From Cox to Coccyx – 130 Years of Anatomy in Dundee

Tower Foyer Gallery, Tower Building, University of Dundee

1 October – 14 December 2018

Mon-Fri 09.30-19.00 Sat 13.00-17.00

This fascinating new exhibition explores the history of Anatomy in the city. The Chair of Anatomy in Dundee was endowed by Thomas Hunter Cox of the jute family who owned Camperdown Works, and the first Anatomy teaching began here in 1888. This was a key milestone for the new University as it marked the first official step towards the creation of a Medical School in the city, which would eventually be realised in 1897.

The fortunes of the Anatomy department have fluctuated since then, and on at least two occasions it was threatened with closure, but today the Centre for Anatomy & Human Identification (CAHID) is internationally recognised for its work in anatomical and forensic science.

This exhibition looks at the history of Anatomy at the University, with a particular focus on the eight men and women who have held the Cox Chair over the past 130 years. Included in the exhibition are models, charts and other materials used in teaching students about the human body. It also explores the long connections between anatomy and art – from the Artistic Anatomy classes taught by the first Professor of Anatomy, Andrew Melville Paterson, up to the unique Medical and Forensic Art masters courses that the University offers today.

Image courtesy of University of Dundee Archive Services