RCPSG Heritage

@rcpsgheritage

News, events and stories from the library, archive and museum at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow #histmed #libraries #archives #museums

651 Folgt5.621 Follower385 Posts

Bluesky

Ist das dein Profil?Übernimm es — dann gehört dir rcpsgheritage.dirty.social.Profil übernehmen

RCPSG Heritage@rcpsgheritage· 20d

A fascinating conversation tonight with Deepta Roy Chakraverti, discussing her new book about her great aunt, Dr Jamini Sen, the first female fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow. www.amazon.co.uk/Daktarin-Jam...

RCPSG Heritage@rcpsgheritage· 27d

It's #worldSnakeDay! To celebrate here's a lovely woodcut illustration of a snake slithering through the pages of De Indiae utriusque re naturali et medica (1658) by Willem Piso. 🐍

Page from a book showing at the top a black and white illustration of a snake with text in latin below

RCPSG Heritage@rcpsgheritage· Jul 13

Today marks the 52nd anniversary of the publication of the Glasgow Coma Scale in @thelancet.com. The scale was devised by two of our College Fellows Graham Teasdale & Bryan Jennett. It remains the default method for assessing consciousness in many hospitals worldwide. Happy Birthday GCS🥳

Glasgow coma scale article in the lancet

RCPSG Heritage@rcpsgheritage· Jul 8

French surgeon Dominique Jean Larrey, a pioneer of battlefield surgery, triage, and field hospitals and ambulances was born #OTD 1766. These illustrations from Larrey's Mémoires de Chirurgie Militaire (c.1812) show his field ambulance designs.

Design for a field ambulance - a wooden "cabin" with a bed inside

Illustration showing a camel carrying a field ambulance (a wooden cabin)

RCPSG Heritage@rcpsgheritage· Jul 7

It's #WorldChocolateDay! Not everyone is a fan though... John Parkinson's Theatrum Botanicum (c.1640) describes cacao as being "fitter for hogs"!

An open book showing an entry for the Cacao plant

RCPSG Heritage@rcpsgheritage· Jul 7

For South Asian Heritage Month, join us online for an inspiring session all about Dr Jamini Sen, a true Indian trailblazer and an integral part of our College’s history! 📆23 July 2026 🕐18:30 (BST) 📍Online 💷£5 🎫https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/dr-jamini-sen-an-indian-trailblazer-tickets-1992752231568

Front and back covers of the book "Daktarin Jamini Sen" by Deepta Roy Chakraverti

RCPSG Heritage@rcpsgheritage· Jul 2

Sankel's dog collar (1883) 🐕 Sankel was a good boy who wore this collar to which was attached a collecting box for the Glasgow Eye Infirmary. He performed various tricks in public houses around the town to raise money for the hospital ❤️ #Heritage #Glasgow #dogs

A large leather dog collar with a metal clasp attached to the front to hold the collection box. A heart shaped dog tag with Sankel's name on hangs from the front of the collar.

RCPSG Heritage@rcpsgheritage· Jun 24

Feeling the heat? 🥵 Try these herbal remedies for cooling the blood from our 18th century herbal notebook. heritage.rcpsg.ac.uk/items/show/187

Handwritten note listing herbs for cooling the blood including sorrel, endive and violets

RCPSG Heritage@rcpsgheritage· Jun 22

Happy 178th birthday to William Macewen🥳 Born #OTD 1848 in Bute, Macewen pioneered brain, bone & aseptic surgery & more! He performed the world’s 1st successful brain tumour operation in Glasgow in 1879! Learn more about this remarkable man in our exhibition: heritage.rcpsg.ac.uk/exhibits/sho...

Advert for our exhibition "William Macewen: At the cutting edge" with a black and white photo of Macewen as a young man with big bushy beard

RCPSG Heritage@rcpsgheritage· Jun 19

Happy 460th birthday to King James VI & I, who was born #OTD 1566👑🥳 In 1599 King James granted a Royal Charter for the establishment of our College.

