Blood and Guts: The Twists and Turns of Edinburgh’s Medical History

Join the Surgeons Hall Museums on their walking tour through Edinburgh’s old town and hear tales of old Edinburgh, disease, dissection and curious methods of treatment.

About Blood and Guts: The Twists and Turns of Edinburgh’s Medical History

Sorry, but this event has been and gone!

Join Surgeons' Hall Museums on their 5* walking tour through Edinburgh's old town.

We will take you through the highs and lows of Edinburgh's world renowned medical history. Discover the intrigues, rivalries and dedication to the cause as our guide leads you through the sites where anatomists, surgeons and physicians worked, operated and squabbled in the quest for medical advancement.

Drawn from the archives at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh you will hear little known accounts of iconic writrers, chloroform tea parties, pioneering women, grave robbing and of course Britain's first serial killers the infamous Burke and Hare.

Hear tales of old Edinburgh, disease, dissection and curious methods of treatment.

Tours will last approximately 70mins and include free museum access from 10am-5pm on the day of your tour.

Age 10+

While we take every opportunity to ensure the details for Blood and Guts: The Twists and Turns of Edinburgh’s Medical History are accurate, we always advise that you contact the event organiser before setting out for the event to avoid disapointment.

Want to be the first to hear about what's happening in Edinburgh? Just hit 'Like' on our What's On Edinburgh Facebook page, join the What's On Scotland Facebook Group and 'Follow' on our @WhatOnEdinburgh Twitter account and you're all set!

Other Events at Various Venues or Surgeons Hall Museums

The Puzzle of Blackening Lungs in Victorian Britain

21st January 2020

Join us at Surgeons' Hall Museums on 21st January as our Senior Research Fellow, Professor Ken Donaldson, discusses the mystery of the Victorian lung!

Museum Detectives

11th February 2020

Join Surgeons' Hall Museums's learning team on 11th February and become a real-life Sherlock Holmes at our Museum Detectives drop-in session!

Close Encounters with Cool Creatures

12th February 2020

Cool Creatures are back at Surgeons' Hall Museums this February!Come and meet some amazing animals up close and see for yourself the incredible variety found in the animal kingdom!

Edinburgh’s Medical Detectives- The Return of Sherlock Holmes

20th February 2020

Surgeons' Hall Museums Curator returns to further investigate Edinburgh's 19th century 'medical detectives' and their influence on Arthur Conan Doyle's most famous character, Sherlock Holmes.

Tour Events you might like...

Stewart Brewing: Last Tour of the Year

28th December 2019
Stewart Brewing, Loanhead

Join us at Stewart Brewing on Saturday 28th December for the last tour of 2019 and help us round off a great year with a bang!

A Walk in Edinburgh’s Oldest Walled Garden

4th January 2020
Granton Castle Walled Garden, Edinburgh North

On the first Saturday of every month, Granton Castle Walled Garden will be open to visitors for a couple of hours in the afternoon.

Hot Rocks

26th January 2020
Holyrood Park, Edinburgh East

Join an expert geologist and a Ranger on a longer guided walk to discover the fascinating geological history of Holyrood Park.

Find Tour events in Edinburgh

Family and Kids Events you might like...

Dunedin Consort - Children’s Messiah

16th December 2019
The Queens Hall Edinburgh, Edinburgh South

Bring your children along for a short, specially designed performance of Handel’s Messiah by the Dunedin Consort at The Queen's Hall on 16th December.

Bolts and Bodkins

16th December 2019
Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh Old Town

Join castle archer Rusty Bodkins for an explanation of how the Scots used the medieval longbow and crossbow.

Pitchcraft With More Bells On

17th December 2019
The Parish Church of St Cuthbert, Edinburgh Old Town

Join Pitchcraft on 17th December as they bring you their unique a cappella arrangements of Christmas classics, from White Christmas to O Holy Night and everything in between!

Find Family and Kids events in Edinburgh

History Events you might like...

Bolts and Bodkins

16th December 2019
Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh Old Town

Join castle archer Rusty Bodkins for an explanation of how the Scots used the medieval longbow and crossbow.

Back to the future 1979-1989, the film

18th December 2019
National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh Old Town

Back by popular demand for a single showing, this thought provoking film, which the National Library of Scotland ran during this year's Fringe, will take you through the 1980s in 50 minutes.