Extramural medical education in Edinburgh began over 200 years before the university medical faculty was founded in 1726 and
extramural teaching continued thereafter for a further 200 years. Extramural is academic education which is conducted outside a university. In the early 16th century it was under the auspices of the Incorporation (later
Royal College) of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) and continued after the
Faculty of Medicine
A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, or part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS, M ...
was established by 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 1726.
Throughout the late 18th and 19th centuries the demand for extramural medical teaching increased as Edinburgh's reputation as a centre for medical education grew. Instruction was carried out by individual teachers, by groups of teachers and, by the end of the 19th century, by private medical schools in the city. Together these comprised the Edinburgh Extramural School of Medicine. From 1896 many of the schools were incorporated into the Medical School of the Royal Colleges of Edinburgh under the aegis of the RCSEd and the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE) and based at
Surgeons' Hall
Surgeons' Hall in Edinburgh, Scotland, is the headquarters of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd). It houses the Surgeons' Hall Museum, and the library and archive of the RCSEd. The present Surgeons' Hall was designed by William ...
. Extramural undergraduate medical education in Edinburgh stopped in 1948 with the closure of the Royal Colleges' Medical School following the Goodenough Report which recommended that all undergraduate medical education in the UK should be carried out by universities.
Medical teaching to 1726
Medical education in Edinburgh is considered to have started in 1505 when the Incorporation of Barber Surgeons gained their Seal of Cause or Charter, which requested that, as was common practice elsewhere in Europe. a condemned man should be dissected each year in order that the surgical apprentices might learn anatomy.
The Incorporation appointed
James Borthwick
James Borthwick of Stow (1615-1675) was a Scottish surgeon who was the first teacher of anatomy in the Incorporation of Surgeons and Barbers of Edinburgh. He was Deacon (President) of the Incorporation on two occasions and a member of the Sco ...
as a teacher of anatomy in 1647 and he, with Thomas Kincaid, instructed students in botany and pharmacy at the Incorporation's physic garden at Curryhill House. A
Royal Patent
Letters patent ( la, litterae patentes) ( always in the plural) are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch, president or other head of state, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, titl ...
to teach anatomy was granted in 1694 and this led to the Incorporation building the first
Surgeons Hall
Surgeons' Hall in Edinburgh, Scotland, is the headquarters of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd). It houses the Surgeons' Hall Museum, and the library and archive of the RCSEd. The present Surgeons' Hall was designed by William ...
on the site of Curryhill House in what is now Surgeons’ Square. Opened in 1697 this included an anatomical theatre where public anatomy dissections were performed.
Among those participating in such dissections in the early 18th century were
Archibald Pitcairne and
Alexander Monteith.
The Faculty of Medicine established
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 ...
, founded in 1582, did not begin to teach medical topics until the early 18th century, with the appointment of Robert Eliot as Professor of Anatomy.
John Monro John Monro may refer to:
* John Monro (advocate) (1725–1773), Scottish advocate
* John Monro (physician) (1716–1791), physician and specialist in insanity
* John Monro (surgeon) (1670–1740), Scottish surgeon
* John U. Monro (1912–2002), Am ...
, an Edinburgh surgeon, who had obtained his medical degree at
Leiden University
Leiden University (abbreviated as ''LEI''; nl, Universiteit Leiden) is a Public university, public research university in Leiden, Netherlands. The university was founded as a Protestant university in 1575 by William the Silent, William, Prince o ...
in Holland, returned to Edinburgh with a view to setting up a medical school within the university and with an associated teaching hospital on the Leiden model. With the local support of Lord Provost
George Drummond
George Drummond (1688–1766) was accountant-general of excise in Scotland and a local politician, elected Lord Provost of Edinburgh a number of times between 1725 and 1764.
Life
Drummond was born at Newton Castle in Blairgowrie, Perthshire ...
, and national support from the
Earl of Ilay
Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form ''jarl'', and meant "chieftain", particular ...
, Monro saw his ambition fulfilled starting with the appointment of his son,
Alexander Monro ''primus'', as Professor of Anatomy in 1719. Monro at first taught extra-murally at Surgeons Hall moving his classes to the university in 1725. The appointment of Leiden medical graduates Drs John Innes,
Andrew Plummer
Andrew Plummer FRCP (1697–1756) was a Scottish physician and chemist. He was professor of chemistry at the University of Edinburgh from 1726 to 1755. He developed ideas on the attractive and repulsive forces involved in chemical affinity, wh ...
,
John Rutherford and Andrew Sinclair as university professors in 1726 marked the foundation of the university medical school, which was soon teaching a broad medical curriculum and conferred medical degrees by examination. Until this time the only way to obtain a medical degree in the British Isles was from the Universities of Oxford or Cambridge. Under the terms of the
Test Act
The Test Acts were a series of English penal laws that served as a religious test for public office and imposed various civil disabilities on Roman Catholics and nonconformists. The underlying principle was that only people taking communion in t ...
s these were only open to communicant members of the Church of England. Courses could take up to 12 years and did not include hospital clinical teaching. The Edinburgh medical school was open to all faiths, lectures were in English and it was cheaper than European universities or Oxford or Cambridge.
