Join Surgeons Hall Museums on their 5 walking tour through Edinburgh’s old town. We will take you through the highs and lows of Edinburgh’s world renowned medical history. Discover the intrigues, rivalries and dedication to the cause as our guide leads you through the sites where anatomists, surgeons and physicians worked, operated and squabbled in the quest for medical advancement. Drawn from the archives at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh you will hear little known accounts of iconic writers, chloroform tea parties, pioneering women, grave robbing and of course Britain’s first serial killers the infamous Burke and Hare. Hear tales of old Edinburgh, disease, dissection and curious methods of treatment. Tours will last approximately 75mins and include free museum access from 10am-5pm on the day of your tour. Meeting Point: Please arrive in good time for you tour. Your guide will meet you at the entrance to Surgeons Hall Museums (in front of the hand sculpture) Please note that pre-booking is essential as tour group sizes are smaller than normal. When accessing the museum you must wear a face mask (unless medically exempt from doing so.) Face masks are not mandatory during the tour but are recommended. Please note that this is an outdoor walking tour that runs throughout the year so please dress accordingly. Not all the sites we visit are dog friendly and therefore we admit assistance dogs only. We do not sell through any other channels other than our official Eventbrite page. Please be aware that we do not accept re-sold tickets for our events and your name must be on our guest list to be admitted.

Discover how the RCSEd Library has preserved centuries of medical knowledge and the stories hidden within its remarkable collections. Join us for this bite sized lunch time talk exploring selebrating some of Edinburghs rarest books. In this 30min talk College Librarian Steven Kerr will explore the history of The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh’s Library and Archive, one of the most distinguished medical libraries in the world. Established in the seventeenth century, the Library has grown over centuries to amass a world-renowned collection of surgical, medical, and historical texts. This talk will trace the Library’s evolution, from its origins as a resource for surgeons in training to its role today as a guardian of medical heritage, while showcasing some of its most remarkable items. Discover how the Library has preserved medical knowledge across centuries, and the stories hidden within its extraordinary collections. Duration: 30mins (approx.) Content Warning: Our collections contain human remains as well as representations of anatomy, injury, and disease that some may find upsetting