Surgeons’ Hall Museums
Photo: Own work — CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Surgeons’ Hall Museums in Edinburgh, part of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, display extensive surgical pathology collections, including the Wohl Pathology Museum and the History of Surgery Museum.
Planning your visit
Surgeons' Hall holds one of the largest and oldest surgical pathology collections in the world, assembled from 1699 by the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, and it is not for the squeamish.
The Wohl Pathology Museum displays preserved specimens showing disease and injury across two centuries of medical teaching — the collection exists because surgeons learned from it, and much of what is understood about pathology was established in rooms like this.
The History of Surgery Museum covers the development of the discipline, including Edinburgh's central role: Lister's antisepsis, Simpson's chloroform, and the anatomy teaching that created demand for bodies and led to Burke and Hare, whose murders supplied the dissection tables. Burke's skeleton and a pocketbook bound in his skin are displayed.
Joseph Bell, the surgeon whose diagnostic method inspired Sherlock Holmes, taught here.
Allow ninety minutes. Bookable options include private guided tours. Current availability is shown below.
Before you book
Where is Surgeons’ Hall Museums?
Surgeons’ Hall Museums is in Edinburgh, United Kingdom. The map on this page marks its exact location.
How long should I allow for Surgeons’ Hall Museums?
Allow ninety minutes. That is the time the collection itself takes at an unhurried pace, before any queue.
Do I need to book Surgeons’ Hall Museums in advance?
Private tours are arranged for a set date and time, so they need booking in advance.
