'Nocturnal pollutions...' learnt from a rascal of an English man. Example of 18thc medical treatment of masturbation cullenproject.ac.uk/docs/1795/

Myth busting HIV/AIDS event! 📆 3 June, 6pm 💵 £3 (free for students) 📍 Online and in person at Queen Street, Edinburgh Find out more 👉 www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/modern-med...

We're launching a new history of medicine award! Deadline: 14 August 2026 Award amount: £1,000 Find out more 👉 www.rcpe.ac.uk/education/ro...

The strap on this mourning bracelet is made from woven human hair. Mourning jewellery was so popular in the late 1800s that it spawned a whole industry. Adverts for hairworkers appeared in national and local newspapers.

This dermatology 'wound man', a drawing depicting several wounds or ailments on a single subject, acted as a table of contents for the diseases that would be discussed in the text

These pills were first produced in the 1850s by an American doctor, Frederick Humphreys. They were number 32 in a series of different products he sold. According to the packaging, these menopause pills contain cactus flesh and snake oil. Find out more in Rag👉 www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/rag...

The publisher of this book, Christian Egenolff, argued that nobody should have exclusive right in depicting a natural thing - conveniently not mentioning his images were copies taken from other books

This chest was used by Dr Stuart Threipland to treat patients during the Jacobite rising. It is said to have been given to Threipland by Bonnie Prince Charlie. Medicines it contains include aloe vera, opium and stag’s horn This object is on display in our Gallery 👉 www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/phy...

'Hygiene specialists' shop front from early 20th century Glasgow. The shop had a 'discreet side door entrance' for their more easily embarrassed clientele. They sold contraceptives, treatments for sexual complaints and 'Marvel Whirling Spray' (a type of douche)

Great to see a nice article in The Times about our new Audubon show www.thetimes.com/uk/scotland/...

Invoices from the 19th century - when they knew how to take the sting out of a bill by at least making it aesthetically pleasing

This is the first drawing ever made of a blood cell. The author of this work, Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, was a Dutch lensmaker. He studied rotting meat as well as his own faeces, the dirt between his toes and the plaque on his teeth. Find out more in Rag👉 www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/rag...

This device was invented in the 1950s by Charles Palmer, a farmer in the Scottish town of Fort William, and a diabetic. He created it so that diabetics could easily inject insulin using its spring-loaded mechanism This object is on display in our Gallery 👉 www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/phy...

Charles Bell was an anatomist and an artist. He created the hand-coloured engravings in this book to show the structure of the arteries and to explore the damage which could be caused by bullets, scissors or ‘a thrust made with a small sword’. Find out more in Rag👉 www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/rag...

This device was marketed by its inventor, Dr Gerald Macaura, as improving blood circulation through vibrations. According to Macaura it could cure paralysis, deafness, tuberculosis, rheumatism, ‘women’s issues’ and constipation Find out more in Rag👉 www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/rag...

Scarificator, 19th century. This instrument with spring-loaded blades delivered many cuts simultaneously. Afterwards, the doctor placed a heated cup over the site. As it cooled, blood was forced out of the wounds. Photo: University of Melbourne.

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

This product was marketed as a remedy for ‘impurities in the blood’. The advertising gave a long list of conditions caused by impure blood, including constipation, malaria, pimples and cancer Find out more in Rag👉 www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/rag...

We're going to be closed for Easter. But we'll be back on Tuesday!

Santorio Sanctorius’s 17thc weighing machine. For over 30 years he weighed everything that went into, and came out of his body, comparing the weight of his food and drink with his urine and excretia and keeping a detailed diary of his findings

You're going to need a bigger boat! from Historia de Gentibus Septentrionalibus (c.1558) by Olaus Magnus.

Latest collection discovery, hidden in a book are a bundle of medical and culinary recipes. Including recipes for raw beef tea, orange jelly and one for 'soothing nourishment in consumption'. One of the least appealing is 'toast water' which is, you guessed it, toast that has been put in water.

This midwifery text covers not only childbirth but menopause and menstruation as well. Like most writers in the 1600s, its author Jane Sharp used euphemistic language for these taboo subjects. She referred to menstruation as ‘the flowers’ Find out more in Rag👉 www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/rag...

As #LGBTplusHM draws to a close we wanted to share a lively virtual talk by our archivist Felix Lancashire & rare books librarian Katie Birkwood exploring some fascinating & potentially challenging #LGBTQ+ collections at the @rcphysicians.bsky.social. Watch now 👉 youtu.be/2i3RuFI6aGE?...

Its 1787, and you can pick up a bottle of artificial 'spaw water' in the town of Leith, made from a mix of water, chalk, magnesia and salt

From the 17thc to the present day, #Edinburgh has been dotted with physic gardens and rife with research into #botany and the medicinal uses of plants. Here are the stories behind the city's gardens 👉 www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/edi...

