New museum showcases DNA, amputation saws and Napoleon's toothbrush

Charles Darwin's walking stick, Nelson's razor and Napoleon Bonaparte's toothbrush are among the thousands of objects that went on display today with the opening of the Wellcome Collection, the UK's newest national museum.

The £30m museum, opposite Euston station in London, was opened by Professor James Watson, Nobel prize winner and co-discoverer of the structure of DNA.



It combines galleries with the world-famous Wellcome Library and a public events forum, with the aim of exploring the relationship between people and biomedicine.

The nine-storey building contains more than 1,300 exhibits in three galleries. Opening exhibits include work by artists such as Antony Gormley and Andy Warhol, as well as anatomical drawings by Leonardo da Vinci. The permanent displays include Aztec sacrificial knives, 19th-century sex aids, amputation saws and a DNA-sequencing robot.

There are photo galleries here and here.