Filshie sterilising clip

Marcus Filshie recently visited the RCOG, alongside Chris Smith of medical equipment manufacturers Femcare. The pair kindly donated significant material showcasing the development of what became known as the Filshie Clip, now regarded as the world’s leading surgical contraceptive device. An early career interest in birth control led Marcus Filshie to consider developing improved methods…

Rabbits and the Rose Garden: Rare Books at the RCOG

We are excited to announce a new exhibition in the College! ‘Rabbits and the Rose Garden: Rare Books at the RCOG’ showcases highlights from the College’s historic book collection of over 2,000 volumes. Among the volumes on display are our oldest book, Albertus Magnus’s De Secretis Mulierum [The Secrets of Women] (published 1478), a signed…

Medicine:The Wellcome Galleries

Hunter’s Gravid Uterus at the Science Museum I recently visited the Science Museum in South Kensington to look at their brand new Medicine Galleries. Of particular interest is one of our very own items. Some time ago the Science Museum approached me to ask if they could borrow one of our copies of the First…

A New Home for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists

For readers of this Blog who are unaware, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists will be relocating later this year. New premises have been secured at Union Street near London Bridge. The work on the new building should be completed in the autumn 2019 with the move to take place before the end of November….

The Wandering Womb exhibition at the Royal College of Nursing

Late last year the RCOG lent a few items to the Royal College of Nursing for their temporary exhibition ‘The Wandering Womb’. The exhibition is still on until 22nd March 2019, after which part of the exhibition will travel to Edinburgh. Items lent by the RCOG include specula, pessaries, a coloscope and 19th century texts on…

Christmas in the Archives

Christmas in the Archives at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the Royal College of Midwives   As a way to demonstrate the variety of material we have in the Archive and to have a bit of fun in the festive season we searched the collections to see what we have relating to…

Throwback Thursday: Abyssinian Medical Book

Throwback Thursday: Abyssinian Medical Book This unusual item was originally part of the rare book collection and was presented to the College Library by Roy Dobbin. Roy Dobbin was a foundation fellow of the College and professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the Egyptian University in Cairo. He was also a collector of rare medical…

In the Archives: William Blair Bell and Cancer Research

  As September is Gynaecological Cancer Awareness month this blog will focus on a collection in the archive related to cancer research. The RCOG archives have extensive collections relating to Professor William Blair Bell, co-founder of the College and the first President, serving from 1929 to 1931. These collections cover his career and interests, both…

Happy 70th Birthday NHS

NHS 70 On the 5th July 2018 the NHS turns 70. It may not have been a smooth ride and there may still be many changes to make in the future but it is fair to say that the NHS has transformed healthcare in the United Kingdom. It should be celebrated that for 70 years…

A landmark painting

Gerard Soest (c.1605–1681) may not be the most familiar name to even an ardent art fan. Similarly, Gilbert Zoust is probably not on the tip of your tongue. But, as well as possessing more than his fair share of alternative names, he is an artist with some pedigree. Although Dutch-German of origin, Soest (we’ll stick…

Open House London Festival

We were excited to open our doors to the public on 21 September as part of Open House London Festival, a two-week celebration of London’s housing, architecture and neighbourhoods. The Archivist and Curator delivered two well-attended tours of the College’s new home at 10–18 Union Street, talking about the history of the building and showcasing…

A Royal Baby

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists would like to congratulate our Royal Patron, the Duchess of Cambridge, and of course the Duke of Cambridge, on the birth of their third child, Prince Louis Arthur Charles born on the 23rd April 2018. The College was delighted when Her Royal Highness agreed to be our patron…