Hunterian Museum - Touring Tuesday - Museum Mile

The Hunterian Museum is another Museum Mile participant.  If you want to catch up, I summarized the others I've visited here.  This museum is nestled in the heart of the UCL college campus inside the Royal College of Surgeons building. It is slightly tricky to find, but it's in the building across the street from the tennis courts if you ever find yourself looking for it.

As the museum is a part of the Royal College of Surgeons, you can make an informed guess as to the content of the museum.  The presentation of the jars is sleek and beautiful.  The LED lighting in the display cases allows for a clear view of the specimens.  I neglected to see the No Photography signs at the museum until I almost finished on the second floor.  You benefit from my lack of rule following..... 

A quick history of the museum indicated that John Hunter is the namesake for the museum.  He worked with his anatomy teacher brother where he learned to dissect and prepare specimens for study.  Hunter traveled the world to acquire specimens for the collection.  During World War II the museum took a direct hit, which destroyed many of the specimens.  Thankfully for us, the museum has recovered.  

The museum categorized the specimen cases by species (mammals, reptiles, plants), systems (reproduction, muscular), and ailment (medical condition).

Precisely why you should brush your teeth

  I'll admit I did have this face for several of the displays as I read the information cards.  

Kristen Wiig as Aunt Linda on SNL

Upstairs presented displays about the history of surgery.  Lawsy mercy, thank you to the brave surgical patients that endured crude surgeries that guided medical improvements.  

The Hunterian Museum is another gem on the Museum Mile.  You can get to the museum after a short walk from Holborn Station (Piccadilly & Central Underground Lines), and admission is free!