Originally created to mark the 500th anniversary of the Royal College of Physicians in 2018,  this tour explores healing in each of the last five centuries and the medical innovations that have shaped each era. 

Discover how the classical ‘art of medicine’ developed by Hippocrates and Galen still dominated medical practice in Tudor and Stuart England. 

Learn how the Age of Enlightenment altered medicine forever, paving the way for its transition from art to science. 

Encounter unscrupulous – and virtuous – doctors of the 18th century and how the Victorians were the first to make medicine available to the masses.

Be inspired by the search for universal healthcare in the 20th century and the astonishing advances of the last 150 years.

A route through the heart of medical London takes in Harley Street, the homes of Britain’s dentists, midwives, nurses and anaesthetists and concludes with a look forward to medicine’s future. 

The walk commences outside the medicinal garden of  Royal College of Physicians  and lasts around 2½ to 3 hours*

The tour costs £12.50-£15 per person**

For further details or to make a group booking for a private tour please contact us at  discovermedicallondon@gmail.com 

* Tours do not include a visit to the interior of the Royal College of Physicians.

** This walk includes the option of an escorted visit to the Wellcome Collection for £2.50 extra per person. Please ask about a museum visit when making your booking. Private tours are subject to a minimum group fee for parties of 14 persons or fewer.

“500 Years of Medicine” is available as a private tour at any time by prior arrangement. 

For further details or to make a group booking for a private tour please contact us at  discovermedicallondon@gmail.com 

Click here for a map and directions to the Royal College of Physicians.