Blogs

Glass coat of arms showing a stereotyped depiction of a Black man wearing a feathered skirt and holding a bow and three arrows.

The Legacy of Slavery in the RCP’s collections

Tucked away in the stairwell below reception, two long stained-glass windows catch the light. Incorporated into the modern glass are historic coats of arms from the Royal College of Physicians’ former headquarters at Pall Mall East (1825–1964). The coats of arms commemorate former RCP presidents and other significant figures from the College’s past. Senior Curator Elizabeth Douglas investigates the disturbing legacy of one of these coats of arms.

Elizabeth Douglas
The four elements, four qualities, four humours, four seasons, and four ages of man. Airbrush by Lois Hague, 1991. CC BY-NC 4.0. Source: Wellcome Collection. Three overlapping squares alternately rotated 90°, decreasing in size, and with differently coloured corners. In the centre a bullseye with the figure of a nude woman in the centre. Text around the vertices of the squares reads, clockwise from top: air, wet, water, cold, earth, dry, fire, hot.

Science or Superstition: the rise and fall of galenic medicine

What is often referred to as galenic medicine survived as a working medical system from the time of the ancient Greeks to the start of the industrial era. Galen’s four humours were embedded in a medical and philosophical system of interactions between elements that made up the world. This holistic model emphasised balance and harmony as the basis for health. Archive Manager, Pamela Ford, tells us more.

Pamela Forde
Page from a pamphlet illustrating the 'Life and examination of the would-be ladies' with four portraits, two men and two women in ovals.

Medicalisation as marginalisation: queer heritage and class oppression in the RCP collections.

On 22-23 October 2024, Katie Birkwood (Rare Books and Special Collections Librarian) and Felix Lancashire (Assistant Archivist) from the RCP Archives, Heritage Library and Museum Services team attended the Queer Heritage and Collections Network Symposium. We heard presentations from many organisations about the fantastic work being done around the country to better integrate queer (LGBTQ+) history into the wider work of the heritage sector. We will work to implement the lessons learned into how we collect, interpret, and present the RCP’s history.

Felix Lancashire
Katie Birkwood