseph Lister and William Macewen.

Marie Curie was born #OnThisDay 1867. Madame Curie visited Glasgow in 1929, being hosted by Professor Archibald Young and Mrs Anna Young. Here is a photo of Irene Curie, Madame Curie, and Mrs Young enjoying the fresh Scottish air at Loch Fyne 😅 #heritage #mariecurie

A pewter syringe (1711) recovered from the shipwreck of the Queen Anne's Revenge, famed Pirate Black Beard's stolen flagship. The urethral syringe contained mercury, which most likely treated pirates aboard ailing from syphilis. More info: www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning...

Cupping set (c.1850) to draw bad matter in the blood toward the surface of the skin, away from vital organs. #histmed

The first scientific evidence corroborating the medieval presence of the "Black Death" in Edinburgh has been identified in DNA present in the plaque on the teeth of a skeleton unearthed during archaeological excavations under St Giles Cathedral in 1981. Story here 👇 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

We have lots of student notebooks containing sketches on anatomy, diseases etc, however, this one is by far our favourite. It shows Joseph Lister, father of antiseptic surgery, disappearing through a trapdoor after his lecture in Glasgow in 1868. Now that's how to make an exit! #Museum30 #Sketchbook

This set of 6 instruments belonged to William Walker, the first Ophthalmic Surgeon to be appointed to the Royal Infirmary and held the appointment of Surgeon Oculist to Queen Victoria. The case includes some corneal splitting knives and an iris hook.

A plate from “Engravings, Explaining the Anatomy of the Bones, Muscles, and Joints” by Scottish surgeon-anatomist John Bell FRCSEd, published in 1794. Bell illustrated his own works based on dissections he carried out in his Edinburgh anatomy school.

Day 3 of #Museum30 is all about #Eyes and these artificial glass eye lenses fit the bill perfectly. They were manufactured c.1900 and are stored in a tiny wooden box.

Hidden Treasures 40: Uroscopy Scene, Byzantium, 15th century from Teophilus Protospatarius "De Urinis", MS 3632, f. 51r, Biblioteca Universitaria di Bologna, Bologna. #CSMBR #MedicalHistory #Uroscopy #ByzantineHistory #Hippocrates

We had a fantastic time last night at our sold out event, Daemonologie. Thank you so much to everyone who came along to hear all about King James VI and his obsession with witches. And a HUGE thanks to Steven Veerapen for the wonderful talk - a perfect warm up for #Halloween! 🎃

Here's proof, if proof were needed, that witches and ghosts really do exist! 'Saducismus triumphatus - Full & plain evidence concerning witches and apparitions' (c.1682) by Joseph Glanvill, discusses witchcraft, poltergeists, levitations, and apparitions. Happy #Halloween 🎃

#OnThisDay 1915 the Girton & Newnham Unit of the Scottish Women's Hospitals set sail from Liverpool to Serbia to set up a hospital unit in Salonika. This photo, taken 2 days before they departed, is from the album of Nurse Annie Allan heritage.rcpsg.ac.uk/items/show/408 #histnursing #histmed #WW1

This very good boy is Buller. He was photographed at Mearnskirk hospital c.1930. We don't know much about Buller, but he's in a collection of photos entitled "hospital staff" so we like to think he was Top Dog on the wards 🐶

Scottish surgeon Robert Liston, was born #onthisday 1794. He was renowned for his speed and dexterity when performing amputations. This was in part due to the instruments he used several of which he designed himself. His long, sharp Liston knives were a staple of 19th century amputation sets.

A Vapo-Cresoline Spirit Lamp (c.1900). The manufacturers claimed that it could cure any respiratory disease, including asthma and whooping cough, by providing a cleansing vaporised gas that opened up the airways.

Today is #WorldPolioDay. In 1958 the #NHS launched a programme to vaccinate all under 15s against polio & diphtheria. This photo was taken 10 years before the vaccination programme and shows a polio patient at Mearnskirk hospital.

These are both opium-based medicines. Paregoric was given to young children to relieve teething pain and send them to sleep. Other opium-based medicines for children included Mother Bailey’s Quieting Syrup and Mrs Winslow’s Soothing Syrup Find out more in Hooked www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/hoo...

One of the oldest items in our museum collection is this amazing trephine set dating from c.1740. It was made by Edward Stanton of London and contains 4 trephines, forceps, raspatory, lenticular, elevator and a tiny brush. heritage.rcpsg.ac.uk/items/show/523

In the 17th century some Europeans believed that a bite from a tarantula (or rather wolf spider) led to tarantism, a type of hysteria that could only by cured by a frenzied dance, the tarantella!

Check out this fabulous new donation, The Concise Home Doctor 🥼 Dating c.1931 and coming in at a very concise 1,434 pages, this tome contains everything you need to know regarding health from heart disease to wrinkles. It even has care tips for your canine pals!

Clocking on for spooky season.

Dissected torso produced in wax by the famed Florentine modeller Clemente Susini

This is a replica of the mortar used by Gilbert Primrose, the well-known surgeon to King James VI of Scotland. The President of the College commissioned it in 1851.