We've got a print shop! Over 400 of our rare and beautiful images are for sale. This includes everything from a lotus flower, flamingos, and raspberries to Edinburgh chimney sweeps, skulls, x-rays and microscopes. Check them out 👉 shop.artuk.org/prints.html?...

Rowan was thought to have magical properties and was often planted near houses as a protection against witches. Rowan wood was used for stirring milk to prevent the milk curdling, and as a pocket charm against rheumatism

What medicines did Jacobites use? This chest belonged to a Jacobite doctor, personal physician to Bonnie Prince Charlie. Visit our museum to study its contents! 📍 Physicians’ Gallery, 11 Queen Street, EH2 1JQ 📅 Mondays – Fridays, 10am – 4.30pm Find out more 👉 www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/phy...

This box was sold by a homeopathic chemist in Liverpool – Thompson and Capper. According to homeopathic principles, water ‘remembers’ which medicines were added to it and reactivates them when the water is consumed. This object is on display in our gallery 👉 www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/phy...

One of the oldest surgical instruments 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

Our new exhibition is now open! Rag: A History of Blood explores the social, medical and cultural history of blood. The exhibition runs until 16th October 📍 Physicians’ Gallery, 11 Queen Street, EH2 1JQ 📅 Mondays – Fridays, 10am – 4.30pm Find out more 👉 www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/rag...

Visit our free #Edinburgh museum. Over 50 objects, illustrations and books are on display, sharing stories from medieval medicine to modern day treatments. 📍 Physicians’ Gallery, 11 Queen Street, EH2 1JQ 📅 Mondays – Fridays, 10am – 4.30pm Find out more 👉 www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/phy...

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

This wax moulage of William Caulfield, a patient at the Edinburgh Infirmary, shows the incredible detail that went into modelling individual eyelashes, freckles and wrinkles

We're closed tomorrow for one day only - as we install a new exhibition in our gallery. We'll be back on Monday!

Antimony cups were very popular with physicians in the 1600s and 1700s who filled it with wine. The wine was left to stand overnight, absorbing the antimony and becoming toxic, and then drunk in the morning. This object is on display in our gallery 👉 www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/phy...

This book is in our Banned Books 🤏 Mini Showcase 🤏 which is open until 1 May 2026. Although this book was written by a Catholic, it mentions Protestant scientists in the text. Each time the name of a Protestant is included, censors have obliterated them - papering them over or scribbling them out

Example of a physician diagnosing by tasting a patient's urine, 'greenish colour...sweet to the smell and taste', Edinburgh dispensary, 1783

Seven headed Hydra from Albertus Seba’s Cabinet of Natural Curiosities (1734). Based on a drawing given to Seba by the Burgomeister of Hamburg of a specimen in his collections, later found to be a fake - a composite made from various creatures including weasles + snakes

Questionable 1700s treatment for melancholy... rubbing yourself all over with nettles

Join us on 26 Feb for the launch of our new exhibition 🩸 Rag: A History of Blood 🩸 There'll be wine, tours and talks from experts Prof Helen King and Prof Marc Turner. More info 👉 www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/exhibition...

Italian health pass enabling bearer to pass despite quarantines due to plague, 1722. The word quarantine was derived from the Italian words quaranta giorni, meaning 40 days - the number of days a ship coming from an infected port had to sit at anchor before entering Venice.

Our new Physicians' Collections Research Grant provides funding, space and research support. Find out more and apply 👉 www.rcpe.ac.uk/education/ph...

There’s a whole meal in this 18th century medical treatment for stomach pain – unfortunately to be rubbed on the skin rather than eaten – bread, eggs, milk, vinegar and saffron

Only two weeks left! Our Hooked exhibition closes on Friday 13th February. Last chance to stop by and explore the history of addiction - from heroin to gambling, from alcohol to love. Find out more 👉 www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/hoo...

1930s anti-cannabis propaganda films showed users as violent and depraved. The first commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics described cannabis as ‘an addictive drug which produces in its users insanity, criminality, and death’ Find out more in Hooked www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/hoo...

Fear of witches spread across Europe from c.1300. The author of this book, Johan Weyer, was a voice of reason in a time of terror - arguing that it was due to mental illness and superstition. He believed this was a problem for doctors, not clerics

Fashionable smoking accessories began to appear on the market almost as soon as tobacco first arrived in Europe. The first smoking jacket was designed in the 1850s. Their purpose was to protect expensive suits from falling ash and cinders Find out more in Hooked www.rcpe.ac.uk/heritage/hoo...

Researchers are now using proteomics analysis on historical books, discovering all sorts of proteins people left on them centuries ago. 🏺🧪