These combined to make Edinburgh popular for those seeking a medical degree, who came initially from within the British Isles but increasingly from the then British Empire.
The associated teaching hospital, opened in 1729, was initially situated opposite the top of Robertson's Close in what is now Infirmary Street. At first this had only six beds increasing to eight. The hospital was awarded a Royal charter in 1736, the first voluntary hospital to achieve this accolade. By this time it was too small to meet the demands and a new
Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh
The Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, or RIE, often (but incorrectly) known as the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, or ERI, was established in 1729 and is the oldest voluntary hospital in Scotland. The new buildings of 1879 were claimed to be the largest v ...
(RIE) was built next to Surgeons' Hall. This building designed by
William Adam could house 228 patients and was opened in 1741.
Extramural teaching in the 18th century
Edinburgh's attraction as a medical teaching centre was further enhanced by the growing reputation of
Alexander Monro ''primus''''.'' Yet in the first 25 years of the medical faculty an average of only three students per year opted to progress to graduate MD. Many chose to sit for the qualification of Licentiateship of the RCSEd which became available from 1770, while others went into practice with no formal institutional qualification. For all these groups the kudos of having studied at Edinburgh could enhance their status and career progress.
Extramural teaching resumed in the late 18th century.
James Rae, a surgeon who became president of the RCSEd lectured on anatomy, surgery and dentistry at Surgeons' Hall from 1772. From 1779
John Aitken began to teach classes in anatomy, physiology, surgery and midwifery at the Anatomical Theatre in Surgeons' Square, which was probably in Old Surgeons' Hall. The surgeon
John Bell taught anatomy in his house in the square from 1787 and was joined then succeeded by his brother
Charles Bell
Sir Charles Bell (12 November 177428 April 1842) was a Scotland, Scottish surgeon, anatomist, physiologist, neurologist, artist, and philosophical theologian. He is noted for discovering the difference between sensory nerves and motor nerves in ...
, later professor of surgery at the University of London. Their classes attracted large number of students as they taught surgical anatomy in contrast to
Alexander Monro ''secundus'', the university professor of anatomy, who was not a practising surgeon.
Extramural teaching of ''materia medica'' was carried out in the
Royal Public Dispensary
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, in 1681, the F ...
which had been established by
Andrew Duncan in 1776.
In 1805
John Abercrombie was appointed to the staff and established a large teaching practice there.
Extramural teaching in the 19th century
In the first part of the 19th century extramural teaching centred on Surgeons Square. This was bounded on its south side by Old Surgeons' Hall, which was sold to the university in 1832. Extramural teaching took place in the large detached houses on the east and west sides of the square. Number one Surgeons' Square on the north side was built as a teaching facility with a lecture theatre. In the latter half of the century teaching also took place in buildings near the university, chiefly in Brown Square, Argyle Square,
Chambers Street and the new Surgeons' Hall. . Extramural teaching expanded rapidly from 1855 when the university was forced into recognising extramural classes as counting towards its medical degrees. James Syme had written to the Town Council in 1840 requesting such recognition and when the university refused the matter was taken to court and eventually to the House of Lords who found in favour of recognition of extramural classes. This recognition was further expanded in 1858 by the Commissioners appointed as regulators of the university curriculum under the
Universities (Scotland) Act,1858.
From 1896 many of these small medical schools were incorporated into the Medical School of the Royal Colleges, which from 1896 became by far the largest teaching establishment in the extramural school.
Many of the lecturers in the extramural school taught there in the early part of their careers. Many would go on to become well known in later life in substantive posts or academic chairs. A full list of lecturers was compiled by
John Comrie
John Dixon Comrie (28 February 1875 – 2 October 1939) was a Scottish physician, historian of medicine, and the editor of the first edition of '' Black's Medical Dictionary''.
Biography
Comrie studied at George Watson's College and the Univer ...
and published in his ''History of Scottish Medicine''.
Surgeons' Hall
Extramural teaching continued at Surgeons Hall throughout the century. By 1860 a broadly based curriculum of medical subjects was taught and, after the House of Lord's judgement, these were recognised by universities as counting toward the degrees of MB, CM. Despite the fact that these classes took place at Surgeons' Hall, a variety of medical subjects were taught. This was by far the largest of the extramural schools of medicine in Edinburgh.
In the latter half of the century lecturers included:
*
William Tennant Gairdner
Sir William Tennant Gairdner (8 November 1824 – 28 June 1907) was a Scottish Professor of Medicine in the University of Glasgow.
Early life
William Tennant Gardiner was born in Edinburgh, the son of physician John Gairdner and his wife, Su ...
, Daniel Rutherford Haldane,
George William Balfour
George William Balfour FRSE (2 June 1823 – 9 August 1903) was a Scottish physician, known as a heart specialist.
Early life and education
Born at the manse of Sorn, Ayrshire, on 2 June 1823, he was the sixth son and eighth of the thirteen c ...
,
James Warburton Begbie
James Warburton Begbie (19 November 1826 – 25 February 1876), was a Scottish physician.
Biography
He was born on 19 November 1826, and was the second son of Dr James Begbie, The family lived at 18 Albany Street in New Town, Edinburgh, Edi ...
