The collection traces the history of healthcare in Trieste from the foundation of Maggiore Hospital, the former Civic Hospital (in 1841, the Imperial-Royal General Hospital) in the first half of the 1900s, years in which Trieste medicine was renowned, as the collection makes clear.

It represents the evolution of medical science, and brings together instruments and objects that were recovered after the decommissioning of various city hospitals or donated by public or private bodies.