A long thin steel instrument. it has a long handle that hangs down
Happy #TriviaTuesday!
Our object this week is from the 20th century and is 40 cm in length! Any ideas what it is?
Blue tinged old map of Edinburgh city centre. In the foreground is a sepia toned map of the city with a sketch of the University of Edinburgh's Old College popping out from it. There is text to the left of the image which reads: Edinburgh City of Medicine- 300 years of Edinburgh Medical School. Opens Friday 3 April 2026
Uncover the city mapped by medicine in our new temporary exhibition in collaboration with the University of Edinburgh.
Edinburgh City of Medicine: 300 years of Edinburgh Medical School will open on Friday 3 April.
museum.rcsed.ac.uk/the-collecti...
#ICYMI, our latest episode of Beyond the Knife delves into the history of the Edinburgh Seven, exploring how supporters and opponents influenced the campaign for women's access to medical education at the University of Edinburgh. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. tinyurl.com/yd8nzsd6 #IWD2026
A portrait of John Goodsir. He is dressed in a black coat and had a long dark beard.
Our former Conservator, John Goodsir died #OTD in 1814. He was credited with being the first to introduce the compound microscope to Edinburgh and was a pioneer of cell theory. You can read more about his contributions on our blog: bit.ly/2BH9fye
A photo of an upper denture. The plate is made of gold and has white porcelain teeth
This upper denture is from the 1920s. The plate is made of gold with soldered porcelain anterior teeth and porcelain tube posterior teeth.
Hi Catherine! You're correct 😊
Hello! You're correct 😊
Hi Jennie! You're correct 😊
Hello! You're correct 😊
The answer to #WordOnWednesday this week is arsenic.
Dark blue background with white text. It reads: Can you guess this week's word from our History of Surgery gallery? There is space for 7 letters. Clues: Anagram of CANRISE ·In the Victorian Britain, this chemical was used to make green dyes for clothes, sweets, wallpaper and toys.
For #WordOnWednesday this week we are looking for a word you would find in our History of Surgery gallery!
Can you solve the anagram?
Hi Marlowe! These are dental mouth props used to keep the patients mouth open.
Hi Linda! You're correct 😊
😂
Hi Juliet! These are dental mouth props.
These are dental mouth props used to keep the patients mouth open. They are often attached to chains to allow retrieval if they slip into the patient's mouth.
#TriviaTuesday
Two rectangular metal pieces with rubber insets which are joined by a length of string.
Our #TriviaTuesday object this week is from the 20th century. Each metal piece is 2 cm wide and 3.5 cm high. Any guesses what it is?
There is a female arm wearing a Victorian style sleeve in the top left hand corner and a hand in the bottom right hand corner wearing a surgical glove. Each hand is holding a white square with black text on it which reads "New Temporary Exhibition A Fair Field and No Favour: The History of Women in Surgery opens Saturday the 5th of April 2025". The background is dark blue.
There is just one week left to view our current temporary exhibition 'A Fair Field and No Favour: The History of Women in Surgery'.
If you can't see it in person, the exhibition is available on our free digital guide: guides.bloombergconnects.org/en-US/guide/...
📢In partnership with St Andrews University, we're looking for a 'Joseph Bell Writer in Residence at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh' to pursue a writing project drawing on our archives. Stipend of up to £15,000. Closing date 6 March 2026. www.vacancies.st-andrews.ac.uk/Vacancies/W/...
In the latest episode of Beyond the Knife, we’re joined by Louise Wilkie to explore the remarkable story of the Edinburgh Seven and their fight to study medicine at the University of Edinburgh.
Listen wherever you get your podcasts.
shows.acast.com/beyond-the-k...
A glass tube with kangaroo tendons stored in fluid. There is a yellow and label on the outside that reads "kangaroo tendons"
These sutures are made from kangaroo tendon. This glass phial is from the early 20th century and the sutures are in a carbolized glycerine. Kangaroo tendon is incredibly strong making the sutures suitable for deep tissue procedures.
We'll be singing this all night!
Hi Matt! You're correct 😊
You get extra points for the cute GIF!
The answer to #WordOnWednesday this week is narwhal!
Dark blue background with white text which reads: Can you guess this week's word from our History of Surgery gallery? There is space for 7 letters. Clues: ·It lives year-round in the Arctic waters around Greenland, Canada and Russia. ·They can live for up to 50 years! ·Anagram of Halwarn
For the final #WordOnWednesday of February we are looking for a word you would come across in our History of Surgery gallery.
Can you solve the anagram?
An oval shaped stone. It is smooth and cracked in appearance. It has been placed in a metal case and you can see the metal spikes going round the stone.
This bladder stone was "cut by Jer. Callot from Thomas Murray at Paris, 8th May 1676" Removing bladder stones was very dangerous as surgeons had to cut into the perineum and then into the bladder. Survivors often kept the stone as a memento like this one.
A sole in a cylindrical glass jar. The tails is to the top of the jar.
A fisherman was drawing his net when this fish forced itself into the fisherman's throat trying to escape, causing the man to suffocate. The incident is mentioned in Monro's Morbid Anatomy.
This might sound a little fishy however, similar incidents have happened in recent years.
Instrument resembling scissors. The 'blades' are flat and have a rubber cover.
It's time for another #TriviaTuesday.
This week we have this object from the 1920s. They are 14.5 cm in length and 7.5 cm in width. Do you know what it is?
An ivory handle with a metal attachment. there are 5 different burrs attached to the handle which are interchangeable.
This dental drill from the mid-19th century has four interchangeable burs and one drill. These were released and fixed in position by a thumb screw.
