Wellcome Museum of Medical Science records opened to researchers
5 October 2011
Conceived as a 'teaching museum' by Henry Wellcome in 1914, the Museum was intended to support the understanding and treatment of tropical diseases. The exhibits and display panels were designed to educate specialists in the field of tropical disease and medicine, and to teach the latest techniques in diagnosis and prevention. Visitors could pick up and study specimens from every angle, and could access the latest literature from a drawer beneath the relevant display panel.
The outbreak of World War I disrupted Wellcome's plans almost immediately, and the Museum was put to use by the War Office to train troops serving in tropical climates and to conduct research in different theatres of war. World War II, though, boosted the Museum's standing, in light of the serious damage that the Blitz caused to the museum of the London School of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.
The records in this collection consist of administrative papers relating to the Museum's day-to-day activities between 1914 and 1989. They include general correspondence files, the papers of the museum curators, details of specimens, records of staff research interests and lecturing work, and material relating to the provision of medical education. There are also guidebooks, visitor books and photographs of the Museum's exhibits, specimens, staff and facilities over a number of years.
For more details, see the Wellcome Library blog post.
Image: A display in the Wellcome Museum of Medical Science. Credit: Wellcome Images
