The Gordon Museum of Pathology is a

medical museum A medical museum is an institution that stores and exhibits objects of historical, scientific, artistic, or cultural interest that have a link to medicine or health. Displays often include models, instruments, books and manuscripts, as well as m ...

that is part of King's College London in London, England. It is one of the largest pathology museums in the world and is the largest medical museum in the United Kingdom. Its primary function is to train medical, dental, biomedical and healthcare students and professionals to diagnose diseases.

History

The Gordon Museum was opened in 1905 at King's Guy's Campus as a result of a donation by British lawyer Robert Gordon, and was intended to be a teaching resource devoted purely to human material. A number of specimens and other medical-related objects have been collected since 1802, and were initially gathered by the first Medical Curator

Thomas Hodgkin Thomas Hodgkin RMS (17 August 1798 – 5 April 1866) was a British physician, considered one of the most prominent pathologists of his time and a pioneer in preventive medicine. He is now best known for the first account of Hodgkin's disease, ...

. These formed the basis of the museum in the first Medical School opened in 1826. In 1829, the museum contained approximately 3000 exhibits, and by 1861, the ''London Journal of Medicine'' reported that "the Museums are on a scale which entitles them to rank among the first of our national collections."

Collections

The Gordon Museum holds a collection of approximately 8000 pathological specimens, artefacts, models and paintings, and the earliest specimens are from circa 1608. The Museum contains many human specimens that have impacted on the development of medical studies, including

Astley Cooper Sir Astley Paston Cooper, 1st Baronet (23 August 176812 February 1841) was a British surgeon and anatomist, who made contributions to otology, vascular surgery, the anatomy and pathology of the mammary glands and testicles, and the patholog ...

’s ligation of the abdominal aorta, and the original specimens of

kidneys The kidneys are two reddish-brown bean-shaped organs found in vertebrates. They are located on the left and right in the retroperitoneal space, and in adult humans are about in length. They receive blood from the paired renal arteries; bloo ...

adrenal glands The adrenal glands (also known as suprarenal glands) are endocrine glands that produce a variety of hormones including adrenaline and the steroids aldosterone and cortisol. They are found above the kidneys. Each gland has an outer cortex whic ...

and

lymph nodes A lymph node, or lymph gland, is a kidney-shaped organ of the lymphatic system and the adaptive immune system. A large number of lymph nodes are linked throughout the body by the lymphatic vessels. They are major sites of lymphocytes that inclu ...

which led Thomas Hodgkin,

Thomas Addison Thomas J Addison (April 179329 June 1860) was an English physician, chef, and scientist. He is traditionally regarded as one of the "great men" of Guy's Hospital in London. Among other pathologies, he discovered Addison's disease (a degenerati ...

and Richard Bright to describe the medical conditions that bear their names. The Museum also houses a number of historic collections and artefacts, for example

Joseph Lister Joseph Lister, 1st Baron Lister, (5 April 182710 February 1912) was a British surgeon, medical scientist, experimental pathologist and a pioneer of antiseptic surgery and preventative medicine. Joseph Lister revolutionised the craft of ...

's antiseptic spray, and Thomas Hodgkin’s stethoscope that was the first to be used in England. The Joseph Towne's anatomical and dermatological wax models and

Lam Qua Lam Qua (; 1801–1860), or Kwan Kiu Cheong (), was a Chinese painter from the Canton province in Qing Dynasty China, who specialized in Western-style portraits intended largely for Western clients. Lam Qua was the first Chinese portrait painter ...

's pre-operative tumour paintings are as well displayed in the museum.

Key people

Curators

, British physician, pioneer in

preventive medicine Preventive healthcare, or prophylaxis, consists of measures taken for the purposes of disease prevention.Hugh R. Leavell and E. Gurney Clark as "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting physical and mental hea ...

(1825-1837) * Thomas Wilkinson King, regarded by some as the 'Father of Endocrinology' (1837-1847) * John Birkett (1851-1852) * Samuel Osborne Habershon, English physician (1853-1856) * Walter Moxon (1865-1873) * Charles Hilton Fagge, English physician (1873-1882) * James Goodhart, English physician and paediatrician (1882-1887) * George Newton Pitt (1887-1889) * Lauriston Elgie Shaw (1889 -1904) * John Fawcett (1904-1913) * Robert Davies Colley (1913-1946) * Keith Simpson, English forensic pathologist (1946-1965) * Sigiberto Jose De Navasquez (1965-1970) * John Maynard (1970-1996) * Sebastian Lucas (1996-2003) * William Edwards (2003–present)

Artist in residence

* Eleanor Crook, anatomical modeller and sculptor (2007–present)

References

External links

Gordon Museum home page
on King's College London website
About the Gordon Museum
on YouTube {{King's College London, state=collapsed King's College London