(Medicine)
*
Andrew Douglas Maclagan
Sir Andrew Douglas Maclagan PRSE FRCPE FRCSE FCS FRSSA (17 April 1812, in Ayr – 5 April 1900, in Edinburgh) was a Scottish surgeon, toxicologist and scholar of medical jurisprudence. He served as president of 5 learned societies: the Royal ...
,
Robert Edmund Scoresby-Jackson
Robert Edmund Scoresby-Jackson FRSE FRCPE FRCSE (1833–1867) was a short-lived but influential British physician and historian. He specialised in the effects of climate upon health.
Life
He was born Robert Edmund Jackson on 12 November 1833 in ...
(Materia medica)
*
Joseph Lister
Joseph Lister, 1st Baron Lister, (5 April 182710 February 1912) was a British surgeon, medical scientist, experimental pathologist and a pioneer of antiseptic surgery and preventative medicine. Joseph Lister revolutionised the craft of s ...
,
Patrick Heron Watson
Sir Patrick Heron Watson (5 January 1832 – 21 December 1907) was an eminent 19th-century Scottish surgeon and pioneer of anaesthetic development. He was associated with a number of surgical innovations including excision of the knee jo ...
,
James Dunsmure
Dr James Dunsmure FRSE FRCSEd (23 April 1814 – 15 October 1886) was a Scottish surgeon. He served as President of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.
Life
He was born at 33 George Street in Edinburgh on 23 April 1814 the son of S ...
,
James Spence,
Joseph Bell
Joseph Bell FRCSE (2 December 1837 – 4 October 1911) was a Scottish surgeon and lecturer at the medical school of the University of Edinburgh in the 19th century. He is best known as an inspiration for the literary character Sherlock Holm ...
,
Thomas Annandale
Thomas Annandale, FRCS FRSE (1838–1907) was a Scottish surgeon who conducted the first repair of the meniscus and the first successful removal of an acoustic neuroma, and introduced the pre-peritoneal approach to inguinal hernia repair. H ...
(Surgery)
*
Thomas Grainger Stewart
Sir Thomas Grainger Stewart (23 September 1837, in Edinburgh – 3 February 1900, in Edinburgh) was an eminent Scottish physician who served as president of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (1889–1891), president of the Medico-C ...
(Diseases of children)
*
John Struthers (Anatomy)
*
Diarmid Noel Paton,
William Rutherford Sanders
William Rutherford Sanders FRSE (17 February 1828 – 18 February 1881) was a 19th-century Scottish pathologist. He was one of the first to advocate the use of digitalis in heart conditions. He served as President of the Royal Medical Society 1 ...
,
James Bell Pettigrew
James Bell Pettigrew FRSE FRS FRCPE LLD (26 May 1834 – 30 January 1908) was a Scottish anatomist and noted naturalist, aviation pioneer and museum curator. He was a distinguished naturalist in Britain, and Professor of Anatomy at St Andrews U ...
,
Arthur Gamgee (Physiology)
*R Haldane,
Thomas Grainger Stewart
Sir Thomas Grainger Stewart (23 September 1837, in Edinburgh – 3 February 1900, in Edinburgh) was an eminent Scottish physician who served as president of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (1889–1891), president of the Medico-C ...
, John Wylie (Pathology)
*
William Walker William Walker may refer to:
Arts
* William Walker (engraver) (1791–1867), mezzotint engraver of portrait of Robert Burns
* William Sidney Walker (1795–1846), English Shakespearean critic
* William Walker (composer) (1809–1875), American Ba ...
,
Douglas Argyle Robertson (Diseases of the Eye)
*
Robert Spittal
Robert Spittal MD FRSE (c.1800–1852) was a 19th-century Scottish physician and amateur botanist.
Life
Spittal was born to Marion Brown and James Spittal. The family moved to 59 South Bridge in Edinburgh's Old Town in 1810.
He studied medi ...
(Medical acoustics)
*
John Smith (Dental Surgery)
*
Alexander Keiller,
James Mathews Duncan (Midwifery)
*
David Skae
David Skae MD, FRCSEd (5 July 1814 – 18 April 1873) was a Scottish physician who specialised in psychological medicine. He has been described as the founder of the Edinburgh School of Psychiatry and several of his assistants and pupils went ...
(Mental Illness)
*
Henry Littlejohn
Sir Henry Duncan Littlejohn MD LLD FRCSE (8 May 1826 – 30 September 1914) was a Scottish surgeon, Forensic science, forensic scientist and public health official. He served for 46 years as Edinburgh's first Medical Officer of Health, during whi ...
(Medical Jurisprudence)
John Bell's House, Surgeons' Square
John Bell's house was on the south east corner of the square but did not have a number. It was built specifically for the teaching of anatomy and surgery and was thought to have been the first house in Edinburgh designed for this purpose. John Bell, had begun to lecture there in 1787 and was joined by his brother Charles Bell who succeeded him in 1799. When Charles Bell left for London in 1804 anatomy was taught by John Allan and then, from 1824 by William Cullen grand-nephew of the eminent physician
William Cullen
William Cullen FRS FRSE FRCPE FPSG (; 15 April 17105 February 1790) was a Scottish physician, chemist and agriculturalist, and professor at the Edinburgh Medical School. Cullen was a central figure in the Scottish Enlightenment: He was Dav ...
