Heritage Collections
The College Museum Collection
The creation of the Museum Collection was the
brainchild of the Foundation Council in 1953 who recognised the
importance of collecting and preserving the wide range of
instruments and equipment used by GPs during the last two
centuries.
Fellows and Members of the College and many
other benefactors have given generously towards ‘The Collection’
over the years and continue to do so.
The variety of items in the museum bears witness to the extent
and diversity of skills practised by both our contemporaries and
predecessors.
The collection consists of some nine hundred individual
objects some of which are quite rare and of outstanding
interest and value. A few items predate the 18
th century
and the whole collection is of great importance to the heritage of
general practice.
The curators have catalogued the acquisitions according to
their specialty to facilitate the individual interest of General
Practitioners and other professionals in primary care. Many of the
items will be of significance to those interested in the History of
Medicine.
The displays we are able to demonstrate are somewhat limited
by the space available within the College and the curators keep
them under constant review.
The earliest objects currently on display include antique
apothecary jars and a mid-17
th century pewter baptismal
syringe. On permanent display is our
Edmund
Culpeper monocular microscope with accessories, circa
1725.
At the request of the
Imperial War Museum, Manchester,
the College, through the Heritage Committee, loaned some
seventy-five items from its collection to the Museum.
The display depicted equipment used in general practice
in the post-war years prior to the establishment of the NHS.
The Heritage Committee would welcome any further donations of
medical equipment used by past general practitioners which could
fill gaps in the collection. The Collection is currently in store
pending our move to exciting new premises in 2012.
Curator: Dr. Kenneth Scott - Email
Museum
policy
See also: