The Geek Atlas

064

Royal College of Surgeons Hunterian Museum, London, England

51° 30′ 55″ N, 0° 6′ 57″ W

Surgery Laid Bare

The squeamish should avoid this museum—its centerpiece is 18th-century Scottish surgeon John Hunter’s collection of over 3,000 anatomical and pathological specimens (Figure 64-1). Hunter’s collection includes gems like P 1051 (“Colon from a patient with dysentery”) and P 1056 (“Portion of a rectum with anus showing effects of a tuberculous infection”). There’s also a wide range of animal specimens, human skulls, and human (adult and child) skeletons.

Figure 64-1. Specimens in the Hunterian Museum; courtesy of Joanna Ebenstein/www.astropop.com

In fact, the museum has such an extensive collection of pathological items that it’s probably got an example of any body part you can think of, showing the after-effects of a disease. Serious students of the body can access information about every single item in the collection via a computer in the museum (or on the Web, from the comfort of their own homes).

Not on display, but hidden away in the museum collection and accessible by special ...