. From 1825 the house was used to store the anatomical collection of Charles Bell, which had been purchased by the RCSEd, and its final use was as a
lock hospital, for the nearby Royal Infirmary.
9 Surgeons' Square
Number nine Surgeons' Square, known as John Gordon's house, was situated on the south-west corner of the square just to the west of Old Surgeons' Hall.
John Gordon, a surgeon at the Royal Infirmary, gave lecture courses here on anatomy and physiology from 1808 until his death in 1818 aged 32 years. His textbook ''A System of Anatomy'' was published in 1815.
John Thomson, the extramural professor of surgery at the RCSEd, bought the house and gave lectures on surgery there from 1818 and later also lectured there on the practice of physic. His lecture course was taken over by his son
William Thomson from 1830 until his appointment as Professor of Physic at the University of Glasgow in 1841.
William Sharpey
William Sharpey FRS FRSE LLD (1 April 1802 – 11 April 1880) was a Scottish anatomist and physiologist. Sharpey became the outstanding exponent of experimental biology and is described as the "father of British physiology".
Early life
Sharpe ...
taught anatomy in the house from 1831 until he was appointed Professor of Anatomy and Physiology at the
University of London
The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...
. He was assisted as a lecturer by
Allen Thomson until the latter's appointment to the Chair of Physiology at the University of Edinburgh. Others who lectured here in the 1830s included
John William Turner and, who lectured on anatomy and
James Young Simpson
Sir James Young Simpson, 1st Baronet, (7 June 1811 – 6 May 1870) was a Scottish obstetrician and a significant figure in the history of medicine. He was the first physician to demonstrate the anaesthetic properties of chloroform on humans ...
who lectured on midwifery.
10 Surgeons' Square
Number ten, in the south-west corner of Surgeons' Square, had been built for use as a lecture theatre for the physician
Andrew Duncan senior. The anatomist
John Barclay bought the building in 1800 and began to teach anatomy. The house also contained a dissection room. His classes proved extremely popular and by the time he retired in 1825 he was teaching some 300 students per year. After Charles Bell left Edinburgh in 1808 and Alexander Monro ''secundus'' retired from anatomy teaching at the university the same year, Barclay became the most popular anatomy teacher in Edinburgh. His popularity was further enhanced by the unpopularity of
Alexander Monro t''ertius,'' who had succeeded his father in the university chair. Barclay had amassed a large collection of comparative anatomy specimens used for teaching and this collection was bought by the RCSEd to form the Barclay collection in their museum. Barclay was succeeded in his anatomy school by
Robert Knox
Robert Knox (4 September 1791 – 20 December 1862) was a Scottish anatomist and ethnologist best known for his involvement in the Burke and Hare murders. Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Knox eventually partnered with anatomist and former teache ...
. Knox catalogued the Barclay collection and the Charles Bell collection as curator of the Surgeons' Hall museum. The greatly enlarged collection was housed from 1832 in the new Surgeons' Hall which had been built to accommodate it. Knox was also a gifted anatomy teacher in marked contrast to
Alexander Monro ''tertius'' at the university. Knox's classes were made more attractive by offering anatomical dissection under his supervision. As the demand for bodies for dissection exceeded supply, the serial killers
William Burke and
William Hare sold the bodies of their victims to Knox's anatomy school. After Burke was hanged for
these crimes Knox was exonerated by a committee of 'distinguished citizens' and continued to teach at 10 Surgeons' Square until 1833. At the height of his popularity as a teacher in 1826, Knox attracted over 500 students to his anatomy classes, the largest number ever seen in the British Isles.
William Fergusson
Sir William Fergusson, 1st Baronet FRCS FRS FRSE (20 March 180810 February 1877) was a Scottish surgeon.
Biography
William Fergusson son of James Fergusson of Lochmaben, Dumfriesshire, was born at Prestonpans, East Lothian on 20 March 1808 ...
assisted Knox with anatomy teaching until 1840 when he was appointed professor of surgery at King's College London and later became sergeant-surgeon to Queen Victoria.
1 Surgeons' Square
The land at the north side of Surgeons' Square was owned by the engraver
William Home Lizars
William Home Lizars (1788 – 30 March 1859) was a Scottish painter and engraver.
Life
The son of Daniel Lizars, and brother of the surgeon John Lizars, he was born at Edinburgh in 1788, and was educated at the high school there. His siste ...
who in 1825 built an anatomy school with a lecture theatre for his brother
John Lizars
Prof John Lizars FRSE (15 May 1792–21 May 1860) was a Scottish surgeon, anatomist and medical author.
He was Professor of surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and senior surgeon at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. He perfo ...
a local surgeon. John Lizars taught anatomy and surgery and was succeeded by
Peter David Handyside
Peter David Handyside FRSE FRCSE (1808–1881) was a Scottish surgeon and anatomist. He was president of the Royal Medical Society in 1828. He won the Harveian Society Medal in 1827 and was its secretary in 1837. He was also president of the Me ...
