The Public Dispensary of Edinburgh was the first free-of-charge hospital in Scotland.

History

Edinburgh has a history of providing free medical care to the poor. In first meeting of the

Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE) is a medical royal college in Scotland. It is one of three organisations that sets the specialty training standards for physicians in the United Kingdom. It was established by Royal charter ...

, in 1681, the Fellows drew up a scheme to provide free medical care for the poor of Edinburgh. By the eighteenth century, Edinburgh remained overcrowded, disease-ridden, and overflowing with the poor. In 1705, the Fellows at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh unanimously agreed to continue providing medical aid for the poor by two Fellows per year at their new premises in Fountain Close. This "Dispensary" service continued at Fountain Close until 1729 when it transferred to the new "Physicians’ Hospital or Infirmary for the Sick and Poor." A Dispensary for the Infant Poor had already been established in London in 1769, although it did not survive, and the idea expanded. By 1776, Dispensaries had been established across England. Edinburgh's public dispensary was founded in 1776 by Andrew Duncan and provided the impoverished in the city with free

medical Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care practic ...

advice. It opened in West Richmond Street in 1783. The Dispensary was established and financed as a public charity from the beginning and was an extension of Duncan's teaching program. Patients attending the Dispensary received free medicines and advice and in return agreed to be demonstrations in Duncan's classes. In June 1815,

William Pulteney Alison William Pulteney Alison FRSE FRCPE FSA (12 November 1790 – 22 September 1859) was a Scottish physician, social reformer and philanthropist. He was a distinguished professor of medicine at the University of Edinburgh. He served as president ...

and other Fellows of the Public Dispensary of Edinburgh founded another public dispensary in Edinburgh's

New Town New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

. Alison felt a second dispensary was justified to meet the demands of the city's poor. The Royal Dispensary was only open two days a week and had no established system for home visiting. It received a

royal charter A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, bu ...

on 13 January 1818, becoming the Royal Public Dispensary of Edinburgh. The trustees of the Royal Dispensary donated their building at West Richmond Street and its remaining funds to the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

in 1963. The University refurbished the building and renamed it the Mackenzie Medical Centre, after

Sir James Mackenzie Sir James Mackenzie (12 April 1853 – 26 January 1925) was a Scottish cardiologist who was a pioneer in the study of cardiac arrhythmias. Due to his work in the cardiac field he is known as a research giant in primary care, and was knighted by ...

, a general practitioner. The Royal Dispensary also endowed the first Chair of General Practice in the world, at the University of Edinburgh, to which Richard Scott was appointed later that year.

References

External links

Records of the Royal Public Dispensary of Edinburgh
1776 establishments in Scotland Hospitals in Edinburgh History of medicine in the United Kingdom History of the University of Edinburgh 1776 in science Defunct hospitals in Scotland History of science and technology in Scotland 1963 disestablishments in Scotland 1963 in science Charities based in Edinburgh Dispensaries in the United Kingdom {{Scotland-struct-stub