Why does a medical college own Elizabeth I’s magician’s library? What connects Regent’s Park’s ‘druids’ to modern pharmacology? Were the ‘witches’ of the 17th century victims of professional healthcare rivalry? 

Today, the practice of medicine is largely shaped by scientific principles. New treatments, cures and methods are subject to rigorous testing and evidence is required, or at least desired, for diagnosis, prognosis and prescription.

Once, medicine was an art, a branch of natural philosophy or an adjunct of religious and superstitious beliefs.

Physicians of the body and the soul were as likely to prescribe penance as they were medication, used horoscopes rather than stethoscopes and were as concerned with a patient’s morality as their pulse.

This fascinating exploration of the mystical underpinnings of medical procedure through time explores the classical, pagan, Christian and other faiths that have informed the art of healing. Join us as we unearth unexpected evidence of the influence these belief systems have played right up to the recent past, and question whether personal conviction is still at the heart of healthcare in the 21st century.

Discover, amongst many other intriguing sites, the location of a baptismal pool turned arthritis ward, medical text books that read like collections of spells, a garden of herbal remedies proven to work, the convent that became a nursing school and a collection of amulets and charms once believed to cure.

Take a journey through medicine’s magical past and complex, contested present and we may even conjure up answers to those elusive questions above… were ‘witches’ really clinicians in disguise?

The walk concludes at the galleries and library of The Wellcome Collection. 

For dates of public tours (when available) visit Our Calendar page here. To arrange a private group tour any time contact us by email at discovermedicallondon@gmail.com 

The walk commences outside the medicinal garden of the Royal College of Physicians and lasts between 2½ and 3 hours* including a highlights tour of the Wellcome Collection.  

The tour costs £16 per person**

* 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 Wallace 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.

“The Magic of Medicine” is available as a private tour at any time by prior arrangement, subject to a minimum charge.

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

* On occasion access to the Royal College of Physicians may be limited due to events or works being carried out.

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

Click here for more information on The Wellcome Collection