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Illustration demonstrating the feeling of anxiety. The person is trying to control and juggle the external demands that he feels are being made of him, under time pressure.

Anxiety

The earlier symptoms include a progressive loss of recent memory, and gradually increasing confusion of time and space. This image helps to illustrate this, as the sufferer is unable to recognise the most recent photos of friends/relatives in the album, though may still be able to identify those from longer ago.

Alzheimer’s Disease is a degenerative disorder of the brain which starts in middle or late life. It mainly affects the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain, where the cortex becomes atrophied. Plaques containing an amyloid-like protein have been found within the cortex on examination.

This image shows the right ovary and Fallopian tube connecting with the uterus. Each of the two ovaries contains hundreds of immature ovarian follicles, one follicle of which matures each month, a process that alternates between left and right ovaries, resulting in the ovulation of a mature oocyte. This oocyte travels down the Fallopian tube. If it meets with a spermatid it undergoes fertilisation and progresses into the uterus where it will implant in its rich endometrial lining. If the oocyte is not fertilized, it will pass into the uterus and be removed when the endometrial lining sheds during menstruation.

Right Fallopian tube and ovary

Illustration of the DNA double helix. The sugar-phosphate backbone of the two complementary strands are visible (red and blue).

Illustration depicting semi-conservative DNA replication. A DNA double helix prior to replication is shown in the top left of the image. The sugar phosphate backbone and nucleotide bases are visible. Complementary base pairing of adenine with thymine (blue with green) and guanine with cytosine (red with yellow) is shown. During replication, a length of the double helix temporarily unwinds and separates into two strands. Free nucleotides bind by complementary base pairing to the recently exposed nucleotides on each strand which act as a template. Two new double helices are formed, each containing one original generation and one new generation strand of DNA. The sequence of base pairs in each double helix is identical to the original.

Illustration depicting semi-conservative DNA replication. Three generations of DNA are shown. After separation of the DNA double helix, two new complementary DNA strands are synthesised (indicated by a new colour). Complementary base pairing and hydrogen bonding results in formation of a new double helix.

Watercolour showing the stage of pregnancy at which the fertilised embryo embeds into the uterine lining. The lining of the uterus is called the endometrium. It is a thick, blood-rich tissue, which nourishes the developing embryo. It will also form the placenta, which will provide the connection between the mother and her developing fetus.

Implantation of blastocyst

Watercolour showing the developing oocyte just after fertilisation. Once the oocyte fuses with the sperm cell during fertilization the resulting embryo starts to divide, the first division results in a 2-cell embryo, which continues to progress through multiple cell divisions until is gets to a multi-cellular stage, which is called a morula. The cells of the morula then begin to differentiate.

Morula

An illustration representing bipolar disorder. The surfer on a wave illustrates the mood of elation, in contrast to the pupil which depicts the dark sky at night as the alternating feeling of misery.

Bipolar disorder

Artwork showing the stages and relationship between events during a female menstrual cycle. 

The central disk reads clockwise from the top, starting at day 1 of the cycle. The levels of each of the four main hormones are represented by the four coloured discs. Red = follicle stimulating hormone, green = oestrogen, yellow = lutinizing hormone and blue = progesterone. The intensity of each colour denotes the concentration of the hormone in the blood. 

The five surrounding illustrations show the corresponding changes in the ovary and the lining of the uterus (endometrium) as it prepares for potential pregnancy. After ovulation, if fertilisation does not occur, the corpus luteum demises after about 10 days and the uterine lining sheds, ready for the next cycle.

Menstrual cycle

The painting attempts to illustrate two extreme mood phases of Bipolar Disorder, which may be cyclical and is shown here by an eye.

On the right hand side of the picture, the eye (iris and pupil) against a dark background resembles a low level of energy and depression.

The left side of the picture in contrast, illustrates the opposing mood of elation and high energy level by means of a wave breaking on a sunny beach.

Bipolar Disorder

This image shows the process of ovulation. The ovary contains hundreds of immature ovarian follicles, which mature once a month resulting in the ovulation of a mature oocyte. The fanned ends of the Fallopian tube act to catch and guide the ovulated oocyte down the Fallopian tube, which if met with a spermatid undergoes fertilisation and progresses into the uterus where it will implant in its rich endometrial lining. It the oocyte is not fertilized it will pass in to the uterus and be removed when the endometrial lining sheds during menstruation.

Ovulation

Watercolour showing effacement and dilation of the cervix. Effacement, or shortening and thinning of the cervix, usually starts within the last month of a first pregnancy due to Braxton Hicks contractions. The process is completed during the first stage of labour. With the aid of strong uterine contractions the membranes usually rupture and the cervix dilates to 10cm, which marks the end of the first stage. In subsequent pregnancies, effacement and dilatation of the cervix occur simultaneously.

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Anxiety

Alzheimer’s Disease is a degenerative disorder of the brain which starts in middle or late life. It mainly affects the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain, where the cortex becomes atrophied. Plaques containing an amyloid-like protein have been found within the cortex on examination.

Right Fallopian tube and ovary

Illustration of the DNA double helix. The sugar-phosphate backbone of the two complementary strands are visible (red and blue).

Implantation of blastocyst

Morula

Bipolar disorder

Menstrual cycle

Bipolar Disorder

Ovulation

Effacement and dilatation of the cervix before birth

Stay in the know

Wellcome collection

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Today's opening times

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More filters

Active filters:

Anxiety

Alzheimer’s Disease is a degenerative disorder of the brain which starts in middle or late life. It mainly affects the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain, where the cortex becomes atrophied. Plaques containing an amyloid-like protein have been found within the cortex on examination.

Right Fallopian tube and ovary

Illustration of the DNA double helix. The sugar-phosphate backbone of the two complementary strands are visible (red and blue).

Implantation of blastocyst

Morula

Bipolar disorder

Menstrual cycle

Bipolar Disorder

Ovulation

Effacement and dilatation of the cervix before birth

Stay in the know

Wellcome collectionWellcome Collection

Finding us:

Opening times:

Today's opening times

Wellcome collection