[1] Its primary function is to train medical, dental, biomedical and healthcare students and professionals to diagnose diseases.

[2] A number of specimens and other medical-related objects have been collected since 1802, and were initially gathered by the first Medical Curator Thomas Hodgkin.

[2] The Museum contains many human specimens that have impacted on the development of medical studies, including Astley Cooper’s ligation of the abdominal aorta, and the original specimens of kidneys, adrenal glands and lymph nodes which led Thomas Hodgkin, Thomas Addison and Richard Bright to describe the medical conditions that bear their names.

[1][3] The Museum also houses a number of historic collections and artefacts, for example Joseph Lister's antiseptic spray, and Thomas Hodgkin's stethoscope that was the first to be used in England.

[4] The Joseph Towne's anatomical and dermatological wax models and Lam Qua's pre-operative tumour paintings are as well displayed in the museum.