London
Town Guide


Old Operating Theatre Museum
and Herb Garret


St Thomas Street, SE1
Nearest Tube: London Bridge


This museum is housed in the part of St Thomas's Church where St Thomas's Hospital used to store its medicinal herbs. And next door is a 19th century operating theatre where operations on women patients used to be carried out.

The museum tells the story of 19th century medicine and surgery - and gruesome it was too. You just have to look at some of the medical devices and surgical instruments to be glad that you live in this age.

The re-construction of an 19th century operating theatre is pleasantly blood and gore free. But when you remember that operations were carried out without anaesthetic, and then you realise that the sawdust that was on the floor was to soak up the blood, even the most hardened stomachs will probably turn!

The museum is open daily except Mondays from 10am to 4pm. Admission costs around £2.50 for adults.



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