,
Henry Lonsdale
Henry Lonsdale M.D. (1816–1876) was an English physician, now known as a biographer.
Early life
Born in Carlisle, Cumberland, he was son of Henry Lonsdale, a tradesman there. After attending a local school he was apprenticed in 1831 to Messr ...
and
James Spence. The building was later used as a museum, as a school, as part of the University Settlement and latterly as a nursery school. It is one of only three buildings still standing in the square in 2020.
3 Surgeons' Square
David Craigie taught anatomy from 1818 and later taught clinical medicine and practice of medicine. He later became president of the RCPE. From 1835 chemistry was taught by Andrew Fyfe who later went on to become professor of chemistry at the University of Aberdeen. From 1845 chemistry was taught here by
Thomas Anderson, who went on to lecture in Glasgow where he drew the attention of
Joseph Lister
Joseph Lister, 1st Baron Lister, (5 April 182710 February 1912) was a British surgeon, medical scientist, experimental pathologist and a pioneer of antiseptic surgery and preventative medicine. Joseph Lister revolutionised the craft of s ...
to the works of
Louis Pasteur
Louis Pasteur (, ; 27 December 1822 – 28 September 1895) was a French chemist and microbiologist renowned for his discoveries of the principles of vaccination, microbial fermentation and pasteurization, the latter of which was named afte ...
and supplied Lister with his first sample of
carbolic acid, from which Lister developed
antiseptic theory.
Brown Square
Brown Square was built as a residential development in 1763 and demolished in the late nineteenth century. The Brown Square School of Medicine was established by
James Syme
James Syme (7 November 1799 – 26 June 1870) was a pioneering Scottish surgeon.
Early life
James Syme was born on 7 November 1799 at 56 Princes Street in Edinburgh. His father was John Syme WS of Cartmore and Lochore, estates in Fife ...
, later Professor of Surgery in the university. Syme taught anatomy and surgery and was joined in the school by John Macintosh who taught medicine and midwifery and
John Argyll Robertson
Dr John Argyll Robertson FRSE PRCSE (12 August 1800 – 7 January 1855) was a Scottish surgeon who specialised in ophthalmic surgery and became President of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in 1848.
Early life
John Argyll Robertson w ...
who taught
materia medica. When Syme resigned from the school his anatomy class was continued by Alexander Jardine Lizars, later professor of anatomy in the University of Aberdeen. The school closed in 1836 when the teaching was transferred to 11 Argyle Square.
11 Argyle Square
The Argyll Square school was active early in the 1830s and expanded when teaching activity from Brown Square was transferred. It was known mainly as an anatomy school where the subject was taught by
Peter Handyside
Peter David Handyside (born 31 July 1974) is a Scottish former professional footballer who played as a defender from 1992 until 2007.
Despite being Scottish, Handyside played his entire career in England, having initially came through the yo ...
,
Alexander Keiller, Alexander Jardine Lizars and
John Struthers, both of whom later became professors of anatomy at the University of Aberdeen.
Lecturers in other subjects included:
Thomas Wood (practice of medicine);
John Lizars
Prof John Lizars FRSE (15 May 1792–21 May 1860) was a Scottish surgeon, anatomist and medical author.
He was Professor of surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and senior surgeon at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. He perfo ...
(surgery); Dr Marr (midwifery);
David Skae
David Skae MD, FRCSEd (5 July 1814 – 18 April 1873) was a Scottish physician who specialised in psychological medicine. He has been described as the founder of the Edinburgh School of Psychiatry and several of his assistants and pupils went ...
(medical jurisprudence); J A Robertson (materia medica).
Marshall Street
The School of Medicine and Pharmacy was located her in the latter years of the century. Lecturers included:
Alexander Johnstone (botany); J R Paterson (chemistry); E Urquhart (''materia medica'' and pharmacy); Dr Matheson (midwifery); Dr Matheson and Alexander Keiller (medicine).
Minto House, Chambers Street
Minto House, a large town house owned by the Elliot family was bought by
James Syme
James Syme (7 November 1799 – 26 June 1870) was a pioneering Scottish surgeon.
Early life
James Syme was born on 7 November 1799 at 56 Princes Street in Edinburgh. His father was John Syme WS of Cartmore and Lochore, estates in Fife ...
in 1829 and converted into a small surgical teaching hospital with an operating theatre and lecture room. There Syme taught surgery as did his assistants
Alexander Peddie, later President of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and
John Brown John Brown most often refers to:
*John Brown (abolitionist) (1800–1859), American who led an anti-slavery raid in Harpers Ferry, Virginia in 1859
John Brown or Johnny Brown may also refer to:
Academia
* John Brown (educator) (1763–1842), Ir ...
, whose account of the work of the hospital is described in his novel ''
Rab and his Friends
"Rab and his Friends" (1859) is a short story by Scottish writer Dr John Brown.'' The Reader's Encyclopedia'' It was very popular in the 19th century and often considered John Brown's best, or at least most well known work. Even though short ...
''. The hospital closed in 1852. Minto House was demolished in 1873 and 'new' Minto house was built on the site, becoming numbers 18-20 Chambers Street. Number 20 Chambers Chambers Street also housed a medical school.
