Collection: Royal London Hospital Museum

Collection-level records:

• Collection overview (Cornucopia)

  Medical Collection

  The Hospital was founded in 1740 and archives and artefacts are preserved from its long history. The collections are amongst the most complete and significant of their type in the UK, embracing the records and relics of 20 related hospitals. The objects relate primarily to the London (now Royal London) Hospital, the Queen Elizabeth Hospital for Children and the Schools of Medicine and Dentistry, and Nursing and Midwifery at the London. Objects include paintings, sculpture, ceramics, surgical instruments, nursing equipment, medals, decorations and trophies, uniforms and teaching material. The three sections covered by the displays give a good summary of the kinds of material in the collections: The Eighteenth Century section features the foundation of the voluntary hospital and its benefactors, medical education and health in the 18th century. Among the original material displayed are the Hospital charter of 1758, a drawing given by the artist William Hogarth in 1744 and the operation bell of 1792. The Nineteenth Century section covers surgery before antisepsis including instruments belonging to Hospital Surgeon Sir William Blizard, nursing and Florence Nightingale, hospital expansion, Hospital matron Eva L?1/4ckes, Dr Barnardo, Frederick Treves and the Elephant Man and Victorian doctors. Objects on show include a replica of a hat and veil worn by Joseph Merrick and documents relating to his residence at the Hospital, contemporary surgical instruments and medical equipment. The Twentieth century section features children and health, X-rays, the First and Second World Wars, Nurse Edith Cavell, Hospital Chairman Lord Knutsford, cardiology, blood transfusion, obstetrics and the National Heath Service. Visitors can see an X-ray machine from the 1930s and a carbon arc lamp used to give ultra violet light treatment to King George V in 1928. A series of recent photographs is also displayed. There are special sections on hospital uniform (usually four uniforms are on show), forensic medicine (including material on the Jack the Ripper murders) and dentistry (including a denture made for George Washington).

  Subjects

  People (medical); Forensic Medicine; Uniforms; Hospitals; Healthcare

  British Orthodontics Society Collection

  Museum and archive collections of the Society, including several hundred plaster dental and facial models together with orthodontic devices.

  Subjects

  Medical History

  Source: Cornucopia

  Date: Not known, but before 2015

  Licence: CC BY-NC