University of Tasmania, Australia

Museum history

The RA Rodda Museum of Pathology is the only one of its kind in Tasmania, and has a number of focus areas probably not well represented in other collections within Australia. Established in 1966 by Dr Roland A Rodda, Professor of Pathology, the museum contains a comprehensive collection of a range of specimens, including:

• Pathology specimens
• Historical objects
• A parasite collection
• Medical equipment, documents and teaching resources

Compilation of specimens began in 1966, with the retention of specimens from autopsy and surgical material for both teaching and research purposes. The collection is rich, varied and of great current and potential interest to existing users, University stakeholders, medical historians and the general public. The collection has been intensively used since its establishment in the training of medical students in the area of pathology, and continues to this day to provide a valuable history of disease in Tasmania.

Prof Rodda arrived in Tasmania from the University of Otago in New Zealand in December 1965, and became the Dean of Medicine at the University of Tasmania from 1967 to 1969. The Museum is located within the Hobart Clinical School in Collins Street. Prof Rodda had a particular interest in neuropathology and this is reflected in the collection.

Contact

Email: Debbie.Orchard@utas.edu.au

Phone: +61 3 6226 2674