Blood, Sweat and Tears

3 November 2026 - 26 February 2027

Monday – Friday, 10am - 4.30pm (holiday closures)

Free entry

Physicians' Gallery, 11 Queen Street, Edinburgh, EH2 1JQ

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In this single case display the spotlight is on the history of exercise.

Exercise has been seen as an essential part of health and medicine for thousands of years. In ancient Greece, exercise was one of the central elements identified by physicians as maintaining balance in the body. Victorian Britain witnessed a dramatic rise in interest in fitness and exercise. More sedentary work, the risk of war, the growth of technology – these were all seen as weakening the British people. The solution was exercise.