At the Royal College of Surgeons in central London you can find an insight into the history of surgery like no other. The history of surgical instruments, for example, has to be seen to be believed and contains a whole range of antique apparatuses.

The central galleries of the museum house the eponymous Hunter collection, a 3,000-specimen plus display cataloguing the life, work and influence of the prominent 18th century surgeon, John Hunter. Skulls, bones and body parts abound – including those taken from some of the leading national figures of the past 200 years. And if these should unnerve you a little too much, you can absorb yourself in the art galleries which feature works taken from Hunter’s own collections – including paintings by George Stubbs.