Medicine: The Wellcome Galleries

Showcasing extraordinary medical artefacts from the collections of Henry Wellcome and the Science Museum Group, including the world’s first MRI scanner, Fleming’s penicillin mould, a professional pianist’s prosthetic arm and even robotic surgery equipment, the galleries explore our relationship with medicine and health through more than 500 years of history. 

Throughout the galleries you’ll find specially commissioned artworks, including 'Self-Conscious Gene', by Marc Quinn, a bronze sculpture by Eleanor Crook, a series of portraits by award-winning photographer Siân Davey and an installation by Studio Roso, as well as  interactive displays, films and audio recordings.

Visitors can see the George Cross medal, which was awarded to the NHS in England by the late Queen in recognition of the 'courage, compassion and dedication' of NHS staff and volunteers during the pandemic. The medal also commemorates the work of the NHS since it was established in 1948 and it can be seen near objects which highlight the NHS’s 75-year history.

A ceramic artwork by celebrated artist Grayson Perry, ‘Alan Measles – God in the time of Covid-19’, is now part of the COVID-19 display in the gallery. This artwork along with the COVID-19 testing kits and signage from the Government’s daily briefings present a reminder of our huge national effort to save lives and protect the NHS.

If you’d like to learn more about the worldwide effort to develop vaccines quickly and effectively to combat the pandemic, Injecting Hope: The race for a COVID-19 vaccine showcases various objects and stories from this global challenge, including the empty vials of the Pfizer/BioNTech and Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines used for the first mass vaccinations worldwide.