We recently appointed a Digitisation Project Intern for Uncovering our Medical Instruments, a project which aims to make our collections much more accessible and visible. Kirsty will be photographing and researching our instrument collection, and sharing them as much as possible, via this blog, @RCPSGlibrary and the Museum Collection pages on our website.

Ophthalmic Phantom, c1900 – 1920 (for teaching eye surgery)

The project will delve into our Instrument Store to uncover medical and surgical instruments and equipment that is rarely seen. These collections date from the 18th – 20th century, many with a link to Glasgow. As well as making these collections more visible online, the project will also contribute to our exhibition programme and pop-up displays.

Pop-up studio

So far Kirsty has been trying out some new kit and testing backgrounds. Many of the instruments are metallic so achieving the right conditions for digitisation can be challenging. The collections also vary in size, from tiny surgical needles to heavy respiratory equipment. Some items can’t be displayed traditionally, so we will develop digital displays to complement our exhibition space.

Wilson Type Microscope

Uncovering our Medical Instruments is a nine month project, kindly supported by Museums Galleries Scotland. During that time, we hope to provide access to hundreds more instruments from our collections.