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Translation of Gilbertus Anglicus The Sekenesse of Wymmen [formerly identified as the Liber Trotularis], early 15th century, comprising a manuscript translation of a medieval obstetric/ gynaecological manuscript; an envelope containing 7 slips of transcripts of various pages in the manuscript, possibly written by Samuel Merriman (1771-1852); a letter from Mrs Dorothea Waley Singer concerning the manuscript and the publication of a catalogue of medieval manuscripts in Great Britain, Nov 1919; a notebook containing an unfinshed transcript of the manuscript when it was erroneously identified as the Liber Trotularis, Jan 1949; notebook and envelope of notes made by William Le Fanu on the 'Trotula' manuscript (now known to be Gilbertus Anglicus), and other medieval manuscripts from the Bodleian Library and other libraries.

Papers relating to Edmund Belfour, 1814-1965, comprising a photocopy of a receipt signed by Belfour, for the body of Martin Hogan, for dissection by the Royal College of Surgeons, London, 24 Jan 1814.

Physiology Volume 2, c1859-c1880, comprising a volume containing notes of lectures on Physiology; prescriptions for medications, with directions on usage, 1859-1880; a rememberance card for Henry Motherby of Henshall, c1870; and a recipe for cough mixture.

Diary of a resurrectionist, 1811-1812, probably Joshua Naples, describing his activities supplying bodies to anatomists in London, including to St Thomas's and St Bartholomew's Hospitals.

The collection represents the contacts through two centuries of a group of men and women of high distinction ramifying through the medical, legal and literary worlds. It forms a not unimportant fund of minor historical material, comprising more than a thousand letters from nearly five hundred writers.

The autograph letters are mounted in 10 large volumes: -

1. Letterbook of John Arbuthnot (1667-1735). The most interesting letters are those of Pope and Swift and their circle written in 1714 when the Queen's death involved the destruction of their political hopes. Letterbook of William Hunter (1719-1783). It includes letters from Tobias Smollett the novelist, from Dr. Johnson thanking Hunter for presenting his book to the King, and from Edward Gibbon 'proposing himself the pleasure of attending some of Dr. Hunter's Anatomical lectures.'

2. Hunter and Baillie family letters and reminiscences, including the letters written by John to William Hunter from active service in 1761-62; poems by Sophia Baillie, Jenner family letters.

   3. Letters to Matthew Baillie from the Royal Princesses. Letters of the Bentham family, including three from Jeremy Bentham. Autograph letter collection includes letters from Thomas Carlyle and Charles Dickens. 1735 - 1845

3. Denman family collection; autographs collections of Lady Bell and Dr. William Whewell; letters of John Baron, Edward Jenner's biographer; fragment of unpublished music by Mozart; letters from Joanna Baillie's friends including c.1782-1877

4. Letters to Joanna Baillie includes letters from Sir Walter Scott and Maria Edgeworth. Various dates

5. William Hunter's diplomas, and letters to him, Hunter family documents, and notes on family history compiled by Joanna and Matthew Baillie. Locks of hair and christening caps worn by Hunter family. Various dates

6. Matthew Baillie's letters to William Hunter includes material relating to treatment of George III and to his wife Sophia (Denman) and his diplomas. C. 1783-1823

7. Matthew Baillie's professional correspondence including notes on illness of George III and on labour of Princess Charlotte. Letter to Helen Hunter Baillie from George Peachy re Matthew Baillie's notebooks (1923). 1783-1923

8. Joanna Baillie's letters and papers relating to her plays, sale of her works, mss. of two stories and a comedy, letters from Mrs Sigourney, Henry Siddons, Anne Hunter, Mary Somerville; Agnes Baillie's reminiscences, prescriptions by Matthew Baillie

9. Princess Mary's letters to Baillie concerning the illness of Princess Amelia, Anne Hunter's autograph poems, libretto of Haydn's Creation; account of death of Princess Charlotte.

