LivCom Private Visit to the Gordon Museum of Pathology

The exclusive lecture and tour that money can’t buy

‘The Dead Teach the Living’

A private visit to the King’s Gordon Museum of Pathology at St Guy’s Hospital

Tickets: £40 (maximum 40 people)
Time: The tour starts at 2pm and will finish at 4.30pm.

Address: The Gordon Museum of Pathology, Hodgkin Building, Guy's Campus, King’s College London, SE1 1UL

The Museum of Pathology is the largest medical museum in the UK and one of the most impressive of its kind in the world, often described as the medical equivalent of the Metropolitan Police’s ‘Black Museum.’

This reflects the important role its pathologists have played in the history of criminal pathology. A working resource, admittance is usually limited to those studying or working in the medical and allied health fields and it is strictly not accessible to the general public.

The Museum is based on the Guy’s Hospital campus, founded by Thomas Guy the publisher and Stationer. It contains some rare and unique artefacts including Lister’s antiseptic spray and the original specimens of kidneys, adrenal glands and lymph nodes which led Richard Bright, Thomas Addison, and Thomas Hodgkin to describe the medical conditions that bear their names. 

 The Museum has an atmospheric Edwardian interior and housed within are a number of important historic collections. These include the Joseph Towne anatomical and dermatological wax models, the Lam Qua pre-operative tumour paintings, a large number of specimens and the world’s only ‘modern mummy.’

Bill Edwards, the Curator of the Museum, and a world expert in the History of Pathology, has kindly offered to give us a talk about "Dealing with the Dead - Sentiment versus Efficiency"  . Following this talk there will be a chance to roam free and explore the Museum.

It should be pointed out that the Museum contains preserved body parts and is most definitely not for the squeamish. Filming and photography are banned, and mobile phones will need to be turned off. There are stairs between the galleries in the museum so visitors will need to be able to negotiate these.

There are a number of cafes, restaurants and pubs in the area should anyone want to have lunch beforehand, or, indeed, a steadying drink afterwards.