iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Hunterian Museum London @hunterianmuseum.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

The object was kindly donated by Siemens Healthineers Credit - Miniature MRI scanner model, Siemens Healthineers, 2015. RCSIC/Z 158

000 0

Hunterian Museum London @hunterianmuseum.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

Noisy and enclosed, MRI machines are a difficult place for a child to lie still for a scan. Miniature models like this one help prepare young patients for a scan and avoid the need for a sedative or a general anaesthetic.

110 0

Hunterian Museum London @hunterianmuseum.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

Wax model of a human brain, cross-sectioned, by Joseph Towne, 1826-79 Towne was the anatomical model maker at Guy’s Hospital, London, for 53 years. He was very secretive about his techniques, working alone and reportedly blocking the keyhole to his workroom with wax to prevent spying. RCSAC/214

Wax model of a cross-sectioned human brain, on a black wooden stand, against a blue background.

020 0

Hunterian Museum London @hunterianmuseum.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

The exhibition ‘Insight: Portraits of Women in Surgery’ welcomed over 5000 visitors before closing last week. If you missed out on the exhibition, or would like to revisit some of its inspiring stories, the portraits are now available to explore as a new online exhibition – ow.ly/MoPj50YRBKi

Individual standing in a gallery space, looking at a series of portraits of surgeons

051 0

Reposted by Hunterian Museum London

The Victorian Hand @victorianhand.bsky.social · 21/04/2026

🫀 On Friday we held the second Work of Mending workshop at @hunterianmuseum.bsky.social, exploring pride in skill across histories of surgery and craft. Thank you to everyone who joined and we’re looking forward to continuing the conversation at our next workshop at The Quilters' Guild in York!

062 0

Hunterian Museum London @hunterianmuseum.bsky.social · 02/04/2026

Credit Grass snake eggs, 1760–93, Hunterian Collection. RCSHC/3304 4/4

010 0

Hunterian Museum London @hunterianmuseum.bsky.social · 02/04/2026

These eggs are from John Hunter's specimen collection and are over 200 years old. Grass snakes lay between 10 and 40 eggs at a time, so it is likely that these were all taken from the same clutch of eggs. They were preserved shortly after being laid. 3/4

120 0

Hunterian Museum London @hunterianmuseum.bsky.social · 02/04/2026

Grass snakes are the only UK snake species that lay eggs. They are one of three species of snake native to the UK, along with the adder and the smooth snake, which is very rare. Grass snakes usually lay their eggs in a sheltered location within rotting vegetation, like a compost heap. 2/4

110 0

Hunterian Museum London @hunterianmuseum.bsky.social · 02/04/2026

Going on an egg hunt this weekend? 🐣 If you find any that look like this be sure to leave them alone — they are definitely not chocolate, they are grass snake eggs! 1/4

Glass specimen jar containing pale yellow eggs preserved in fluid. Labels on the jar read 'Tropidonotus' and '3304'.

132 0

Reposted by Hunterian Museum London

The Royal College of Surgeons of England @collegeofsurgeons.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

Tonight, our Women in Surgery community came together to mark International Women’s Day – a moment to connect, reflect and look ahead. Thank you to everyone who joined us to celebrate and view the exhibition, Insight: Portraits of Women in Surgery. Learn more about WinS: ow.ly/oUSI50Ys2W1

Five women standing together in a historic library with tall bookshelves filled with old books behind them.

Three professional women standing together in a grand library with tall bookshelves filled with leather-bound books.

062 0

Reposted by Hunterian Museum London

The Victorian Hand @victorianhand.bsky.social · 27/02/2026

We are delighted to invite you to take part in The Work of Mending workshops with @hunterianmuseum.bsky.social at The Royal College of Surgeons of England! This series of creative workshops explores the meaning of hands and handwork, past and present. Tickets: www.eventbrite.com/cc/the-work-...

095 0

Reposted by Hunterian Museum London

Dame Suzy Lishman @ilovepathology.bsky.social · 22/02/2026

Loved the women in surgery portrait exhibition @hunterianmuseum.bsky.social @collegeofsurgeons.bsky.social. Great to meet all the surgeons at the private view last week. Do pop in if you’re in London, and visit the Hunterian Museum while you’re there. hunterianmuseum.org/exhibitions/...

