Surgeons’ Hall Museums are owned by the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and consist of the History of Surgery Museum, the Wohl Pathology Museum and the Dental Collection. The museum has been open to the public since 1832, making it one of Scotland’s oldest museums. The museum is home to one of the largest and most historic pathology collections in the world.
Uncover centuries of surgical development with a reconstructed anatomy theatre as a centrepiece. Hear the story of Scotland’s first public dissection and find out the true story about Burke and Hare in our History of Surgery Museum. Learn the story of Joseph Lister and the breakthrough discovery of antiseptic and James Young Simpson and the discovery of chloroform as an anaesthetic. Find out more about the real life inspiration for Sherlock Holmes and his connection to the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.
The Wohl Pathology Museum covers topics such as women in surgery and military surgery; from the Battle of Waterloo up to the Second World War. In the Dental Collection you will see how dentistry techniques have changed over the years.
The newest addition to the museum is the Body Voyager gallery which explores the rise in computerised and robotic technology in medicine. Visitors are taken on a journey through the human body exploring the way in which technology is changing the course of surgery and patient care. The galleries are designed to get the visitor thinking about how the surgical world is advancing and how they might feel about receiving treatment with these new technologies.
The Museum is located in Edinburgh’s city center and is easily accessed by foot or bus and is a 10 minute walk from Waverley train station.
COVID-19 Information
To ensure the museum is a safe and enjoyable space for both our staff and visitors, we have made the following changes:
- Booking is not required to visit the museum.
- Please pay by contactless where possible.
- There will be a one way system in operation. This is marked out by arrows on the floor.
- Visitors are asked to maintain a social distance of 2 metres.
- There is hand sanitising stations throughout the museums.
- Increased cleaning of all touch points and toilets.
- We recommend visitors wear a face covering.
- If you feel unwell with any COVID-19 symptoms please stay at home.
