On Friday 27th November, a small group of brave students ventured to the Hunterian Museum in London.

Whilst there they had an introduction to the museum by the curator who told them about John Hunter, the King’s surgeon and obsessive collector of anatomical specimens, many of which are still on display. They then had an hour to explore the museum and discovered the skeletons of both Mr Jeffs and John Byrne, the 7ft 7inch Irish giant, whose skeleton mysteriously arrived in John Hunter’s collection. They also learnt about the history of surgery from the early years of tourniquets and saws right through to today’s keyhole surgical techniques. Some of the students also saw some of the more macabre exhibits, details of which we dare not write here.

On the way back to the academy they took a route that passed round the Royal Courts of Justice and they saw several buildings that date back to the time of John Hunter and whose architecture gave a real feel of 18th century London

The students would like to thank Ms Sheehan and Mrs Archer for accompanying them on their adventures.

For more information on the museum go to www.hunterianmuseum.org

Mr C Wheeldon