Sign in

RCPSG Heritage

@rcpsgheritage.bsky.social
5.7K followers 655 following 397 posts

News, events and stories from the library, archive and museum at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow heritage.rcpsg.ac.uk #histmed #libraries #archives #museums

PostsRepliesMedia
RCPSG Heritage @rcpsgheritage.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Join us on Sat 3rd October for a roundtable workshop, Beyond Audubon: Exploring the colonial world of The Birds of America. 📆 03/10/2026 🕐 1pm 🎫 Free 📍Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow Book at: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/beyond-aud...
eventbrite.co.uk
Beyond Audubon: Exploring the colonial world of The Birds of America
A roundtable workshop on John James Audubon and The Birds of America exploring colonialism, capitalism and scientific discovery.
010
RCPSG Heritage @rcpsgheritage.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
It's #WorldRhinoDay! To celebrate we thought we'd share with you this rather fabulous beast from Conrad Gessner's Historia Animalium, c.1617. 🦏
An open book showing a woodcut illustration of a rhino
151
RCPSG Heritage @rcpsgheritage.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
#OnThisDay 1867, On the antiseptic principle in the practice of surgery by Joseph #Lister was published in @thelancet.com. Lister first experimented with carbolic acid as an antiseptic at Glasgow Royal Infirmary. His principles & practice revolutionised surgery & saved millions of lives
Lister's article in the LancetBlack and white photo of Lister as a young man. He is wearing a dark suit, white shirt and a big bow tie.
052
RCPSG Heritage @rcpsgheritage.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Join us for Glasgow Doors Open Day! We're open 10am-4pm, Sunday 20th September. There'll be lots to do including a chance to see our new exhibition, Dear Green Places and explore or beautiful rooms. There'll also be activities for kids (of all ages!) www.glasgowdoorsopendays.org.uk/events/royal...
Exhibition space showing large images of old Glasgow on the wallsExternal view of the College. It is a Georgian style building over 4 floors with steps leading up to a big, black door.Our College hall which has an ornate fireplace and blue and gold decorated ceiling.
032
Reposted by RCPSG Heritage
Newcastle Uni Special Collections & Archives @ncllibspeccoll.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
#Discover This Child Vaccination Poster from c. 1950s offers a fascinating glimpse into the history of public health communication. What can this poster tell us about attitudes towards childhood vaccination — then and now? Explore the item: collectionscaptured.ncl.ac.uk/digital/coll...
16020
RCPSG Heritage @rcpsgheritage.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Join us on Sunday 20th September for Doors Open Day. 10am to 4pm! #glasgowdoorsopenday
041
RCPSG Heritage @rcpsgheritage.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Join us on the 20th September (10am-4pm) for Glasgow Doors Open Day! We'll be opening our beautiful building for you to explore. There'll also be the chance to see our brand new exhibition Dear Green Places, and our copy of Audubon's Birds of America www.glasgowdoorsopendays.org.uk/events/royal...
External view of our building. A Georgian style building over three floors with steps leading up to a black double doorPage from Audubon's Birds of America showing the Carolina Parrot or ParakeetA wooden double door with one side open to show a glimpse of a staircase a door oppositeOur College Hall - a large room with a huge fireplace with surround made of carved wood and an ornate ceiling in blue and gold
096
RCPSG Heritage @rcpsgheritage.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
It's #WorldElephantDay! To celebrate here are two wonderful woodcut illustrations of elephants from Tractos de la drogas y medicinas de las Indias Orientales (c.1578) 🐘
An open book showing a woodcut illustration of an elephant on each page. The left hand page shows an elephant  with a tree behind it. The second shows an elephant wearing a Howdah (seat/carriage) on its back
052
RCPSG Heritage @rcpsgheritage.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
It’s #WorldLionDay 🦁 To celebrate here's a handsome beast strolling through the pages of Conrad Gessner’s Historiae Animalium, c.1602
An open book showing at the top a woodcut illustration of a lion in side profile. Text in latin can be seen below.
0100
RCPSG Heritage @rcpsgheritage.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Join us for a talk exploring Darwin's early life and his fascinating connections with Audubon. There'll also be the chance to see our copy of Birds of America 📆11/08/26 🕐6pm 📍Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons Glasgow 💷£10 🎫 www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/on-the-ori...
