Medical mummies: The history of the Burns collection

The Allan Burns mummies

“…Two years later, he became the main demonstrator in charge of the dissecting rooms at the College Street Medical School in Glasgow, founded by his brother. [ 12 13 14 ] Although well studied and deeply involved at John's school (one of the several private teaching institutions with no formal ties to the University of Glasgow), Allan never obtained a surgical degree. This was quite common at the time as certificate of attendance to required courses could be sufficient to get credentials needed for surgical practice.…”

“…He developed innovative methods of specimen preservation (mummification), involving a salt and sugar cure process, though the exact details remain unknown today [Figures 1 and 2 ]. [ 13 14 ] Furthermore, he introduced new techniques to preserve and highlight blood vessels. With the help of his assistants, Allan Burns created one of the most instructive anatomical collections of his day.…”

“…Allan often joined his brother during patient consultations and took detailed clinical records in attempts to correlate patients’ symptoms and signs to the findings of his dissections. [ 12 13 14 ] His particular areas of interests were diseases of the heart and vascular system having been called “the first imaginative experimentalist to deal with the coronary circulation”. [ 16 ] In 1809, he published his first monograph, Observations on Some of the Most Frequent and Important Diseases of the Heart , based on his detailed findings.…”

“…In 1804, he was invited by Empress Catherine of Russia, to assist in setting up a new hospital in St. Petersburg as its head. [ 12 13 14 ] However, his stay was short and when he returned to Glasgow in 1805, his brother, John, had become involved in a grave robbing court case and subsequently debarred from teaching anatomy at the college (he would, however, become the first Regius Professor of Surgery at the University of Glasgow in 1815). [ 15 ] This provided Allan the opportunity to fully take up John's mantle of main anatomy lecturer and in this role, he inspired many with his passion and enthusiasm for the discipline and his dissection skills.…”

“…Of the original specimens, recorded to number over 1000, about 60 only have survived to this day. [ 13 ] Many specimens were displaced or stolen, one recently being offered for sale on eBay. [ 22 ] When Ronald Wade, the current curator of the collection, came to UM in 1974, the Burns specimens lined a hallway in one of the medical school buildings and had been reduced to a “sight-seeing” interest among students and visitors.…”