182 0

Hunterian Museum London @hunterianmuseum.bsky.social · 19/02/2026

Only a few specimens were framed in this way, suggesting that Hunter was particularly pleased with this one. Credit Boar’s epididymis (tube which stores and transports sperm) injected with mercury and framed for display, 1760–93, Hunterian Collection. RCSHC/DP 577

020 0

Hunterian Museum London @hunterianmuseum.bsky.social · 19/02/2026

It is an unravelled epididymis – the long, tightly coiled tube that stores and transports sperm – from the testicle of a domestic pig (or boar). Hunter injected the specimen with mercury, a silvery liquid metal now known to be toxic, to highlight its structure.

120 0

Hunterian Museum London @hunterianmuseum.bsky.social · 19/02/2026

John Hunter was so proud of this specimen that he is said to have displayed it in his dining room, rather than in his museum with the rest of the collection.

A tubular specimen, arranged in a spiral and displayed in a round, gold-coloured frame. The tube appears silver in colour due to injected mercury. A label with the number “577” is attached at the bottom inside the frame.

160 0

Reposted by Hunterian Museum London

The Victorian Hand @victorianhand.bsky.social · 06/02/2026

We are delighted to be partnering with @hunterianmuseum.bsky.social at The Royal College of Surgeons of England in our research on hands, craft and haptic skill in the nineteenth century! Stay tuned for news about our collaboration and how to get involved!

Black and white image showing a person helping another put on a glove. The glove is open, filled with water, as one hand slides in.

1126 0

Reposted by Hunterian Museum London

The Royal College of Surgeons of England @collegeofsurgeons.bsky.social · 02/02/2026

Want to learn more about the surgeons behind the portraits, including our brilliant Women in Surgery Forum Chair, Felicity Meyer? Join us for a special viewing of Insight: Portraits of Women in Surgery, celebrating International Women's Day, on 10 March, at 6pm. Book now: ow.ly/RQ4l50Y5kat

033 0

Hunterian Museum London @hunterianmuseum.bsky.social · 29/01/2026

📢New Exhibition📢 - Insight: Portraits of Women in Surgery Friday 6 February - Saturday 18 April 2026, Wednesdays to Saturdays, 10am-5pm hunterianmuseum.org/exhibitions/...

hunterianmuseum.org

Insight: Portraits of Women in Surgery

An exhibition shining a spotlight on women in surgery working across the UK today, offering an intimate and contemporary look at surgical life.

021 0

Reposted by Hunterian Museum London

Dame Suzy Lishman @ilovepathology.bsky.social · 11/12/2025

Had a great morning @collegeofsurgeons.bsky.social learning about the role of volunteers. Had an induction session then a volunteer took me on a building tour and showed me his object of the day in @hunterianmuseum.bsky.social. Finished with object handling. Learnt so much, can’t wait to go back!

061 0

Hunterian Museum London @hunterianmuseum.bsky.social · 04/12/2025

Credit: Model eye, by Davidson, London, 1871-1910. Hunterian Museum, Royal College of Surgeons of England, RCSIC/SCM 13 #opthalmology #retina #fundoscopy #historyofmedicine #histmed #museum

010 0

Hunterian Museum London @hunterianmuseum.bsky.social · 04/12/2025

They show the back of the eye, called the fundus, and were used to train students in fundoscopy. Today, training uses fundus photographs, but health professionals still use fundoscopy to detect eye diseases and complications from diabetes or high blood pressure.

140 0

Hunterian Museum London @hunterianmuseum.bsky.social · 04/12/2025

Can you guess what these little painted discs were used for?

150 0

Hunterian Museum London @hunterianmuseum.bsky.social · 04/12/2025

📢Come and work at the Hunterian Museum 📢 Two roles - Collections Officer - Conservation Assistant 👇👇👇 hunterianmuseum.org/news/vacancy...

hunterianmuseum.org

Vacancies - Collections Officer and Conservation Assistant

031 0

Reposted by Hunterian Museum London

Miles 🩻 @blacksmoke1033.bsky.social · 24/11/2025

Made myself a notebook cover, based on the Evelyn Tables in the @hunterianmuseum.bsky.social 🩻 (I made the bookmark to go inside it, too)