Portrait of a young Charles DarwinPortrait of John James Audubon wearing a dark coat and holding a hunting gunIllustration from the Birds of America showing Henslow's Bunting.
011
RCPSG Heritage @rcpsgheritage.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Glasgow Doors Open Day 2026 programme has launched 🥳 We're super excited to be taking part again. We'll be open on the 20th September 10am-4pm. Free entry. For more info on our building and the rest of the amazing programme check out the festival website: www.glasgowdoorsopendays.org.uk
glasgowdoorsopendays.org.uk
Home
Explore 150+ free buildings, tours, talks and performances across Glasgow, 17-20 Sept 2026. Discover what's behind the city's most fascinating doors.
001
RCPSG Heritage @rcpsgheritage.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Jamini Sen: The Bengali doctor who made medical history in Britain
In 1912, Jamini Sen became the first woman Fellow of Glasgow’s Royal College, founded in 1599 and long closed to women.
041
RCPSG Heritage @rcpsgheritage.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
#OnThisDay 1886, 287 years after our foundation, our College admitted its 1st female licentiates, Alice Jane Shannan Ker and Emma Littlewood. You can read more about the struggles faced by women to practice medicine in our blog heritageblog.rcpsg.ac.uk/2021/05/05/p... #WomenInMedicine #WomenInSTEM
Signature of Alice Ker in our register of licentiatesSignature of Emma Littlewood in our register of licentiates
063
RCPSG Heritage @rcpsgheritage.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
A fascinating conversation tonight with Deepta Roy Chakraverti, discussing her new book about her great aunt, Dr Jamini Sen, the first female fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow. www.amazon.co.uk/Daktarin-Jam...
2 women in conversation
172
RCPSG Heritage @rcpsgheritage.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
We've just released some extra tickets 👇
021
RCPSG Heritage @rcpsgheritage.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Talk: On the Origin of Darwin, 11/08/26 6pm-8pm Before Darwin became a great scientist, he was a young man struggling to find his path in life. Spend an evening learning how he got on board the HMS Beagle and embarked on the journey that would change the world. www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/on-the-ori...
eventbrite.co.uk
On the Origin of Darwin
A brand new, in person talk, exploring Darwin's early life and his fascinating connections with John James Audubon
021
RCPSG Heritage @rcpsgheritage.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
It's #worldSnakeDay! To celebrate here's a lovely woodcut illustration of a snake slithering through the pages of De Indiae utriusque re naturali et medica (1658) by Willem Piso. 🐍
Page from a book showing at the top a black and white illustration of a snake with text in latin below
0174
RCPSG Heritage @rcpsgheritage.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Join us for an inspiring session all about Dr Jamini Sen, a true Indian trailblazer and an integral part of our College’s history! 📆23 July 2026 🕐18:30 (BST) 📍Online Book your place: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/dr-jamini-... #southasianheritagemonth #womeninmedicine #WomenInSTEM
eventbrite.co.uk
Dr Jamini Sen: An Indian trailblazer
Join us online for an inspiring session all about Dr Jamini Sen, a true Indian trailblazer and an integral part of our College’s history!
000
Reposted by RCPSG Heritage
Surgeons' Hall Museum @surgeonshall.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
This silver Medal from the 'Medical College for Women Edinburgh' awarded for Botany during the session of 1892, was awarded to A. Mary C. Geddes during her medical studies in Edinburgh in the 1890s.
Silver class medal with the Medical College for Women, Edinburgh on it
The other side of the medal. It is inscribed with: Botany awarded to A. Mary C. Geddes. Session 1892. Robert Turnbull B.Sc Lecturer
0182
Reposted by RCPSG Heritage
Physicians' Gallery @physiciansgallery.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
This is one of the first books on medical care for horses. For the cure ‘of the biting with a mad Dogge’, Markham recommends covering the wound with goat dung, elderwort and 40 walnuts crushed together to make a paste
Titlepage of a book. 10 images around the page all show a man and a horse – in each image the man is taming, riding, or treating the horse in different ways.
