In 1977, the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) decided to build a huge university hospital complex on the far side of the ring road, in the municipality of Anderlecht. In 1995, a new building was added to the complex to house the Museum of Medicine. Whereas most such museums primarily exhibit old instruments, medical devices and portraits of celebrated physicians, the one here in Brussels showcases original heritage made up mainly of artworks and archaeological artefacts illustrating medicine in art and history. The museum brings together a collection of 4,000 objects providing a range of insights into the development of medical science: paintings, miniatures, engravings, lithographs, old books, amulets, statuettes, medicine boxes, country pharmacies and surgical instruments. Seven exhibition rooms illustrate medical practices and the art of healing, which developed over time from a magical/religious practice initially to a rational one in the Graeco-Roman period and then a scientific one as Renaissance doctors and artists became interested in anatomy. The museum also has a collection of 19th-century anatomical waxworks representing the diseases and surgical techniques of the period. These are housed in the ‘Spitzner Hell’ room, which is restricted to an informed audience.