New Minto House, 20 Chambers Street.
In 1878 a medical school was opened with the anatomical teaching done by
James Cossar Ewart
James Cossar Ewart FRS FRSE (26 November 1851 – 31 December 1933) was a Scottish zoologist. He performed breeding experiments with horses and zebras which disproved earlier theories of heredity.
Life
Ewart was born in Penicuik, Midlo ...
, later Professor of Natural History at the
University of Aberdeen
The University of Aberdeen ( sco, University o' 'Aiberdeen; abbreviated as ''Aberd.'' in List of post-nominal letters (United Kingdom), post-nominals; gd, Oilthigh Obar Dheathain) is a public university, public research university in Aberdeen, Sc ...
. He was succeeded as anatomy lecturer by
Johnston Symington later Professor of Anatomy at
Queen's College, Belfast
, mottoeng = For so much, what shall we give back?
, top_free_label =
, top_free =
, top_free_label1 =
, top_free1 =
, top_free_label2 =
, top_free2 =
, established =
, closed =
, type = Public research university
, parent = ...
, and he in turn was succeeded by the surgeon
Alexander Miles
Alexander Miles (May 18, 1838 – May 7, 1918) was an American inventor and businessman, best known for being awarded a patent for automatically opening and closing elevator doors. He was awarded on October 11, 1887.
Biography
Alexander Mi ...
. In 1895 the anatomy dissecting room was taken over by the
Edinburgh School of Medicine for Women
The Edinburgh School of Medicine for Women was founded by Sophia Jex-Blake in Edinburgh, Scotland, in October of 1886, with support from the National Association for Promoting the Medical Education of Women. Sophia Jex-Blake was appointed as bot ...
, New Minto House was subsequently bought by the University of Edinburgh.
Edinburgh School of Medicine for Women, Surgeons' Square
Sophia Jex-Blake
Sophia Louisa Jex-Blake (21 January 1840 – 7 January 1912) was an English physician, teacher and feminist. She led the campaign to secure women access to a University education when she and six other women, collectively known as the Edinb ...
, a pioneer of medical education for women, founded the school in 1886. Most of its teaching took place in Surgeons' Square, with clinical teaching at
Leith Hospital
Leith Hospital was situated on Mill Lane in Leith, Edinburgh, and was a general hospital with adult medical and surgical wards, paediatric medical and surgical wards, a casualty department and a wide range of out-patient services. It closed in 1 ...
.as the RIE still continued to refuse access to women students. With competition from the College of Medicine for Women and beset with financial problems, the school closed in 1898.
Edinburgh College of Medicine for Women, 30 Chambers Street
The
Edinburgh College of Medicine for Women
The Edinburgh College of Medicine for Women was established by Elsie Inglis and her father John Inglis. Elsie Inglis went on to become a leader in the suffrage movement and found the Scottish Women's Hospital organisation in World War I, but whe ...
was founded by
Elsie Inglis
Eliza Maud "Elsie" Inglis (16 August 1864 – 26 November 1917) was a Scottish doctor, surgeon, teacher, Women's suffrage, suffragist, and founder of the Scottish Women's Hospitals for Foreign Service, Scottish Women's Hospitals. She was the ...
and her father
John Inglis in 1889 at a time when women were not admitted to university medical schools in the UK. Clinical teaching was initially at
Glasgow Royal Infirmary
The Glasgow Royal Infirmary (GRI) is a large teaching hospital. With a capacity of around 1,000 beds, the hospital campus covers an area of around , and straddles the Townhead and Dennistoun districts on the north-eastern fringe of the city cen ...
as the RIE still did not accept women for clinical teaching i its wards. By July 1892 the college had sufficient funds and sufficient influence to have two wards in the RIE opened to the women medical students. The college merged with the School of Medicine of the Royal Colleges in 1916.
Lecturers included:
*
John W Ballantyne (Midwifery and gynaecology)
*
William Craig - (M''ateria medica)''
*
James Hodsdon
Sir James William Beeman Hodsdon KBE, FRCSEd (1858-1928) was an eminent Scottish surgeon who served as president of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh 1914-1917.
Life
Hodsdon was born and raised in Bermuda, the son of Adelaide Horne ...
- (Surgery) went on to be knighted and elected president of the RCSEd.
*
William Keiller
William Keiller (4 July 1861 – 22 February 1931) was a Scottish born anatomist who trained in anatomy at the Edinburgh Extramural School of Medicine and was appointed as the first Professor of Anatomy at the University of Texas Medical Branch ( ...
(Anatomy) became Professor of Anatomy at the University of Texas at Galveston.
6*
Harvey Littlejohn (Public Health) became professor of Forensic Medicine at the University of Edinburgh
*
William Ivison Macadam
Colonel William Ivison Macadam (27 January 1856 – 24 June 1902)
Colonel Professor W. Ivison Macadam was a Scottish scientist, academic author and antiquarian. He was also Colonel of the 1st Lothian Volunteer Infantry Brigade and a leading F ...
(Chemistry)
*
Robert Philip
Sir Robert William Philip (29 December 1857 – 25 January 1939) was a Scottish physician and pioneer in the treatment and control of tuberculosis.