0122
RCPSG Heritage @rcpsgheritage.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
Today marks the 52nd anniversary of the publication of the Glasgow Coma Scale in @thelancet.com. The scale was devised by two of our College Fellows Graham Teasdale & Bryan Jennett. It remains the default method for assessing consciousness in many hospitals worldwide. Happy Birthday GCS🥳
Glasgow coma scale article in the lancet
052
RCPSG Heritage @rcpsgheritage.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
French surgeon Dominique Jean Larrey, a pioneer of battlefield surgery, triage, and field hospitals and ambulances was born #OTD 1766. These illustrations from Larrey's Mémoires de Chirurgie Militaire (c.1812) show his field ambulance designs.
Design for a field ambulance - a wooden "cabin" with a bed insideIllustration showing a camel carrying a field ambulance (a wooden cabin)
140
RCPSG Heritage @rcpsgheritage.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
It's #WorldChocolateDay! Not everyone is a fan though... John Parkinson's Theatrum Botanicum (c.1640) describes cacao as being "fitter for hogs"!
An open book showing an entry for the Cacao plant
0144
RCPSG Heritage @rcpsgheritage.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
For South Asian Heritage Month, join us online for an inspiring session all about Dr Jamini Sen, a true Indian trailblazer and an integral part of our College’s history! 📆23 July 2026 🕐18:30 (BST) 📍Online 💷£5 🎫https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/dr-jamini-sen-an-indian-trailblazer-tickets-1992752231568
Front and back covers of the book "Daktarin Jamini Sen" by Deepta Roy Chakraverti
051
RCPSG Heritage @rcpsgheritage.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
Sankel's dog collar (1883) 🐕 Sankel was a good boy who wore this collar to which was attached a collecting box for the Glasgow Eye Infirmary. He performed various tricks in public houses around the town to raise money for the hospital ❤️ #Heritage #Glasgow #dogs
A large leather dog collar with a metal clasp attached to the front to hold the collection box. A heart shaped dog tag with Sankel's name on hangs from the front of the collar.
02410
Reposted by RCPSG Heritage
Surgeons' Hall Museum @surgeonshall.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
This case of amputation instruments was used by Robert Liston between 1815 and 1825 and was made by Stodart of London. The knives are of the type used for circular amputation.
A set of 3 straight knives of various length. They are placed on the lid of an open wooden case with red velvet lining.
14511
RCPSG Heritage @rcpsgheritage.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Feeling the heat? 🥵 Try these herbal remedies for cooling the blood from our 18th century herbal notebook. heritage.rcpsg.ac.uk/items/show/187
Handwritten note listing herbs for cooling the blood including sorrel, endive and violets
1116
RCPSG Heritage @rcpsgheritage.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Happy 178th birthday to William Macewen🥳 Born #OTD 1848 in Bute, Macewen pioneered brain, bone & aseptic surgery & more! He performed the world’s 1st successful brain tumour operation in Glasgow in 1879! Learn more about this remarkable man in our exhibition: heritage.rcpsg.ac.uk/exhibits/sho...
Advert for our exhibition "William Macewen: At the cutting edge" with a black and white photo of Macewen as a young man with big bushy beard
010
RCPSG Heritage @rcpsgheritage.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
Happy 460th birthday to King James VI & I, who was born #OTD 1566👑🥳 In 1599 King James granted a Royal Charter for the establishment of our College.
A totally authentic oil painting of James VI and I holding a balloon.
041
Reposted by RCPSG Heritage
Biodiversity Heritage Library @biodivlibrary.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
BHL is featured in @theguardian.com's Age of Extinction series. The article highlights the extraordinary value of BHL and the urgent need to ensure it remains free and open into the future. Please read and share: www.theguardian.com/environment/... 🧪 🌎 📖 🔗 🐟 💚
theguardian.com
A bonanza for fans of the natural world: the digital library sharing 64m pages of scientific knowledge with everyone
The Biodiversity Heritage Library is an invaluable online archive of historic texts on species living and lost supplied by the world’s leading museums and universities. Now its future is in doubt
012170
RCPSG Heritage @rcpsgheritage.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
It's #InternationalPicnicDay! To celebrate here's a photo of patients and medical staff from the Scottish Women's Hospital enjoy a picnic in the sun in Salonika, 1916 #WW1 #Histnursing
Black and white photo of a group of 9 people sitting on a blanket at the foot of a hill. Some are wearing nurses uniforms and others military uniforms.
