‘Murder, Maladies and Medical Miracles’—it’s all in Whitechapel tour by Queen Mary’s college

A walking tour about the medical history of London’s East End is being set up which takes in the spookier side of Whitechapel as well as looking to its future.

The ‘Murder, Maladies and Medical Miracles’ evening tour is being arranged by the Centre of the Cell biomedical science centre at London University’s Queen Mary campus later this month.

It delves into the dark past, including stories of well-known figures in history such as Jack the Ripper and Elephant Man Joseph Merrick, and also includes heroic names like First World War nurse Edith Cavell who trained at The London Hospital—shot later by the Germans as a spy for helping British soldiers escape from occupied Belgium.

The tour explores the heritage the Royal London, from its origins as the Whitechapel Infirmary in 1740 to the opening of its new complex last year, and the heritage of Queen Mary’s medical school, now the Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry.

Those taking part in the 60-minute walk can then spend an hour at the science centre finding out how Queen Mary’s Blizard Institute is working on the medical treatments of the future.

They can study specimens from the university’s Pathology Museum, including a human brain, as well as try interactive science games which let them ‘grow’ skin, hunt a gene for inherited deafness, develop a new antibiotic for TB and grow virtual stem cells.

The two-hour event, open to over 16s, begins at 6.30pm on November 26 at the Centre of the Cell in Newark Street, Whitechapel. Tickets £8, bookings on 020-7882 2562 or online at http://centreofthecell.eventbrite.co.uk/