Life
Philip was born in Govan on the 29 December 1857, the son of Margaret Josephine Roberts ...
(Medicine) later a pioneer in the treatment of tuberculosis and president of the RCPE
*
William Russell (Pathology) later Professor of Medicine at the University of Edinburgh and president of the RCPE
Queens' College
Queen's College was the first association of extramural lecturers and schools. It was known to be active from 1841 to 1842. Classes were held at several different locations, with most at Brown Square and Argyle Square. From 1841 the lectures were recognised by the Universities of London, Oxford, Cambridge, St Andrews and Aberdeen, the Royal Colleges of Surgeons of England, Edinburgh and Ireland, the
Apothecaries Hall, London and the Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow.
Lecturers included
Robert Knox
Robert Knox (4 September 1791 – 20 December 1862) was a Scottish anatomist and ethnologist best known for his involvement in the Burke and Hare murders. Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Knox eventually partnered with anatomist and former teache ...
(11 Argyle Square) - anatomy and surgery; William Campbell (11 Argyle Square) -midwifery; James Marr (3 Surgeons' Square) - midwifery
David Skae
David Skae MD, FRCSEd (5 July 1814 – 18 April 1873) was a Scottish physician who specialised in psychological medicine. He has been described as the founder of the Edinburgh School of Psychiatry and several of his assistants and pupils went ...
(11 Argyle Square) -medical jurisprudence; George Atkin (23 Brown Square) - botany.
Extramural teaching in the 20th century
The School of Medicine of the Royal Colleges of Edinburgh
In the last decade of the nineteenth century an Association of Extramural Teachers was formed with a view to consolidating most of the smaller schools into a single institution under the aegis of the two medical Royal Colleges in Edinburgh. Dr (later Sir)
Henry Littlejohn
Sir Henry Duncan Littlejohn MD LLD FRCSE (8 May 1826 – 30 September 1914) was a Scottish surgeon, Forensic science, forensic scientist and public health official. He served for 46 years as Edinburgh's first Medical Officer of Health, during whi ...
was chairman of the association and a leading figure in the formation of this new school. In 1894 the Scottish universities agreed that university students could attend half of their classes in the new school as counting towards a degree. From 1896 many of the small medical schools were incorporated into the School of Medicine of the Royal Colleges, which from 1896 became by far the largest teaching establishment in the extramural school. While most of the classes were held in Surgeons' Hall, there was teaching on smaller sites including The New School in Bristo Street, Park Place School. and 27 Nicolson Square.
Clinical teaching was provided at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, Leith Hospital and the Sick Children's Hospital.
Clinical teaching continued in local dispensaries enabling students to learn about community care and experience in dispensary practice became part of the medical curriculum in 1890.
The
Royal Public Dispensary
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, in 1681, the F ...
had been founded in 1776, the New Town Dispensary in 1815 and there was also clinical teaching at the Provident Dispensary and the Livingstone Memorial Dispensary.
In session 1896-97 there were 931 students, rising to 1317 the following year and remaining over 100 until World War I.
At the time of its closure in 1948, about 350 students were enrolled.
The School attracted many students drawn from marginal groups or those facing educational barriers, initially women and in later years students from the then British Empire and pollical refugees.
Many of the students who attended the classes were also registered with the University of Edinburgh and went on to graduate with the degree of MB ChB. The remainder aimed to sit the
Triple Qualification
The Triple Qualification (TQ) was a medical qualification awarded jointly by the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and the Faculty (later Royal College) of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow betwe ...
, an examination held by the medical Royal Colleges and recognised by the
General Medical Council
The General Medical Council (GMC) is a public body that maintains the official register of medical practitioners within the United Kingdom. Its chief responsibility is to "protect, promote and maintain the health and safety of the public" by c ...
.
The Goodenough Report published in 1944 recommended that all undergraduate medical education in the UK should be carried out by universities.
In the face of this the school closed in 1948.
Lecturers included:
* Joseph Ryland Whittaker,
Richard James Arthur Berry
Richard James Arthur Berry FRSE FRCSE (1867–1962) was a British-born surgeon and anatomist who was well-known in Australia. He was author of several internationally recognised books in his field.
Early life
Berry was born on 30 May 1867, in ...
(Anatomy)
* Agnes Rose MacGregor,
Peter MacCallum
Sir Peter MacCallum (14 July 1885 – 4 March 1974) was a Scottish-born Australian oncologist and the co-founder and eponym of the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne.
Background and early life
Peter MacCallum was born in Glasgow, ...
,
Robert Muir Robert Muir may refer to:
*Robert Muir (pathologist) (1864–1959), Scottish pathologist
*Robert Muir (politician) (1919–2011), Canadian politician
*Robbie Muir (footballer) (born 1953), Australian rules footballer
*Bob Muir (coach), American swi ...
(Pathology)
* A Nimmo Smith (Bacteriology)
*
James Ormiston Affleck,
Byrom Bramwell,
William Russel,
George Alexander Gibson
George Alexander Gibson FRSE FRCPE (27 January 1854 – 18 January 1913) was a Scottish physician, medical author and amateur geologist. As an author he wrote on the diverse fields of both geology and heart disease. The Gibson Memorial Lecture ...
