Hunterian Museum

The Hunterian Museum stands in the Royal College of Surgeons building in London’s Camden district. It holds one of Europe’s oldest collections of anatomical specimens. The museum began in 1799 when the government bought the collection of Scottish surgeon John Hunter. Over the centuries the collection grew with contributions from Richard Owen and the odontological work of A. E. W. Miles. The building itself has been enlarged several times, most recently after wartime bombing in 1941. The museum is worth visiting for its remarkable displays. Visitors can see the Evelyn tables, instruments once used by Joseph Lister, and the skeleton of the “Irish giant” Charles Byrne. The odontological collection includes teeth from Waterloo soldiers, a necklace brought back by Henry Morton Stanley, and Winston Churchill’s dentures. There is also an Ancient Egyptian mummy’s foot dissected in 1763, complete with an attached onion. The museum reopened in 2023 after a long renovation. Inside, the galleries show surgical equipment alongside portraits of medical pioneers. The space retains some original design features from the 19th century. The exhibits illustrate how medical knowledge has changed over time. Outside, the Camden setting places the museum among the city’s academic and medical institutions.