RCPSG Heritage
@rcpsgheritage.bsky.social
News, events and stories from the library, archive and museum at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow
https://heritage.rcpsg.ac.uk/ #histmed #libraries #archives #museums
https://heritage.rcpsg.ac.uk/ #histmed #libraries #archives #museums
X-ray tube originally from the Radiology Department at Glasgow Royal Infirmary. Glasgow was the first city in the world to have a radiology unit in a hospital. It was set up by physician, engineer and Fellow of our College, Dr John Macintyre in 1896.
February 6, 2026 at 12:47 PM
X-ray tube originally from the Radiology Department at Glasgow Royal Infirmary. Glasgow was the first city in the world to have a radiology unit in a hospital. It was set up by physician, engineer and Fellow of our College, Dr John Macintyre in 1896.
Man-midwife and "Father of British Obstetrics" William Smellie was born #OnThisDay 1697 in Lesmahagow. Smellie, who was also a member of our College, developed his own forceps and was the first to provide safe guidance on using them heritageblog.rcpsg.ac.uk/2014/02/20/w...
#midwifery #obstetrics
#midwifery #obstetrics
February 5, 2026 at 9:56 AM
Man-midwife and "Father of British Obstetrics" William Smellie was born #OnThisDay 1697 in Lesmahagow. Smellie, who was also a member of our College, developed his own forceps and was the first to provide safe guidance on using them heritageblog.rcpsg.ac.uk/2014/02/20/w...
#midwifery #obstetrics
#midwifery #obstetrics
It's #NationalHedgehogDay 🦔 and we're just prickling with excitement 😁 so to celebrate here's a rather adorable #hedgehog from Historiae Animalium (c.1602) by Conrad Gesner.
February 2, 2026 at 11:12 AM
It's #NationalHedgehogDay 🦔 and we're just prickling with excitement 😁 so to celebrate here's a rather adorable #hedgehog from Historiae Animalium (c.1602) by Conrad Gesner.
Happy #LibraryShelfieDay from our rare book store, lower library and reading room 📚
January 28, 2026 at 3:27 PM
Happy #LibraryShelfieDay from our rare book store, lower library and reading room 📚
Woodcut illustration from Cerebri Anatome (c.1664) by Thomas Willis, who was born #OnThisDay 1621. The term #neurology first appears in this book. He was also the first to describe the Circle of Willis, an important anatomical structure that provides blood to the brain. #OTD #histmed
January 27, 2026 at 12:11 PM
Woodcut illustration from Cerebri Anatome (c.1664) by Thomas Willis, who was born #OnThisDay 1621. The term #neurology first appears in this book. He was also the first to describe the Circle of Willis, an important anatomical structure that provides blood to the brain. #OTD #histmed
James Hogarth Pringle, surgeon at Glasgow Royal Infirmary and Vice President of our College, was born #OnThisDay 1863. He devised the Pringle Manoeuvre to limit blood loss in liver surgery. He's seen here (centre right with fabulous moustache) operating with William Macewen.
#histmed #OTD
#histmed #OTD
January 26, 2026 at 9:50 AM
James Hogarth Pringle, surgeon at Glasgow Royal Infirmary and Vice President of our College, was born #OnThisDay 1863. He devised the Pringle Manoeuvre to limit blood loss in liver surgery. He's seen here (centre right with fabulous moustache) operating with William Macewen.
#histmed #OTD
#histmed #OTD
For #NationalHandwritingDay here's proof that doctors don't have terrible handwriting! This beautifully handwritten letter (c.1735) diagnoses a patient with breast cancer, a “disorder rarely hitherto known to yield to any milder remedy than the knife”.
January 23, 2026 at 9:43 AM
For #NationalHandwritingDay here's proof that doctors don't have terrible handwriting! This beautifully handwritten letter (c.1735) diagnoses a patient with breast cancer, a “disorder rarely hitherto known to yield to any milder remedy than the knife”.
😍 Love this fab doodle found in "A right frutefull and approoved treatise, for the artificiall cure of... Struma" by William Clowes, 1602.
#doodle #rarebooks
#doodle #rarebooks
January 22, 2026 at 12:09 PM
😍 Love this fab doodle found in "A right frutefull and approoved treatise, for the artificiall cure of... Struma" by William Clowes, 1602.
#doodle #rarebooks
#doodle #rarebooks
Here's a happy little squirrel looking very pleased about it being #SquirrelAppreciationDay. The owl also appreciates squirrels... 😯
(Illustration from our copy of JJ Audubon's Birds of America c.1837)
(Illustration from our copy of JJ Audubon's Birds of America c.1837)
January 21, 2026 at 1:06 PM
Here's a happy little squirrel looking very pleased about it being #SquirrelAppreciationDay. The owl also appreciates squirrels... 😯
(Illustration from our copy of JJ Audubon's Birds of America c.1837)
(Illustration from our copy of JJ Audubon's Birds of America c.1837)
It's #PenguinAwarenessDay! Love this description of the characteristics of penguins from The Path Through Penguin City (c.1955) by Dr Harry Lillie, conservationist and ship's surgeon.