   The Hunter Baillie collection comprises also a number of manuscript books, the oldest of which is a commonplace book of the early eighteenth century, giving details of family history of the Hunters. Matthew Baillie's notebooks include: -

Journal of a tour in Europe in 1788 and A short memoir of my life, 1818. 'Some brief observations from my own experience upon a considerable number of diseases', in two volumes. n.d. With these are his casebooks, fee-books and other professional notes, including details of his attendance on King George III. Baillie records that his total annual fees mounted from £121 in 1792 to £9,995 in 1815.

The Hunter Family Album, early- mid 20th century, comprising a scrapbook containing material relating to John and William Hunter. Including photographs, postcards, letters, drawings, paintings, press cuttings, manuscript notes, and extracts from journals. Subjects covered include Long Calderwood, where William and John Hunter were born; memorial statues, burials and John Hunter's reinterment; attendance at lectures; information relating to their work and their museums; information relating to their places of residence, for example, Windmill Street, Leicester Square, and Earl's Court; and information about the Hunter family.

Papers of Sir William Henry Flower, [1845-1883], comprising papers largely created and compiled as Curator of the Hunterian Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, relating to a collection of birds' eggs, undated; rough list of contents of store bottles, undated; payments for expenses on specimens for the Museum during 1802-1861, 1861; list of additions purchased for the Museum during 1806-1862, [c1862]; summary of principal duties and occupations of museum officers and servants in the absence of the Conservator, undated; salaries and wages for the museum department, 1861; list of specimens presented by Dr Andrew Murray, 1865; list of specimens presented to the Museum by W L Crowther, [1868]; report on the Hunterian documents held by the Royal College of Surgeons of England, 1868; report on the state of the physiological series in the museum, 1869; description of pathological specimens from the bodies of soldiers who died insane, forwarded by Dr William Julius Mickle, 1876; list of preparations from the College Collection, 1876; list of total numbers of preparations in the Museum, 1877.

papers relating to preparations of specimens, duties of Royal College of Surgeons of England, museum staff; catalogues of physiological and pathological specimens; letter to Alban Doran; correspondence with Thomas Stone; correspondence with Edward Shuter, 1845-1883.

The collection is divided into four main groups: The first group contains papers relating to William Clift's work as conservator of the Hunterian Museum. This is the largest of the four groups and contains a number of sub divisions such as explanation and display of specimens, expanding the collections, administration of the museum, and correspondence. This group also contains the transcripts made by Clift and others of the Hunterian manuscripts. The second group contains work carried out by William Clift as an illustrator for publications. The third group contains a small amount of personal material that is in the collection. The fourth group contains transcripts and copies of manuscript material by William Clift that is held in other repositories such as the Natural History Museum.

Papers of Alexander Peter Buchan, 1799-c 1824, comprising 2 volumes. Volume 1 contains manuscript notes and insertions concerning human longevity. The insertions are from James Easton Human Longevity: recording the name, age, place of residence, and year, of the decease of 1712 persons, who attained a century and upwards from AD 66 to 1799, comprising a period of 1733 years with Anecdotes of the most remarkable (Salisbury and London, 1799). Volume 2 contains a manuscript translation of Mssrs A Seguin and Lavoisier Respiration of Animals (Academy of Sciences, 1789).

This collection contains a single manuscript volume, the 'Naval Surgeons Casebook'. The volume begins with details of cases, symptoms and cures of Nathaniel Bedford's patients at St George's hospital during 1781. The rest of the volume contains descriptions of cases, sickness, and treatments during his travels whilst a ship's surgeon in the West Indies during 1781-1783.

Papers of the American College of Surgeons, 1947-1955, comprising 2 volumes containing a list of Fellows of the American College of Surgeons who subscribed to a fund for the Royal College of Surgeons of England, to replace buildings damaged during World War Two, 1947; and a formal letter of condolence on the death of Sir Arthur Keith, 1955.

Papers of John Abernethy, 1807, comprising a letter from Abernethy to Mr Reece, Surgeon at Cardiff, 17 Mar 1807, regarding the case of the death of a child, and the opinion of Dr Hunter.