A totally authentic oil painting of James VI and I holding a balloon.

RCPSG Heritage@rcpsgheritage· Jun 18

It's #InternationalPicnicDay! To celebrate here's a photo of patients and medical staff from the Scottish Women's Hospital enjoy a picnic in the sun in Salonika, 1916 #WW1 #Histnursing

Black and white photo of a group of 9 people sitting on a blanket at the foot of a hill. Some are wearing nurses uniforms and others military uniforms.

RCPSG Heritage@rcpsgheritage· Jun 16

A #lithotomy set presented to former College member, David Wark, lecturer of anatomy & surgery in Glasgow, c.1833-34. The set was a gift from his students who praise the "highly satisfactory manner in which he has discharged his duty towards them". Great gift! 🎁

Brass plaque attached to the lid of a wooden box. The plaque is inscribed to David Wark, member of the faculty of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow

Lithotomy set in a red velvet lined wooden case. Instruments line the base and lid of the box.

RCPSG Heritage@rcpsgheritage· Jun 10

Pocket case of surgical instruments belonging to Joseph Lister. The case contains scalpels, probes, and a curved bistoury. It dates from c.1865 when #Lister was working at Glasgow Royal Infirmary. #histmed

Small metal case open to show lancets and other surgical instruments held in place in the lid and base of the case.

RCPSG Heritage@rcpsgheritage· Jun 8

Today is #WorldOceansDay. These fabulous sea creatures feature in Historia de gentibus septentrionalibus (A History of the Northern Peoples), c.1558 by Olaus Magnus.

Woodcut illustration of a person in a fishing boat surrounded by giant sea creatures

RCPSG Heritage@rcpsgheritage· Jun 8

#OTD Ian Donald published the first description of imaging via ultrasound 👏 "Abdominal Masses by Pulsed Ultrasound" was one of the defining publications in the field, making Glasgow the birthplace of clinical ultrasound. #Heritage #Glasgow #Ultrasound

Photograph of Ian Donald using an ultrasound machine to examine the abdomen of a female patient.

RCPSG Heritage@rcpsgheritage· Jun 4

The laundry room at Glasgow Royal Infirmary c.1909. Look at all those lovely white aprons, coats and sheets! Pictured centre left is Miss McLaren, Superintendent of the laundry and later Matron of the Ophthalmic Institution.

Black and white photo showing a large laundry room. Nurses can be seen ironing sheets and aprons whilst others hang surgical coats on a rack.

RCPSG Heritage@rcpsgheritage· Jun 3

It's #WorldBicycleDay! 🚲 To celebrate here's a fabulous bicycle made from dental wire by T.C White, convenor of our College's Dental Council 1972–1974.

RCPSG Heritage@rcpsgheritage· Jun 3

#OTD 1912, 313 years after our College was founded, Jamini Sen became our 1st female Fellow. Sen was an advocate for better working conditions for female doctors & improved access to care for female patients in India. Her portrait by Grace Payne-Kumar, is the 1st of a woman to hang in College Hall

Portrait by Grace Payne-Kumar of Dr Jamini Sen

RCPSG Heritage@rcpsgheritage· May 22

Please note: Our library and exhibitions will be closed on Monday 25th May for the bank holiday. Back in again as usual from 9am on Tuesday 26th May. Don't forget you can still "visit" our collections on our website at any time heritage.rcpsg.ac.uk We wish you all a lovely weekend

Black and white image of children in funfair dodgem cars from Mearnskirk Hospital

RCPSG Heritage@rcpsgheritage· May 12

Today is #InternationalNursesDay To celebrate here's a fab photo of student nurses (and friend) getting to grips with the art of bandaging at Mearnskirk Hospital c.1949 #NursesDay #histnursing

Three female nurses wearing white hats and aprons practice bandaging the head of a dummy