"In the rear comes King with that disdainful rather superior air"
#PenguinDay 🐧
"In the rear comes King with that disdainful rather superior air"
#PenguinDay 🐧
January 20, 2026 at 10:58 AM
It's #PenguinAwarenessDay! Love this description of the characteristics of penguins from The Path Through Penguin City (c.1955) by Dr Harry Lillie, conservationist and ship's surgeon.
"In the rear comes King with that disdainful rather superior air"
#PenguinDay 🐧
"In the rear comes King with that disdainful rather superior air"
#PenguinDay 🐧
Reposted by RCPSG Heritage
Researchers are now using proteomics analysis on historical books, discovering all sorts of proteins people left on them centuries ago. 🏺🧪
Remnants of spills on Renaissance-era textbook reveal recipes for 'curing' ailments with lizard heads and human feces
A novel biochemical analysis of a Renaissance medical text has successfully recovered centuries-old proteins that might be from lizards and hippos.
www.livescience.com
January 19, 2026 at 3:18 PM
Researchers are now using proteomics analysis on historical books, discovering all sorts of proteins people left on them centuries ago. 🏺🧪
19th century woodcut of coloboma of the iris (a hole in the structure of the iris). The woodcut was produced for a book on ophthalmology by William Mackenzie, founder of Glasgow Eye Infirmary. See a 3D model of the woodcut here: heritage.rcpsg.ac.uk/items/show/164
January 15, 2026 at 11:05 AM
19th century woodcut of coloboma of the iris (a hole in the structure of the iris). The woodcut was produced for a book on ophthalmology by William Mackenzie, founder of Glasgow Eye Infirmary. See a 3D model of the woodcut here: heritage.rcpsg.ac.uk/items/show/164
Reposted by RCPSG Heritage
For centuries, a “gossip” was a woman who attended another woman's delivery. The word was a corruption of “god-sib” or “god-sibling,” meaning “sister in the Lord.” The gossips offered support to mother & midwife. Only later did it become derogatory.
More info: www.historyextra.com/period/gener...
More info: www.historyextra.com/period/gener...
January 13, 2026 at 9:46 AM
For centuries, a “gossip” was a woman who attended another woman's delivery. The word was a corruption of “god-sib” or “god-sibling,” meaning “sister in the Lord.” The gossips offered support to mother & midwife. Only later did it become derogatory.
More info: www.historyextra.com/period/gener...
More info: www.historyextra.com/period/gener...
Reposted by RCPSG Heritage
A Bluesky challenge!
We've got so many great heritage/GLAM accounts here now, that some are flying under the radar
From national organisations to niche collections, these active accounts are all (at time of posting) under 500 followers-lowest at 9-how many can we get over 500?
go.bsky.app/U16Nwsw
We've got so many great heritage/GLAM accounts here now, that some are flying under the radar
From national organisations to niche collections, these active accounts are all (at time of posting) under 500 followers-lowest at 9-how many can we get over 500?
go.bsky.app/U16Nwsw
January 12, 2026 at 3:52 PM
A Bluesky challenge!
We've got so many great heritage/GLAM accounts here now, that some are flying under the radar
From national organisations to niche collections, these active accounts are all (at time of posting) under 500 followers-lowest at 9-how many can we get over 500?
go.bsky.app/U16Nwsw
We've got so many great heritage/GLAM accounts here now, that some are flying under the radar
From national organisations to niche collections, these active accounts are all (at time of posting) under 500 followers-lowest at 9-how many can we get over 500?
go.bsky.app/U16Nwsw
Design for an artificial hand from Les œuvres d’Ambroise Paré, c.1585. Ambroise Pare was a pioneer of battlefield medicine and surgery and devised many prostheses. This hand had springs and catches which mimicked the movement of joints.
#histmed
#histmed
January 12, 2026 at 9:38 AM
Design for an artificial hand from Les œuvres d’Ambroise Paré, c.1585. Ambroise Pare was a pioneer of battlefield medicine and surgery and devised many prostheses. This hand had springs and catches which mimicked the movement of joints.
#histmed
#histmed
Reposted by RCPSG Heritage
An early example of a breast pump. The glass vacuum cup screws into the cylinder pump for use and has a small release valve to control pressure. There are no manufacturer markings, but it is similar to one shown in S Maw & Sons catalogue of 1866.
January 9, 2026 at 12:01 PM
An early example of a breast pump. The glass vacuum cup screws into the cylinder pump for use and has a small release valve to control pressure. There are no manufacturer markings, but it is similar to one shown in S Maw & Sons catalogue of 1866.
It's #WorldTypingDay!