Tomorrow marks the 409th anniversary of the birth of physician and herbalist, Nicholas Culpeper. His book, The English Physician, published c.1652 was written in English rather than Latin as Culpeper wanted to widen access to medicine and healing.

Bottle of sulphuric ether, or diethyl ether, prepared at Apothecaries Hall, Edinburgh. A popular choice for administering general anaesthesia it was first demonstrated by American dentist, William T. G. Morton in 1846. #WorldAnaesthesiaDay

It's #WorldAnatomyDay! To celebrate here's a stunning woodcut illustration from our first edition of "De Humani Corporis Fabrica" by Andreas Vesalius. Published in 1543 the book was a major breakthrough in the development of modern anatomy.

Urethral syringe? You know where you can stick that... This syringe was one of three recovered from the surgeon’s cabin of the Mary Rose. Of the three it is the only one made of pewter, with a bronze needle and a leather washer on the plunger.

Fugitive sheets from Ophthalmodouleia by German oculist George Bartisch (1535-1606). A creative way of showing sections of the head, as well as anatomy.

We’re excited to announce that on 3rd Nov we’re opening a 🎉 free 🎉 entry new gallery and learning centre! Join us to explore stories from medicine – from alchemy to straitjackets, along with family-friendly activities and puzzles. Find out more 👉 www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/joy...

Our copy of Jean Fernel's, Therapeutices Universalis (c.1571) is a bit gorgeous! It has been bound in a beautiful vellum manuscript with musical notation for a 14th/15th century plainsong, The Angel of the Lord #rarebooks

These prosthetic eyes are made from cryolite glass, originally used to make dolls eyes. Their appearance was so life-like that they were also used to make prosthetic eyes.

On #WorldEggDay - The "strange and admirable" virtues of eggs from our 18th century herbal notebook. Excellent for sore eyes and much more! 🥚

👇 There are just a few tickets remaining for our tours on the 20th and 27th.

It’s #ScottishMuseumsDay! 🎉 This year’s theme is #MightyObjects – the biggest, tallest, heaviest & most surprising treasures in Scotland’s collections. Head out, explore museums near & far, and share your monumental finds today! 🏛️✨

Daemonologie: A King's Obsession with Witches 🧙‍♀️ Join us and author Steve Veerapen, for an intriguing evening exploring how a king's paranoia stoked the fear that the devil was stalking early 17th Century Scotland! 📆Thursday 30 October 2025 🕙7pm GMT 🎫£10 www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/daemonolog...

Important in public health history is @uofgshw.bsky.social's James McCune Smith, the first African American to obtain a medical degree. He had a long career as a respected medical doctor, writer, civil rights advocate & welfare campaigner for patients at Glasgow's infamous Lock hospital #BHM25

#BlackHistoryMonth #HistNursing We often think of black nurses in Britain as being post-Windrush, but researchers are identifying earlier #women Like this amazing story of Sarah Woodbine #Victorian born #BuenosAires Trained Nurse #Croydon & #HitherGreen 💙 www.historycalroots.com/sarah-woodbi...

Born #OnthisDay 1857, physician and Fellow of our College John Macintyre. Macintyre established the world's first radiology department for patients at Glasgow Royal Infirmary in 1896.

Elements of Phrenology (1824) by George Combe, Scottish Lawyer and leading figure in the phrenological movement, a popular pseudoscience in the 1800s. The illustration shows the phrenological organs and their positions and qualities including love, wonder, and intellect.

Join us on an journey through the College as we celebrate Black History Month. Hear stories of groundbreaking doctors, scientists and scholars and learn about our ongoing research into our history and connections to empire and colonialism 📆 1, 20, 27 October 2025 🎫 heritage.rcpsg.ac.uk/events

It's #WorldPharmacistsDay! This medicine cabinet c.1870 contains Spanish bark, Turkey rhubarb, Ipecacuanha, Dr James's Powders and much more. Many of the bottles still contain powders and have labels from pharmacists in Bridgnorth, Liverpool, London, Dumfries and Wolverhampton.

Are you living with dementia or know someone who is? We're co-hosting a workshop focusing on Robert Burns where there will be the opportunity to share your memories of the Bard. To book or for more information please contact [email protected] 📆7th October 2025 🕙10am 🎫Free but booking essential

Today is #NationalFitnessDay so here’s a little inspiration to get you moving courtesy of Dr Johann Adolf Lugwig Werner and his Medicinische Gymnastik (c.1838) 💪

Nose bleed? You'll be needing a hot hogs turd 🐷 Helpful advice from our 18th century notebook of herbal remedies. 😬😬😬

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!

Then and Now: Re-membering Scottish BME Works and Lives // An exhibition celebrating the culture, heritage, and contributions of BME communities in Scotland - reclaiming narratives and shining a light on stories that shape our society. Part of @blackhistorymonth.org.uk

And we are open! #GlasgowDoorsOpenDayFestival All day until 4pm. We are free to visit. Come and discover 425 years of a Glasgow institution!

Don't forget we're taking part in #GlasgowDoorsOpenDay tomorrow (20th September, 10am-4pm). Come along and see our beautiful building and learn about the history of medicine in Glasgow. www.doorsopendays.org.uk/regions/glas...