History of Surgery

Above is a wax mold of a vivisection...they were big into wax molds and they've lasted pretty well I can see why.

We went to The Royal College of Surgeons Museaum at the Uni. of Edi. Med School. Maggie didn't really have the stomach for it but I absolutely adored it as it supplied me with my usual useless facts. Such as ahem.....

The Med school was originally called the Royal College of Barbers.

The first person to perform a heart transplant was a Japaneese surgeon, it was controversial because the buddist faith dictates that you die with the same body you are born with. When the receipicant died 80 days later the surgeon was charged with a double murder and since then no surgeon has attempted to perform that in Japan.

The first syringe was made by an edinburgh med. student.

Lang Sandy Wood- First person in Edinburg (a surgeon) to carry and use an umbrella (!)

Burke and Hare- Body snatchers I mentioned before....are where the boogeyman comes from. There is a Scottish "nursery rhyme" that says Up the close and down the stair,
But and ben with Burke and Hare.
Burke’s the butcher, Hare’s the thief,
Knox the boy who buys the beef.

How morbib is that nursery rhyme???

Oh and Burkes skeleton was at this museaum as well as a small leatherbound book made out of his skin...ewww.

Also there was this Dr. who studied a form of genetic dwarfism. And as part of his research he hired an assistent who had this rare genetic disease and took him around EVERYWHERE...how amazing is that??

Reminded me of seeing the bodies exhibit in Vegas....but with freaks.