Not just any old horse.

This exquisite dissection of a horse skull is the work of Sir John Struthers, MD, LLD, FRCSE (1823-1899) who occupied the chair of anatomy at the University of Aberdeen for 26 years.

Sir John was born near Dunfermline in 1823, the middle of three sons of a flax spinner. All three sons studied medicine. John qualified in Edinburgh in 1845 after a distinguished undergraduate career. His initial intentions were to be a surgeon and he took up the post of extra-mural lecturer in anatomy in Surgeon's Hall before obtaining his Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in 1847. He was then appointed assistant surgeon and later full surgeon to the Royal Infirmary, but continued as lecturer in anatomy. He then decided to make anatomy his full-time career, and was appointed to the chair in Aberdeen.

Struthers was an exponent of the comparative approach to anatomy whereby human anatomy was alongside that of fish, amphibian, reptiles, birds and other mammals. Following his appointment in Aberdeen Struthers spent much time and effort building up a museum of zoological specimens to illustrate Darwin's theory of common descent. This led to constant demands to the Senatus for extra space and funds to house and purchase specimens, to the alarm of his faculty colleagues. Many of the specimens, including this horse skull, were prepared by himself.