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Royal College of Physicians Museum

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The Royal College of Physicians museum, library and garden. History, medicine, art, exhibitions and modernist architecture.

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The RCP’s portrait of famous physician William Harvey (1578-1657) has returned to pride of place in the Dorchester Library following careful frame conservation and reglazing.

Read the full story of the process in our latest blog via the link in our bio 👉

Images:
*The portrait rehung in the Dorchester library with the conserved frame.
*The frame's gilding before conservation.
*The frame being removed for conservation.
*Close up of the damaged gilding showing the previous layers.
*The portrait being returned to the frame.
*The portrait being rehung.
* A close up of the frame after conservation.

@rcphysicians @medicalmuseums #histmed #RoyalCollegeofPhysicians #WilliamHarvey by @rcpmuseum

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2 days ago

#OTD 1564 famous anatomist Andreas Vesalius died. Vesalius’ book 'De humani corporis fabrica libri septem' is one of the most famous books in the history of medicine and art. It shows the human body with a previously unknown level of detail, accuracy and artistic flair.

The images – which include dissection views and full figures – were innovative in their detail and poses. The images became frequently-copied standard models in the centuries after their publication.

The RCP Heritage Library holds several copies including a first edition. Back in 2019 the text was a key object in fascinating exhibition ‘Under the skin: anatomy, art and identity’ which explored the unsettling beauty of the human body from the medieval age to the contemporary world.

Discover Vesalius’ work and other incredible depictions of the human body online via the link in our bio.
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#WorldAnatomyDay #histmed #RoyalCollegeOfPhysicians @rcphysicians @medicalmuseums An image of a male body with partially flayed skin, showing the muscles. by @rcpmuseum

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3 days ago

Muriel Buxton-Thomas (1945 – 2016), was an internationally recognised physician in the field of nuclear medicine - the branch of medicine that deals with the use of radioactive substances in research, diagnosis, and treatment. She was an active contributor to academic and clinical research throughout her career.

Find out about her amazing career 👉 via the link in the bio.
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#RoyalCollegeofPhysicians #BHM2026 #blackhistorymonth #histmed @rcphysicians @medicalmuseums Black and white photo of Muriel Buxton-Thomas, a black woman wearing a shirt and suit jacket. by @rcpmuseum

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5 days ago

Oladipo Olujimi Akinkugbe FRCP (1933 - 2020), often referred to as ‘Prof’ or ‘Baba’ (father), was a distinguished professor of medicine at the University of Ibadan and a pioneer in the specialty of hypertension and nephrology in Nigeria and across Africa.

His career spanned medicine and academia with important and award winning work. Beyond his work in academia and medicine, he was a recipient of multiple national honours in Nigeria, including the National Order of Merit, the Commander of the Order of Niger and the Commander of the Federal Republic.

Discover more about his life and impressive career via the blog in our bio
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@rcphysicians #bhm2026🖤❤️💚💛 #blackhistorymonth🖤 #histmed #Inspiringphysicians #RoyalCollegeofPhysicians @medicalmuseums by @rcpmuseum

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10 days ago

Have you booked for our upcoming Museum Late?

📆Thurs 8 October, 5.30-8pm

Discover new exhibition 'Patient voices: power, truth, understanding' exploring the lived experiences of healthcare shared through diaries, letters, images, oral histories, objects, artworks and more.

The exhibition and rest of the museum will be open late until 8pm to view.

The evening will include an introductory talk to the exhibition from a member of the RCP Archive, heritage library and museum team, available at 6pm or 7pm.

Book free via the link in our bio

Photos by @hansaulo
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#PatientVoices #RoyalCollegeofPhysicians @rcphysicians @medicalmuseums #histmed A visitor looking at exhibits in the Patient voices exhibition taken in Royal College of Physicians Museum by @rcpmuseum

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13 days ago

⭐ Exhibition 'Patient voices' is open to visit! ⭐

We were excited to welcome a range of guests to a private view of our new exhibition this week. We celebrated the opening with speeches from our senior curator Liz Douglas and members of the patient advocacy group who shaped the exhibition through new artwork, oral histories, and by acting as a critical sounding board throughout its development.

