Abstract

The Hunterian Museum at The Royal College of Surgeons of England contains approximately 3,500 specimens of human and comparative anatomy and pathology collected by the surgeon, John Hunter (1728-1793). A significant part of the collection comprises pathological specimens. These include specimens removed during surgery or as incidental findings from anonymous bodies being dissected during anatomical teaching. However, the majority comes from the bodies of patients on which Hunter performed post-mortem examinations. These include patients at St George's Hospital, where Hunter worked as a surgeon from 1768 until his death. A surprising number also come from the bodies of private patients. These were presumably removed with consent, at autopsies that would have taken place in the patient's own home and often with the patient's family or friends present.