0102
Reposted by RCPSG Heritage
Barts Health Archives @bharchives.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
It's #CleanAirDay - & on 5 July, the 70th anniversary of the 1956 Clean Air Act. In this letter, a TB patient describes his experience of the 'Great Smog' of 1952, estimated to have contributed to 12,000 deaths in London - unable to move “owing to the exertion of breathing…trying to hold onto life”
Section of a handwritten letter in blue ink, reading 'I would like to render you a report of my health, as I think one id due about October. Well I am very pleased to say that I have survived an alarming experience during the last 3 days + nights of 'Fog'. I was totally incapable of raising my body to an upstanding position or for that matter moving a limb owing to exertion of breathing or shall I say trying to hold on to LIFE. Well it is all over now thank God. My doctor has prescribed the necessary medicine and recommends a fluid diet. But I don't want to undergo such an experience again without having some remedy...". 
From correspondence between patient WA and the Lady Almoner at Frimley [TB] Sanatorium, 1942-1957 [RLHBH/AL/3/27/9]. The patient goes on to make a request for a prescription for a respiratory mask to help with future smog, and a note indicates the Lady Almoner has requested a Burney Yeo inhaler (mask) for WA from the dispensary at the Brompton Hospital.
183
RCPSG Heritage @rcpsgheritage.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
A #lithotomy set presented to former College member, David Wark, lecturer of anatomy & surgery in Glasgow, c.1833-34. The set was a gift from his students who praise the "highly satisfactory manner in which he has discharged his duty towards them". Great gift! 🎁
Brass  plaque attached to the lid of a wooden box. The plaque is inscribed to David Wark, member of the faculty of Physicians and Surgeons of GlasgowLithotomy set in a red velvet lined wooden case. Instruments line the base and lid of the box.
031
RCPSG Heritage @rcpsgheritage.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
Pocket case of surgical instruments belonging to Joseph Lister. The case contains scalpels, probes, and a curved bistoury. It dates from c.1865 when #Lister was working at Glasgow Royal Infirmary. #histmed
Small metal case open to show lancets and other surgical instruments held in place in the lid and base of the case.
0377
Reposted by RCPSG Heritage
Museums Galleries Scotland @museumsgalleriesscotland.org.uk · 10/06/2026
🌍 How can heritage organisations embed anti-racist practice into all areas of their work? The newly-published ‘White Thinking’ report highlights the lessons learned from anti-racism projects at heritage organisations across Scotland: buff.ly/U951ePY
Text reading "White Thinking and the failed promise of diversity in Scottish Heritage", overlaying a world map which displays South at the top of the image.Text reading: "For this AHRC-funded project, academics, activists, heritage organisations, and World Cup winner and anti-racism activist Lilian Thuram worked in partnership to bring new perspectives to over 20 years of ongoing work to embed anti-racist practice across Scotland’s heritage sector.

Read the ‘White Thinking’ report on the MGS website to discover how museums and galleries have been putting anti-racism at the heart of their work.", overlaying a world map which displays South at the top of the image.
255
Reposted by RCPSG Heritage
Institute of Historical Research @ihr.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, the first woman to obtain a formal medical education in Britain, was born on this day in 1836. Through the Bibliography of British and Irish History (BBIH), you can research Anderson and other incredible female pioneers in the history of medicine.
Black and white photograph of a Victorian woman reading a book.
04714
RCPSG Heritage @rcpsgheritage.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
Today is #WorldOceansDay. These fabulous sea creatures feature in Historia de gentibus septentrionalibus (A History of the Northern Peoples), c.1558 by Olaus Magnus.
Woodcut illustration of a person in a fishing boat surrounded by giant sea creatures
151
RCPSG Heritage @rcpsgheritage.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
#OTD Ian Donald published the first description of imaging via ultrasound 👏 "Abdominal Masses by Pulsed Ultrasound" was one of the defining publications in the field, making Glasgow the birthplace of clinical ultrasound. #Heritage #Glasgow #Ultrasound
Photograph of Ian Donald using an ultrasound machine to examine the abdomen of a female patient.
175
RCPSG Heritage @rcpsgheritage.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
The laundry room at Glasgow Royal Infirmary c.1909. Look at all those lovely white aprons, coats and sheets! Pictured centre left is Miss McLaren, Superintendent of the laundry and later Matron of the Ophthalmic Institution.