Alongside the speeches amazing musical performances were given of baroque composer Marin Marais' music evoking the feelings of a patient.
You can now visit the exhibition at the RCP at Regent's Park, to enjoy to recordings of the music, oral histories, objects, papers and photographs that explore the lived experience of healthcare.

The exhibition will remain open until 23 July 2027.

Photos by @hansaulo

#PatientVoices #histmed #RoyalcollegeOfPhysicians @rcphysicians @medicalmuseums @rcplondonevents Visitors on the gallery explore the exhibition taken in Royal College of Physicians Museum by @rcpmuseum

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16 days ago

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16 days ago

📚 What can the Heberden Library collection tell us about the history of rheumatology?

In his latest blog, Honorary Heberden Librarian Paul A Sanders selects five fascinating titles from the online catalogue, including an 1873 atlas featuring hand-coloured illustrations of joint damage from chronic rheumatoid arthritis.

Discover the stories behind his top five and explore the BSR Heberden Library for yourself. Search the online catalogue of more than 1,500 items, or book a research appointment to access the collection in person.

Read the blog and explore the collection via the link in our bio! by @rcpmuseum

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17 days ago

This recipe book compiled between 1644-1691 includes 3 cures 'Against Biting of a Mad dog'. Could this be rabies in the archive? #worldrabiesday
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1. 'A poultice for ye biting of a mad dog' made with the bitten person's urine, boiled bread, turpentine and rose or chamomile oil applied to the bite.

2. Ale mixed with sage, garlic and treacle to create a ‘water’ drunk for 3 days post-bite and again for 3 days after the next full moon. Perhaps a remedy against the person becoming ‘mad’ also, as the full moon was considered to have an adverse impact on people with mental health issues.

3. 'For Ye Biting of a mad dog'. This recipe from Dr Richardson, via Madan Pym from Curry Malet in Somerset, uses herbs and plants gathered in the summer such as garlic, primrose and vervain. It also uses the claw of a male crab, ground up. In winter, beer is added. by @rcpmuseum

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20 days ago

From 1724 to 1858 the RCP appointed itself as the inspector of apothecary shops in London. The inspection registers record the judgements passed on every medicine stocked, as well as a usually curt verdict on the shop ranging from ‘very good’ to ‘tolerable’, ‘slovenly’, and even ‘execrable’. But in 1804 Mr Horne stood up to the physicians to ‘question and resist [their] authority’ – an early advocate for #EmpoweringPharmacists !
#WPD2026 #WorldPharmacistsDay Inspection report for Horne's chemist shop on Southampton Row. "This man was very much disposed to question & resist the authority of the College & he is particularly recommended to future Censors to revisit, examine, & [illegible]" by @rcpmuseum

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23 days ago

We loved welcoming a huge range of people to our Grade I listed building for this year’s London #OpenHouseFestival.

A record-breaking 545 visitors joined us last Saturday for a day of architecture, history and crafts.

If you missed us at the weekend, don't worry! There are lots more opportunities to visit: check out our events and visiting information. #linkinbio

Photos by @hansaulo

@opencity_uk @rcphysicians @rcplondonevents @rcp_garden #RoyalCollegeofPhysicians #Lasdun #architecture A main leans down over a museum display case so his chin is touching the glass. He's in a clean-lined modernist space, with massive windows behind him. taken in Royal College of Physicians Museum by @rcpmuseum

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25 days ago

Euan Bowman has been working on placement in the RCP Heritage Library during his PhD studies, as part of the London Arts and Humanities Partnership placements scheme.

During his time volunteering at the RCP, he has kept an eye out for wee slices of his Scottish home in the archives and heritage library. Within this collection of patriotic snippets he started to see a relationship between Gaels and the wider British medical establishment that is both fascinating and highly relevant today. Explore his discoveries in his blog ‘The Gàidhealtachd in the World of British Medicine’.

Read the blog via the link in our bio 👉
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@rcphysicians @medicalmuseums #histmed #scottishmedicine #gaelic A small Scottish croft is just visible on a otherwise empty coastal heath by the sea in Kilmaluag, Skye. taken in Royal College of Physicians Museum by @rcpmuseum

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a month ago