4349 0

Hunterian Museum London @hunterianmuseum.bsky.social · 20/11/2025

Credit Chicken head, with human tooth transplanted into comb, c.1763-1778, Hunterian Collection. RCSHC/P 56 #HunterianMuseum #MedicalHistory #HistMed #HistoryofMedicine #FreeMuseum 🧵6/6

021 0

Hunterian Museum London @hunterianmuseum.bsky.social · 20/11/2025

By the 1800s, concerns about ineffectiveness, the transmission of disease, and the exploitation of donors, as well as the introduction of better dentures, led dentists to abandon tooth transplantation. 🧵5/6

131 0

Hunterian Museum London @hunterianmuseum.bsky.social · 20/11/2025

Although some transplanted teeth stayed in patients’ mouths for years, we now know they were simply wedged in place. 🧵4/6

131 0

Hunterian Museum London @hunterianmuseum.bsky.social · 20/11/2025

His investigations included grafting cockerels’ leg spurs onto their heads, cockerel testicles into hens’ abdomens, and human teeth into cockerels’ combs, as seen in this specimen. 🧵3/6

A close up of the head of a cockerel with a human tooth implanted into its comb.

131 0

Hunterian Museum London @hunterianmuseum.bsky.social · 20/11/2025

During that time, dentists charged high fees to implant healthy teeth extracted from poor donors into the mouths of rich patients. Hunter wanted to know: could transplanted tissue really survive and grow? 🧵2/6

131 0

Hunterian Museum London @hunterianmuseum.bsky.social · 20/11/2025

Why is there a human tooth in this chicken’s head? It is the result of an experiment carried out by surgeon-anatomist John Hunter over 240 years ago. 🧵1/6

A glass container filled with clear liquid containing the head of a cockerel with a human tooth implanted into its comb. A label at the bottom reads ‘P 56’.

191 0

Hunterian Museum London @hunterianmuseum.bsky.social · 05/11/2025

The Starr-Edwards valve was the first artificial mechanical valve used successfully in humans, and uses a ball-and-cage design to control the flow of blood. It was the product of a partnership between surgeon Dr Albert Starr, and engineer Mr Lowell Edwards. Hunterian Museum, RCSIC/E 90.0.1

051 0

Hunterian Museum London @hunterianmuseum.bsky.social · 30/10/2025

Table 3, showing the sympathetic trunks and branches of the vagus nerves, the veins supplying the lungs, and the portal vein and its tributaries RCSHM/Z 34 Table 4, showing the distribution of veins (vessels carrying blood towards the heart). RCSHM/Z 35

060 0

Hunterian Museum London @hunterianmuseum.bsky.social · 30/10/2025

From left to right: Table 1, showing the spinal cord and nerves of the trunk and limbs of the human body. RCSHM/Z 32 Table 2, showing the aorta and distribution of the arteries (vessels carrying blood away from the heart). RCSHM/Z 33

150 0

Hunterian Museum London @hunterianmuseum.bsky.social · 30/10/2025

How did Guillermo del Toro’s new Frankenstein film take inspiration from the Hunterian Museum? @realgdt.bsky.social

3413106 0

Hunterian Museum London @hunterianmuseum.bsky.social · 30/09/2025

Credit Ova of the hen, by Jan van Rymsdyk (d 1790), pastel on parchment, 1755-6. Hunterian Museum, Royal College of Surgeons of England. RCSSC/P 269b

030 0

Hunterian Museum London @hunterianmuseum.bsky.social · 30/09/2025

It appears that once he had completed the eggs on a pale blue background, Rymsdyke went back and added additional brighter blue pastel around them to increase the contrast.

Close-up of the same pastel, showing a chick with dark brown feathers in a curled position.

171 0

Hunterian Museum London @hunterianmuseum.bsky.social · 30/09/2025

This 270-year-old pastel drawing vividly illustrates the journey of a hen's egg to a fully developed chick. By Dutch artist Jan van Rymsdyk, they were made for John Hunter in about 1755, when he was investigating animal reproduction. It is likely that Hunter used the drawing for presentations.

Pastel illustration showing the stages of chick embryo development inside eggs, arranged in a five-row grid against a blue background. The first four rows depict gradual growth from fertilised eggs to forming embryos, while the fifth row shows four chicks with distinct features, some partially hatched.