Black and white photo showing a large laundry room. Nurses can be seen ironing sheets and aprons whilst others hang surgical coats on a rack.
0111
Reposted by RCPSG Heritage
Surgeons' Hall Museum @surgeonshall.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
These tools were used by Joseph Lister for cleft palate operations. They had originally been owned by J. Smith but were modified by Lister to meet his needs.
A set of instruments lying in front of a wooden box
1313
RCPSG Heritage @rcpsgheritage.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
It's #WorldBicycleDay! 🚲 To celebrate here's a fabulous bicycle made from dental wire by T.C White, convenor of our College's Dental Council 1972–1974.
A bicycle fashioned out of dental wire
052
RCPSG Heritage @rcpsgheritage.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
#OTD 1912, 313 years after our College was founded, Jamini Sen became our 1st female Fellow. Sen was an advocate for better working conditions for female doctors & improved access to care for female patients in India. Her portrait by Grace Payne-Kumar, is the 1st of a woman to hang in College Hall
Portrait by Grace Payne-Kumar of Dr Jamini Sen
0277
RCPSG Heritage @rcpsgheritage.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
Please note: Our library and exhibitions will be closed on Monday 25th May for the bank holiday. Back in again as usual from 9am on Tuesday 26th May. Don't forget you can still "visit" our collections on our website at any time heritage.rcpsg.ac.uk We wish you all a lovely weekend
Black and white image of children in funfair dodgem cars from Mearnskirk Hospital
021
Reposted by RCPSG Heritage
Lost Glasgow @lostglasgow.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
As a former library assistant, I was also much taken by their library. More info on the Royal College, and how you can visit, here: heritage.rcpsg.ac.uk
0161
Reposted by RCPSG Heritage
Lost Glasgow @lostglasgow.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
Some more pics from my visit to the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow - whit a gaff!
3235
Reposted by RCPSG Heritage
Redbridge Museum & Heritage Centre @redbridgemuseum.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
On #NursesDay #InternationalNursesDay, here’s a clip of local resident Dee Ramlal speaking about the challenges she faced in the workplace as a Caribbean nurse in the 1970s. Discover Dee’s story in our short film ‘Memories of Windrush’: www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYC1...
073
Reposted by RCPSG Heritage
Royal College of Nursing Library and Museum @rcnlibraries.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
On #InternationalNursesDay we honour nurses across the globe. Our exhibition Moved to Care explores nursing and migration from the 19thC to today through the journeys, challenges and triumphs. These stories show nursing has always been global. Visit in London or online: bit.ly/4uKSg7J
 Prize‑winning student nurses at the Dreadnought Seaman’s Hospital, Greenwich, 29 June 1954. Credit: Getty / MeagerThe Journey We Made Across Land And Sea… banner, 2022, by Seleena Laverne Daye. On loan from the People’s History MuseumStudent nurses from Nigeria arriving in Southampton onboard the HMS Almanzora, 28 May 1946. Credit: Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images Demonstration by nurses over pay and conditions, UK, July 1974. Credit: Reg Lancaster/Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
0289
RCPSG Heritage @rcpsgheritage.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
Today is #InternationalNursesDay To celebrate here's a fab photo of student nurses (and friend) getting to grips with the art of bandaging at Mearnskirk Hospital c.1949 #NursesDay #histnursing
Three female nurses wearing white hats and aprons practice bandaging the head of a dummy
090
Reposted by RCPSG Heritage
Ross Cameron @archaeoross.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
Delighted to visit @rcpsgheritage.bsky.social to see their copy of ‘Birds of America’ by John James Audubon. A remarkable book, but the real highlight was the building itself and an opportunity to ask questions of the wonderfully knowledgeable staff. Glasgow is full of wee heritage gems like this.
162
RCPSG Heritage @rcpsgheritage.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
Happy International Day of the Midwife! Glasgow was the first place in the UK to examine & license women to practice midwifery. Our College set up the midwifery exam in 1740. These minutes show the first to qualify - Helen Baxter, Elizabeth Boyd, Mary Dinning & Jean Scott #IDM2026
Handwritten page from our College minute book dated 1740 showing a list of the first women to obtain a midwifery license
13313