Museums always have a vast number of items in their collections that the public never sees because it takes time, planning and resources to display them.

East Lothian Council Museums Service has more than 14,000 objects in its collection, the majority of which reflect the social history of East Lothian’s residents. The collection includes medical instruments donated by Dr Jean Walinck who practised as a General Practitioner in the seaside town of North Berwick, on the east coast of Scotland, between 1958 and 1990.  My role as BSHS Engagement Fellow was to develop resources surrounding this collection and to bring a selection of the items out of the archives.

The start of the project was delayed by Covid-19, but Jean and I initially established contact via email and phone and began to build up material and draft out ideas for the project’s output. We chatted about our ideas, and the basis for The Doctor’s Bag started to emerge. It was summer 2021 by the time we met up, but by this time we felt we knew each other quite well.

Our 2019 BSHS Engagement Fellow, Morag Allan Campbell, describes their time at the East Lothian Council Museums Services where they curated the exhibition ‘The Doctor’s Bag’.

The BSHS Engagement Fellowships are opportunities for postgraduate students to collaborate with museums, archives and other heritage organisations. The collaborations generate new engagement activities, exhibition content or resources that are based on emerging scholarship in History of Science.

Exterior photograph of North Berwick Health Centre

Together with the team at Museums Services, we decided that the main output of the project would be an exhibition, to be displayed at the John Gray Centre in Haddington. The centrepiece would be one of Jean’s original doctor’s bags that she carried with her on many of her house calls, which almost served as a mini doctor’s surgery on the move. The title of the exhibition, The Doctor’s Bag, was Jean’s own suggestion.

When restrictions allowed, and we felt it was safe, I was able to visit Jean at her home and talk to her about her life and career. I learned so much from her about healthcare across the decades she worked as a GP, and there were many, many stories that could not be fitted into the exhibition. Over successive visits to Archives HQ in Haddington, I delved into the archives and selected objects which not only reflected Jean’s career and practices but also included some objects that illustrated change and continuity in medical practices. Researching the objects, I became particularly interested in the history of sterile sutures, discovering that the company Ethicon, now a subsidiary of Johnson and Johnson, was founded in nearby Edinburgh.

The process of putting the exhibition together involved working with a variety of people, each of whom contributed something different to the process. I worked especially closely with Dr Claire Pannell, Collections Officer at East Lothian Council, who researched and curated Over 70 Years Strong, an exhibition exploring changes in healthcare since the start of the National Health Service, and The Doctor’s Bag will be displayed alongside Claire’s exhibition.

It was a great learning experience to be involved in putting on an exhibition in a setting such as the John Gray Centre and so satisfying to see all the objects I had selected installed in the exhibition space alongside the information boards. The project has given me a unique insight into the planning and processes involved in museum and archive work, and I am tremendously grateful to everyone who took time to help and advise me along the way.

The Doctor’s Bag and Over 70 Years Strong was on display at the John Gray Centre, 15 Lodge Street, Haddington, East Lothian, March 2 – May 28 2022.

All images: © Morag Allan Campbell

Image 1: Exterior photograph of North Berwick Health Centre
Image 2: ‘Mersilk®’, braided silk suture by Ethicon Ltd., Edinburgh
Image 3: Book showing midwifery instruments
Image 4: John Gray Centre