Legacies and responsibilities: Edinburgh's anatomy collections Edinburgh’s Anatomy collections have global importance, and are the legacy of more than three centuries of intellectual effort directed towards understanding the body in sickness and health. The values and methods of the medical school have always reflected those of the society around it. This public talk will focus on the contents of those collections, and the ways in which they have evolved over the centuries as the values and the priorities of the medical school changed. It will explore the question of how often medicine and medical science have got things wrong (e.g. Phrenology) and how that influenced what went into the collection, but also how often the collections have been the foundation for new understandings of the body that have gone on to revolutionise the way we understand and influence health, wellbeing, and knowledge of different populations. The Anatomy Department has a legal and ethical duty towards the care of these collections, and this lecture will explore the responsibilities of good stewardship in the 21st century.Malcolm MacCallum is well-placed as the curator of the museum to tease out these questions. Nicole Anderson, whose PhD explored the subtleties and challenges of repatriation of human remains within the anatomical collections gathered during the colonial period, is well placed to offer a nuanced perspective on the role and responsibility of a modern curator.Biographical notesNicole Anderson is a PhD candidate in Social Anthropology at the University of Edinburgh and Curator of the Americas at National Museums Scotland. Her doctoral research examines proactive forms of care and return for ancestral remains, and involved facilitating a project of knowledge-sharing to connect First Nations and Inuit ancestors to their living descendants.Malcolm MacCallum is curator at the Anatomical Museum and has worked in the heritage sector since 1996. He manages the curatorial team at the museum and the ongoing inventory project, carrying out research on the collections and curating the displays in the museum. Working with colleagues in Anatomy as well as in Heritage Collections, Malcolm has managed the recent repatriations of human remains from the Anatomical Museum.How to bookRegister via the Eventbrite link on this page. May 11 2026 18.30 - 19.30 Legacies and responsibilities: Edinburgh's anatomy collections Join Nicole Anderson and Malcolm MacCallum as they explore the care and stewardship of Edinburgh's anatomical collections. Anatomy Lecture Theatre, Doorway 3 Old Medical School, Teviot Place Edinburgh EH8 9AG Book your place
Legacies and responsibilities: Edinburgh's anatomy collections Edinburgh’s Anatomy collections have global importance, and are the legacy of more than three centuries of intellectual effort directed towards understanding the body in sickness and health. The values and methods of the medical school have always reflected those of the society around it. This public talk will focus on the contents of those collections, and the ways in which they have evolved over the centuries as the values and the priorities of the medical school changed. It will explore the question of how often medicine and medical science have got things wrong (e.g. Phrenology) and how that influenced what went into the collection, but also how often the collections have been the foundation for new understandings of the body that have gone on to revolutionise the way we understand and influence health, wellbeing, and knowledge of different populations. The Anatomy Department has a legal and ethical duty towards the care of these collections, and this lecture will explore the responsibilities of good stewardship in the 21st century.Malcolm MacCallum is well-placed as the curator of the museum to tease out these questions. Nicole Anderson, whose PhD explored the subtleties and challenges of repatriation of human remains within the anatomical collections gathered during the colonial period, is well placed to offer a nuanced perspective on the role and responsibility of a modern curator.Biographical notesNicole Anderson is a PhD candidate in Social Anthropology at the University of Edinburgh and Curator of the Americas at National Museums Scotland. Her doctoral research examines proactive forms of care and return for ancestral remains, and involved facilitating a project of knowledge-sharing to connect First Nations and Inuit ancestors to their living descendants.Malcolm MacCallum is curator at the Anatomical Museum and has worked in the heritage sector since 1996. He manages the curatorial team at the museum and the ongoing inventory project, carrying out research on the collections and curating the displays in the museum. Working with colleagues in Anatomy as well as in Heritage Collections, Malcolm has managed the recent repatriations of human remains from the Anatomical Museum.How to bookRegister via the Eventbrite link on this page. May 11 2026 18.30 - 19.30 Legacies and responsibilities: Edinburgh's anatomy collections Join Nicole Anderson and Malcolm MacCallum as they explore the care and stewardship of Edinburgh's anatomical collections. Anatomy Lecture Theatre, Doorway 3 Old Medical School, Teviot Place Edinburgh EH8 9AG Book your place
May 11 2026 18.30 - 19.30 Legacies and responsibilities: Edinburgh's anatomy collections Join Nicole Anderson and Malcolm MacCallum as they explore the care and stewardship of Edinburgh's anatomical collections.