,
Robert William Philip
Sir Robert William Philip (29 December 1857 – 25 January 1939) was a Scottish physician and pioneer in the treatment and control of tuberculosis.
Life
Philip was born in Govan on the 29 December 1857, the son of Margaret Josephine Roberts ...
,
John Comrie
John Dixon Comrie (28 February 1875 – 2 October 1939) was a Scottish physician, historian of medicine, and the editor of the first edition of '' Black's Medical Dictionary''.
Biography
Comrie studied at George Watson's College and the Univer ...
,
Douglas Chalmers Watson
Douglas Chalmers Watson (1870 – 7 April 1946) M.D., F.R.C.P.Ed. was a Scottish physician and writer.
Biography
Watson was educated at George Watson's College and the University of Edinburgh. He graduated in 1892 and obtained the Wightman Pr ...
,
Andrew Rae Gilchrist
Prof Andrew Rae Gilchrist CBE PRCPE FRSE FRCP (7 July 1899 – 1 March 1995) was a Scottish cardiologist who served as President of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh 1957 to 1960. He was its longest serving Fellow: 1929 to 1995 ( ...
, T R R Todd,
David Murray Lyon
David Malcolm Murray Lyon FRSE DPH (1888-1956) was an English physician and medical author. He was president of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh from 1945–47, and was editor of the Edinburgh Medical Journal.
Life
He was born in ...
(Medicine)
* Alexander Pirie Watson,
Montagu Cotterill
Sir Joseph Montagu Cotterill, CMG, FRCSEd, R.A.M.C (23 November 1851 – 30 December 1933) was a surgeon who as a young man played first-class cricket and made one appearance for England. He became a surgeon in Edinburgh and was President of ...
,
Charles Walker Cathcart
Charles Walker Cathcart, CBE, MB CM, FRCSEd, FRCSE (16 March 1853 – 22 February 1932) was a Scottish surgeon who worked for most of his career at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh (RIE). As a young man he had represented Scotland at rugby on t ...
,
William James Stuart
William James Stuart CBE PRCSE FRSE (1873-1958) was a 20th-century Scottish surgeon who served as President of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh from 1937 to 1939. He was affectionately known as Pussy Stuart.
Life
He was born the son ...
,
John William Struthers
John William Struthers Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, FRCSEd (3 May 1874 – 15 August 1953) was a Scottish surgeon. During World War I he served as a major in the Royal Army Medical Corps and was awarded the Serbian Order of St Sava. ...
,
Henry Wade
Henry Menasco Wade (November 11, 1914 – March 1, 2001) was an American lawyer who served as district attorney of Dallas County from 1951 to 1987. He participated in two notable U.S. court cases of the 20th century: the prosecution of Jack Rub ...
, G L Chiene,
James Methuen Graham
James Methuen Graham FRSE Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, FRCSEd, LLD (1882–1962) was a Scottish surgeon. He was President of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh for the period 1945 to 1947. He was also Senior President of the ...
,
Walter Quarry Wood,
Walter Mercer
Sir Walter Mercer KBE FRSE FRCSEd FRCPE LLD (19 March 1890 – 23 February 1971) was a Scottish orthopaedic surgeon. He was President of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh from 1951 to 1956. He was affectionately known as 'Wattie.' His c ...
(Surgery)
*
Robert Johnstone ,
Benjamin Philip Watson
Benjamin Philip Watson FRCSEd, FRCOG, FACS (4 January 1880 7 August 1976) was a Scottish obstetrician and gynaecologist who was the head of academic departments in three countries. He was professor and departmental head successively in Canad ...
,
James Haig Fergusson, Douglas Miller, Clifford Kennedy,
Ernest Fahmy (Midwifery/Gynaecology)
*
Arthur H H Sinclair,
Harry Moss Traquair (Ophthalmology)
*
Douglas Guthrie
Douglas James Guthrie FRSE FRCS FRCP FRCSEd FRCPE (8 September 1885 – 8 June 1975) was a Scottish medical doctor, otolaryngologist and historian of medicine.
After graduating in Medicine from Edinburgh University, he pursued postgraduate stu ...
, Ion Simson Hall, G Ewart Martin (Diseases of Ear, Nose and Throat)
*
Dawson Turner (Radiology)
Further reading
* Kaufman, Matthew H. (2003). ''Medical teaching in Edinburgh during the 18th and 19th centuries''. Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. Edinburgh: Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. .
OCLC
OCLC, Inc., doing business as OCLC, See also: is an American nonprofit cooperative organization "that provides shared technology services, original research, and community programs for its membership and the library community at large". It was ...
54786390.
* Comrie, John D.; Wellcome Historical Medical Museum (1927). ''History of Scottish medicine to 1860
lectronic resource'. Wellcome Library. London : Published for the Wellcome Historical Medical Museum by Baillière, Tindall & Cox.
* Guthrie, Douglas (1965). ''Extramural Medical Education in Edinburgh''. Edinburgh: E & S Livingstone.
References
{{Reflist
Medical schools in Scotland
Distance education
Defunct universities and colleges in Scotland