1112 0

Hunterian Museum London @hunterianmuseum.bsky.social · 04/09/2025

Credit 1. Skull, left profile, attributed to William Cheselden, early 1700s. Hunterian Museum, Royal College of Surgeons of England. RCSSC/P 261 2. Plate 4 from Osteographia, or the anatomy of the bones, by William Cheselden, 1733. Royal College of Surgeons of England Library and Archives

030 0

Hunterian Museum London @hunterianmuseum.bsky.social · 04/09/2025

The painting belonged to Cheselden, and is thought to have been a preparatory work by him for 'Osteographia'. Although he worked with artists Gerard van der Gucht (1695/6–1776) and Jacob Schijnvoet (1685–1733) to create the complex images for the book, Cheselden was a capable artist himself.

140 0

Hunterian Museum London @hunterianmuseum.bsky.social · 04/09/2025

This similar plate is from 'Osteographia', 1733, a groundbreaking work by Cheselden which included full-sized illustrations of every human bone as well as depictions of bone disease and the skeletons of other animals.

An anatomical illustration of a human skull viewed from the side, resting on a rectangular base. The image is labeled with the Roman numeral "IIII" at the top.

110 0

Hunterian Museum London @hunterianmuseum.bsky.social · 04/09/2025

This striking profile of a skull is thought to be by William Cheselden (1688–1752), a skilled surgeon who gained fame as a teacher of surgery and anatomy.

1112 0

Hunterian Museum London @hunterianmuseum.bsky.social · 21/08/2025

It was found by Dr Norman Fenton a British Regimental Medical Officer, shortly after the Allied landings in Italy, in 1943. He donated it to RCS England Museums in 2009. (RCSIC/X 392) #WW2 #WWII #HistoryOfMedicine #MilitaryHistory #MilitaryMedicine #WW2Artifacts

150 0

Hunterian Museum London @hunterianmuseum.bsky.social · 21/08/2025

Found in an abandoned Italian Army surgical unit near Salerno, in south-west Italy, during the Second World War, this portable field kit contains around 40 stainless steel surgical instruments and a small alcohol burner.

1123 0

Hunterian Museum London @hunterianmuseum.bsky.social · 13/08/2025

Credit 1. Male seahorse dissected to show the brood pouch and the contained eggs, 1760 - 1793, Hunterian Collection. RCSHC/3230 2. Male pipefish dissected to show the brood pouch and the contained eggs, 1760 - 1793, Hunterian Collection. RCSHC/3228

020 0

Hunterian Museum London @hunterianmuseum.bsky.social · 13/08/2025

In seahorses, pipefish, and seadragons (all part of the Syngnathidae family), males incubate their fertilised eggs in a specialised brood pouch until birth. Learn more with Tyler, Museum Supervisor at the Hunterian Museum.

173 0

Hunterian Museum London @hunterianmuseum.bsky.social · 31/07/2025

This specimen from the 1700s reveals what's inside one of these internal eggs, showing a developing rattlesnake embryo. Credit Rattlesnake egg, 1760 - 1793, Hunterian Collection. RCSHC/3316 #rattlesnake #rattlesnakeegg #historyofscience #museum #freemuseum

A close-up view of a preserved rattlesnake embryo

020 0

Hunterian Museum London @hunterianmuseum.bsky.social · 31/07/2025

Did you know that rattlesnakes give birth to live young? 🐍 Unlike many reptiles, rattlesnakes don't lay eggs. Instead, their embryos develop in eggs inside the mother's body, a process called ovoviviparity. The young are then born fully formed. 1/2

A glass container filled with clear liquid containing a specimen of a rattlesnake embryo. The label at the top of the container reads "Crotalus" and the label at the bottom reads "3316". The embryo is coiled and visible within an internal egg structure.

181 0

Hunterian Museum London @hunterianmuseum.bsky.social · 24/07/2025

This is a turnip-tailed gecko, named after the shape and size of its tail (which this one is actually missing!) It was originally prepared by John Hunter (1728-93), to reveal the development of the ovum in the ovaries. RCSHC/3333 #historyofmedicine #historyofscience #museum

Glass specimen pot labelled '3333' and 'Thecadactylus' containing a gecko specimen with a dissected abdomen suspended in fluid

061 0