RCPSG Heritage@rcpsgheritage· May 5

Happy International Day of the Midwife! Glasgow was the first place in the UK to examine & license women to practice midwifery. Our College set up the midwifery exam in 1740. These minutes show the first to qualify - Helen Baxter, Elizabeth Boyd, Mary Dinning & Jean Scott #IDM2026

Handwritten page from our College minute book dated 1740 showing a list of the first women to obtain a midwifery license

RCPSG Heritage@rcpsgheritage· May 1

Our library and exhibition spaces will be closed for the May bank holiday. We'll be open again on the 5th May from 9am. We hope you all have a lovely weekend.

Black and white photo of a group of four girls standing by the sea. They are looking up towards the sky and some have the arms raised as if about to catch a ball

RCPSG Heritage@rcpsgheritage· Apr 29

Born #OTD 1791 Fellow of our College William Mackenzie. Mackenzie was a renowned ophthalmologist and founder of the Glasgow Eye Infirmary. He was appointed Surgeon-Oculist in Scotland to Queen Victoria in 1838. #ophthalmology #OnThisDay

Oil painting of Mackenzie as an older man. He has white hair and bushy beard and is wearing a dark suit and holding a book in his hand

Charity poster for the Glasgow Eye Infirmary showing a child wearing a blindfold and the caption "help us to take them out of the shadow"

RCPSG Heritage@rcpsgheritage· Apr 28

We've been doing a lot of outreach work based around our 2 beautiful volumes of JJ Audubon's Birds of America. You can read more about this project on our blog: heritageblog.rcpsg.ac.uk/2026/03/26/b... #ArchiveOutreach #Archive30

4 images showing, 1: A group of school children looking into a display case housing a book of birds. 2: Paper bird ornaments on a table. 3: cyanotype images of plants. 4: Group of children sat outside listening to author, Helen Kellock

RCPSG Heritage@rcpsgheritage· Apr 27

The very first item added to our archive catalogue was the very first minute book of our College. It dates from 1602, 3 years after the College's foundation, and is written in old Scots. #ArchiveBeginnings #Archive30

A box lying on its side. The title reads "minute book of the faculty of physicians and surgeons". On top of the box is the minute book which is bound in leather and has leather clasps

RCPSG Heritage@rcpsgheritage· Apr 21

Love this plan for the Belvidere Fever Hospital, Glasgow (c.1874). The hospital was primarily for the treatment and care of patients with infectious diseases #ArchivePlan #Archive30

Plan showing a long single storey building, a ward layout and a cross section of the main building

RCPSG Heritage@rcpsgheritage· Apr 21

Happy #NationalTeaDay! 🫖 Here's a wonderful photo of a tea party held on board the French hospital Ship, the Sphinx, as a thank you for nurses from the Scottish Women's Hospitals. #WW1 #HistNursing

Black and white photo showing 5 women, 4 of whom are wearing nurses uniforms, sat at a table. The table has a teapot and cups laid out on it

RCPSG Heritage@rcpsgheritage· Apr 16

Today for #Archive30 it's #ArchiveMyths Are archives just for academics? We love our academic researchers but everyone is welcome whether you're a family historian, someone working on a school project, a medical practitioner or just a wee bit nosey!

Looking down from above at school children's head. The children are leaning over a table looking at an open historic book

RCPSG Heritage@rcpsgheritage· Apr 15

Conserving the biggest book in the collection was a challenge but our conservator Rebecca, managed it! #TheBirdsofAmerica #Audubon #ArchiveConservation #Archive30

RCPSG Heritage@rcpsgheritage· Apr 14

#WW2 Cannon shell extracted from a gunner's face by Tom Gibson, past President of our College and Captain of a RAMC maxillofacial team. The shell is 8.5cm long, 2cm in diameter & weighs 147.3g. The patient didn't know it was there!! 😱 #UnusualArchives #Archive30