The Hunterian Collection is one of the best-known collections of the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

and is cared for by the

Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery The Hunterian is a complex of museums located in and operated by the University of Glasgow in Glasgow, Scotland. It is the oldest museum in Scotland. It covers the Hunterian Museum, the Hunterian Art Gallery, the Mackintosh House, the Zoology M ...

and

Glasgow University Library Glasgow University Library in Scotland is one of the oldest and largest university libraries in Europe. At the turn of the 21st century, the main library building itself held 1,347,000 catalogued print books, and 53,300 journals. In total, the ...

. It contains 650 manuscripts and some 10,000 printed books,Hunterian Collection
at the University of Glasgow 30,000 coins and 15,000 anatomical and natural history specimens. The collection was originally assembled by the anatomist William Hunter.

History

The collection was assembled by the anatomist and physician, William Hunter (1718–83), who was an avid collector of coins, medals, paintings, shells, minerals, books and manuscripts. Considerable purchases were made in Paris from monastic houses and private libraries, such as those of

César de Missy Cesar, César or Cèsar may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''César'' (film), a 1936 film directed by Marcel Pagnol * ''César'' (play), a play by Marcel Pagnolt * César Award, a French film award Places * Cesar, Portugal * Ces ...

and Jean-Baptiste Colbert. Other major acquisitions were made in

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and Italy. The library and other collections remained in London after Hunter's death for the use of his nephew, the

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

and

pathologist Pathology is the study of the causes and effects of disease or injury. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in t ...

Matthew Baillie Matthew Baillie FRS (27 October 1761 – 23 September 1823) was a British physician and pathologist, credited with first identifying transposition of the great vessels (TGV) and situs inversus. Early life and education He was born in the mans ...

(1761–1823), as well as William Cumberland Cruikshank (1745–1800). It moved to the University of Glasgow in 1807. The coins were stored for six years in the

Bank of Scotland The Bank of Scotland plc (Scottish Gaelic: ''Banca na h-Alba'') is a commercial and clearing bank based in Scotland and is part of the Lloyds Banking Group, following the Bank of Scotland's implosion in 2008. The bank was established by th ...

Collection

Manuscripts and books

The manuscripts number around 650, of which approximately two thirds are medieval (biblical manuscripts) or Renaissance in origin; over a hundred of the remaining manuscripts are oriental (Persian and Arabic). The oldest manuscript is the ''Homilies'' of

Saint Basil Basil of Caesarea, also called Saint Basil the Great ( grc, Ἅγιος Βασίλειος ὁ Μέγας, ''Hágios Basíleios ho Mégas''; cop, Ⲡⲓⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ Ⲃⲁⲥⲓⲗⲓⲟⲥ; 330 – January 1 or 2, 379), was a bishop of Cae ...

, dated by a colophon to the year 859. The printed books include 534 incunabula. Hunter purchased a collection of biblical manuscripts from

Caesar de Missy Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, and ...

. About a third of Hunter's books are on the subject of medicine. They include key historical texts by authors including

Hippocrates Hippocrates of Kos (; grc-gre, Ἱπποκράτης ὁ Κῷος, Hippokrátēs ho Kôios; ), also known as Hippocrates II, was a Greek physician of the classical period who is considered one of the most outstanding figures in the history o ...

Galen Aelius Galenus or Claudius Galenus ( el, Κλαύδιος Γαληνός; September 129 – c. AD 216), often Anglicized as Galen () or Galen of Pergamon, was a Greek physician, surgeon and philosopher in the Roman Empire. Considered to be one ...

Vesalius Andreas Vesalius (Latinized from Andries van Wezel) () was a 16th-century anatomist, physician, and author of one of the most influential books on human anatomy, ''De Humani Corporis Fabrica Libri Septem'' (''On the fabric of the human body'' '' ...

and

William Harvey William Harvey (1 April 1578 – 3 June 1657) was an English physician who made influential contributions in anatomy and physiology. He was the first known physician to describe completely, and in detail, the systemic circulation and propert ...

, as well as the writings of Hunter's contemporaries, such as William Smellie, Albinus and Albrecht von Haller.

Anatomical and natural history specimens

Hunter's collection contained about 15,000 specimens and preparations focusing on human anatomy and pathology, and natural history.

Coins

Hunter began to collect coins in about 1770, spending over £22,000 on them before his death in 1783.The Hunterian Coin Collection
/ref> The resulting collection is believed to be the finest ever assembled by a private individual.George MacDonald
''Catalogue of Greek Coins in the Hunterian Collection''
University of Glasgow (1899), p. IX George MacDonald estimated, "Its trays contain about 30,000 specimens, of which over 12,000 are Greek and nearly the same number Roman." According to the Introduction of ''Catalogue of Greek Coins in the Hunterian Collection'' (MacDonald 1899), Hunter purchased many important collections, including those of Horace Walpole and the bibliophile

Thomas Crofts The Reverend and Learned Thomas Crofts FRS FSA (1722 – 8 November 1781) was a British bibliophile, Anglican priest, Fellow of the Royal Society and European traveller. Early life Crofts was born in Monmouth, Wales and was the son of John Cr ...

. In 1782, in Vienna, he purchased the Hess collection, including around 700 Roman Imperial gold coins, for £2,400. King

George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...

even donated an Athenian gold piece.George MacDonald
''Catalogue of Greek Coins in the Hunterian Collection''
University of Glasgow (1905),

Some manuscripts

* Minuscule 560 * Minuscule 561 *

Minuscule 562 Minuscule 562 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering), ε 604 (in the Soden numbering), is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on paper. Palaeographically it has been assigned to the 16th century. Scrivener labelled it by number 522. ...

Minuscule 563 Minuscule 563 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering), ε 160 (in the Soden numbering), is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on parchment. Palaeographically it has been assigned to the 11th century. Scrivener labelled it by number 51 ...

Lectionary 162 Lectionary 162, designated by siglum ℓ ''162'' (in the Gregory-Aland numbering) is a Greek manuscript of the New Testament, on parchment. Palaeographically it has been assigned to the 12th century. Formerly it was labelled as Lectionary 45a. ...

* Lectionary 239 *

Lectionary 240 Lectionary 240, designated by siglum ℓ ''240'' (in the Gregory-Aland numbering) is a Greek manuscript of the New Testament, on parchment. Palaeographically it has been assigned to the 12th century.Lectionary 241 Lectionary 241, designated by siglum ℓ ''241'' (in the Gregory-Aland numbering) is a Greek manuscript of the New Testament, on parchment. It is dated by a Colophon to the year 1199.''William Hunter, anatomist, physician, obstetrician, (1718-1783)''
(London 1901) * George MacDonald, ''Catalogue of Greek Coins in the Hunterian Collection'', University of Glasgow (1899-1905)
Volume IVolume IIVolume III
eprinted in 2005* R. J. Last
Specimens from the Hunterian Collection
''Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery'', vol. 34 B, No 2, May 1952

External links

at the ''Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery, University of Glasgow''

at the ''Special Collections, University of Glasgow''

at the ''Royal College of Surgeons of England''
The Hunterian coin collection
University of Glasgow Library collection