The J.T. Wilson Museum of Anatomy

JT Wilson

The Wilson Museum of Anatomy is located in room W401 in the Anderson Stuart Building. The museum's origins can be traced to 1882 when Thomas Peter Anderson Stuart from Edinburgh University was appointed to the newly formed Chair of Anatomy and Physiology and given the task of organising a medical school and curriculum at Sydney University.

In 1887 Dr James Thomas Wilson arrived from Edinburgh to take up the position of Demonstrator. Three years later, Stuart appointed Wilson to the foundation Challis Chair of Anatomy. The appointment of Wilson started a massive accumulation of specimens for the Museum of Human and Morbid Anatomy as it was originally named. In an address celebrating the "Majority of the Medical School" in 1902, (it was only 19 years old but it coincided with the Jubilee celebrations of the University) Anderson Stuart's pride in the Museum was obvious when he mentioned that it "possesses 24,000 specimens and is well worthy of a visit".

Wilson's greatest contribution to the collection was the appointment of Prosectors, originally 4th or 5th year medical students, to provide high quality specimens for the Museum and to act as Demonstrators. The earliest photograph of Prosectors in the department is dated 1903. Approximately 700 specimens were derived in this manner. The oldest remaining specimen in the Museum is a dissection of the heart by Dr G.H.S. Lightoller in 1908.

The Prosector's Competition continues to this present day, with the title of 'Prosector' valued highly and considered a worthwhile addition to a person's curriculum vitae. Currently, the competition is available to GMP (students with previous dissection experience), Dentistry 2, Anatomy 3004: Cranial and Cervical and Anatomy 3007: Visceral Anatomy. Prizes available are the - J.I. Hunter Memorial Prize, Wolfe Solomon Brown Prize, A.M. Loewenthal Prize and R.M. Howe Prize.

Unlike most museums, it is not open for public viewing and is strictly for use by students studying anatomy within the department. Postgraduate usage and other legitimate requests can be organised through the Head of Department. The restrictions are current departmental policy derived from an interpretation of the Anatomy Act, the need for security and to demonstrate the Department's sense of respect for donors and their families.

The Wilson Henle Museum Online is part of our online learning resources.