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Exhibitions
Coming soon
23 September – 23 December
The Dreadful and the Divine: A visual exploration of the surgical instrument
Qvist Gallery, Hunterian Museum. Open Tues-Sat 10am-5pm
Free
There is something fascinating about the tools which surgeons wield, they can invoke powerful associations: they inspire fear and awe, carry connotations of butchery as well as healing, and are synonymous with intricacy and skill – in manufacture as well as in use. They are the means to open the body and put it back together – instruments of a power simultaneously dreadful and divine.
Using photography, Artist in Residence Elaine Duigenan has explored instruments' contradictory status as the therapeutic extension of the surgeon's hands and as objects designed to destroy living tissue. Drawing on the rich historical collections of the Hunterian Museum and bringing together the expertise of surgeons, historians and instrument manufacturers, her work reanimates the instrument as a thing of beauty and dread.
This exhibition and the Armamentaria project has been funded by a Wellcome Trust Arts Award.
Themed events to support this exhibition will be taking place in November and December.
Sir John Tomes: Victorian Dental Pioneer
22 June – 23 December
Art Cases, Hunterian Museum, open Tues-Sat 10am-5pm
Free
A special exhibition celebrates the remarkable life of Sir John Tomes (1815–1895), the first dentist to be elected a fellow of the Royal Society for his dental research. A scientist and innovator, Tomes was instrumental in the campaign to create the first dental diploma of the Royal College of Surgeons, as well as being a pioneer of dental microscopy.
Organised with the BDA Dental Museum and the East Surrey Museum as part of the Royal Society's 350th anniversary celebrations in 2010.
Special Event: 'Open Wide', Saturday 14 August 12-4pm
Ivory: Treasures from the Odontological Collection
Inner Hall - Levy Case exhibition, College entrance hall
Open Monday – Friday 9am–5pm, Saturday 10am-5pm
Free
The Odontological Collection at The Royal College of Surgeons contains over 250 ivory specimens, the majority of which are of zoological interest. This small exhibition includes a variety of specimens from terrestrial and marine mammals that have teeth or tusks large enough to be classed as ‘ivory’. From the extinct woolly mammoth to the elusive narwhal, these rarely seen items are on display for a limited period. Also included are a selection of historical medical instruments and dentures fashioned from ivory.
Encounters: 10 Words to John Hunter
July - September 2010
Hunterian Museum, Tues-Sat 10am-5pm
Free
A short film created by students from the Mary Ward Centre detailing their reactions to the Hunterian Museum. Created as part of the Medicine at the Movies project and funded by the Learning Revolution Transformation Fund.
Exhibition archive
Find out more about all previous exhibitions in our Exhibitions archive »