To celebrate here's a typewriter with special apothecary keys which was used in a doctor's surgery. It dates from c.1933
#heritage #medicine #typewriter
To celebrate here's a typewriter with special apothecary keys which was used in a doctor's surgery. It dates from c.1933
#heritage #medicine #typewriter
January 8, 2026 at 11:15 AM
It's #WorldTypingDay!
To celebrate here's a typewriter with special apothecary keys which was used in a doctor's surgery. It dates from c.1933
#heritage #medicine #typewriter
To celebrate here's a typewriter with special apothecary keys which was used in a doctor's surgery. It dates from c.1933
#heritage #medicine #typewriter
Reposted by RCPSG Heritage
Henry Gray of Grays Anatomy in a dissection room, c.1845. Gray contracted smallpox after caring for his nephew, who eventually recovered. On 13 June 1861, the day he was to appear for an interview as a final candidate for a prestigious hospital post, he died at the age of 34. #histmed #skystorians
January 7, 2026 at 5:40 PM
Henry Gray of Grays Anatomy in a dissection room, c.1845. Gray contracted smallpox after caring for his nephew, who eventually recovered. On 13 June 1861, the day he was to appear for an interview as a final candidate for a prestigious hospital post, he died at the age of 34. #histmed #skystorians
Illustration of the common carotid artery taken from A System of the Anatomy of the Human Body (c.1814) by Andrew Fyfe. Fyfe was a Scottish anatomist and was appointed dissector to Alexander Monro (secundus) at the University of Edinburgh.
#anatomy
#anatomy
January 7, 2026 at 12:14 PM
Illustration of the common carotid artery taken from A System of the Anatomy of the Human Body (c.1814) by Andrew Fyfe. Fyfe was a Scottish anatomist and was appointed dissector to Alexander Monro (secundus) at the University of Edinburgh.
#anatomy
#anatomy
Still no snow in Glasgow, so for those of you missing out and longing for some here's a 17th century recipe to make your own! ⛄️❄️
(Recipe from The Ladies Cabinet by Lord Patrick Ruthven)
(Recipe from The Ladies Cabinet by Lord Patrick Ruthven)
January 6, 2026 at 3:01 PM
Still no snow in Glasgow, so for those of you missing out and longing for some here's a 17th century recipe to make your own! ⛄️❄️
(Recipe from The Ladies Cabinet by Lord Patrick Ruthven)
(Recipe from The Ladies Cabinet by Lord Patrick Ruthven)
Reposted by RCPSG Heritage
"Coughs & sneezes spread diseases" but it's fine to carry on smoking a pipe.
Timely Government advice from the 1940s, from the Brewers' Society archive.
mrc-describe.epexio.com/records/BLR/...
Timely Government advice from the 1940s, from the Brewers' Society archive.
mrc-describe.epexio.com/records/BLR/...
January 6, 2026 at 10:46 AM
"Coughs & sneezes spread diseases" but it's fine to carry on smoking a pipe.
Timely Government advice from the 1940s, from the Brewers' Society archive.
mrc-describe.epexio.com/records/BLR/...
Timely Government advice from the 1940s, from the Brewers' Society archive.
mrc-describe.epexio.com/records/BLR/...
Happy New Year to you all. We wish you all the best for 2026.
There's lots of exciting things happening this year including events and two brand new exhibitions! Watch this space for more info. And if you have any queries regarding our collections we'd love to hear from you (library@rcpsg.ac.uk)
There's lots of exciting things happening this year including events and two brand new exhibitions! Watch this space for more info. And if you have any queries regarding our collections we'd love to hear from you (library@rcpsg.ac.uk)
January 5, 2026 at 10:49 AM
Happy New Year to you all. We wish you all the best for 2026.
There's lots of exciting things happening this year including events and two brand new exhibitions! Watch this space for more info. And if you have any queries regarding our collections we'd love to hear from you (library@rcpsg.ac.uk)
There's lots of exciting things happening this year including events and two brand new exhibitions! Watch this space for more info. And if you have any queries regarding our collections we'd love to hear from you (library@rcpsg.ac.uk)
It's time to get the party started for today's #ArchiveAdventCalendar.
Here are patients celebrating with Jimmy Logan and Jack Radcliffe at the Mearnskirk Hospital annual #ChristmasParty c.1956 🥳
Here are patients celebrating with Jimmy Logan and Jack Radcliffe at the Mearnskirk Hospital annual #ChristmasParty c.1956 🥳
December 19, 2025 at 1:14 PM
It's time to get the party started for today's #ArchiveAdventCalendar.
Here are patients celebrating with Jimmy Logan and Jack Radcliffe at the Mearnskirk Hospital annual #ChristmasParty c.1956 🥳
Here are patients celebrating with Jimmy Logan and Jack Radcliffe at the Mearnskirk Hospital annual #ChristmasParty c.1956 🥳