Blogs

Dr Anita K Simonds, MD FRCP FERS, the current Harveian Librarian, delves into the origins and history of the role.

The Church of England seems to be an unusual source for information about medical practitioners in the early modern period (1500 to 1800), especially female medical practitioners. But it is where this story of a brief period of opportunity is set.

The Royal College of Physicians has loaned one of its most treasured objects to the Garden Museum’s exhibition Seeds of Exchange: Canton and London in the 1700s.

A new display in the RCP Treasures Room, ‘The Ghost in the Library’, showcases several books that Henry Pierrepont’s personal librarian used to create the massive – but missing – Mathematical collections and translations. The display has been researched and curated by doctoral student Constance Hardesty, who has written this blog post about it.

On Saturday 20 September 2025, we welcomed over 400 people to the RCP at Regent’s Park as part of the London Open House Festival. Visitors enjoyed the chance to explore our Grade-I listed building from top to bottom, as well as hearing from expert guides and viewing original architectural plans of the building.

Are you curious about what the RCP Museum gets up to in a year? Well read on for some highlights of what we accomplished in 2025!

1 December 2025 marks the 37th World AIDS Day. The Royal College of Physicians Archives, Heritage Library and Museum Collections continue to seek donations of material relating to the history of HIV/AIDS.

Have you seen Guillermo Del Toro’s Frankenstein, and are you wondering how much is rooted in actual medical history? Let’s have a closer look. 

Warning! Contains spoilers within!

Artist and PhD candidate Catherine James explains her art installation Making Visible, answering the question "but why are the books blue?"

Explore three memento mori objects in the museum this spooky season.