Lodnon- John Hunter who is this person? Reading its name you may think about a museum related to hunting but it is not. Hunter in fact is the surname of the one of the most important Scottish anatomist and collectors of animal and uman body. John Hunter (1728-93) and this Museum is dedicated to him. Located in Lincoln’s Inn Fields, the Hunterian museum boasts the doctor’s extremely various collection and, not casually, is twined with the Royal College of Surgeon of England.
The museum is one of a kind and here you can admire the ‘Irish giant’, other human skeletons and a lot of fetuses. Charles Byrne (1761-1783), or the Irish giant, is a man who actually lived in 18th century in Ireland but prematurely died because of his condition. Also you can moving your attention to the next skeleton: Mr Jeff is another Irish man whose premature death was caused by fibrodyspasia ossificans. For this reason, his bones are bent. What could, eventually, deeply impress the visitors is the section of the children’s bodies. You can see for example five twins kept under glycerine.
It might sound morbid but hunter’s contribute to biological research is peerless. Unfortunately many people aren’t aware that the well-known Karl Linnaeus owes his fame to john hunter. In fact if he hadn’t obtained these specimens, Linnaeus would have never classified them.
photo right john hunter
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Interview Rameet Singh, coordinator of the Hunterian Museum
London Hunterian Museum- Rameet Singh, coordinator of the Hunterian Museum of anatomy and pathology, gives some information about this museum that is considered an unmissable place to visit for its unusual collection.
Mr Singht, could you give some information about the founder of the museum and his life?
John Hunter was the youngest brother of William Hunterwho was a famous gynaecologic and a surgeon in London and both came from a very poor Scottish family. He used to do vivisection of animals and after he got himself trained in human matters. [ continue here]