King Rama V founded Siriraj Hospital to provide modern medical treatment for the Thai people. During the time when the hospital was being built, HRH Prince Sirirajgaguthapan, the first son of Queen Sri Bajarindra, fell ill and died on cholera. The King donated the wood used in the Prince's cremation ceremony to the building of hospital and gave it the name Siriraj in the Prince memory.
The hospital was Thailand's first medic school, with books and medical specimen collected for several museums established in the hospital help medical students with their study and research projects.

There are six museums at the hospital. Most famous is the Forensics Museum, a little chamber of horrors. Among several other museums altogether, the best ones to see are the Museum of Criminology and the Museum of Anatomy. Here the visitor can meet Si Oui, or rather his embalmed body. This serial killer had theappaling habit of eating a victim's liver. Now he stands forever in a glass case, defiant to the end. The bodies of various other criminals, the embalded bodies of suicides, the victims of hideous accidents and murder are also on display. There are photographs of the results of accidents as well.

In the Museum of Anatomy, visitors can see embalmed legs, arms, internal organs and organs from malformed humans.If this is not enough, move on to the Museum of Parasitology. The Museum is fascinating, but only for ones who have a very strong stomach.

Entry to the Sirijaj Hospital Museums is free and they are open from 8:30am to 4:30pm on weekdays.