TEN plaster casts of a dissected pregnant womb dating from the 18th century are to go on display in Glasgow for the first time.

The casts have been held in storage at the University of Glasgow’s Hunterian Museum but will form part of a major exhibition next year.

They made for the museum’s founder, the anatomist William Hunter for teaching purposes and have been in need of conservation.

The Hunterian has been given £60,000, which will allow the plaster casts to go on display for the firs time.

Four Glasgow museums are among the 15 from across Scotland who will benefit from £600,000 of funding.

Born in Long Calderwood in East Kilbride in 1718, William Hunter was instrumental in improving the practice of obstetrics and establishing it as a medical discipline.

He studied at Glasgow University from 1731 to 1736 and became a leading anatomist and medical teacher after moving to London in 1741.

He was appointed Physician Extraordinary to Queen Charlotte from 1764-1783 and died in 1783, aged 64.

A study published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine has suggested that William and his brother John carried out ‘burking’ – killing in order to procure a body for dissection.

The Hunters were notorious for their seemingly inexhaustible supply of cadavers at William’s school in Covent Garden

Mungo Campbell, Acting Director of The Hunterian, said: “These plaster casts were used by The Hunterian’s founder, William Hunter for teaching and research.

“We are thrilled that this support from MGS will enable twenty-first century audiences to engage with a group of truly unique objects at the very heart of our recognised collections.

“Once conserved, the casts will be available for learning and research at every level.

“In 2018, the year of Hunter’s Tercentenary, they will take centre stage in our major collaborative exhibition with the Yale Center for British Art and will be seen and understood by a global audience for the first time.”

Glasgow Life have secured £41,250 towards a three-year pilot programme of assistant curator posts within Glasgow Museums.

MGS is also funding a new display space for contemporary art exhibitions at Pollock Hall, and a digitisation project for the collection belonging to the Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons of Glasgow.

Joanne Orr, CEO of Museums Galleries Scotland, said:“MGS is pleased to be supporting projects that will contribute to the long-term sustainability and resilience of these museums.

“The awardees have demonstrated a real commitment to enterprise, skills development, and improving their offering for future visitors.”

Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop, said: “I am pleased to see that Museums Galleries Scotland is making further interventions to support our many museums and galleries across Scotland, increasing access to our wonderful collections countrywide. I am proud that the Scottish Government is playing a role in improving Scotland’s cultural scene, supporting these projects through the allocation of £600,000 of funding to MGS.”