Edinburgh is a city with an incredible history, and its unique, fascinating past has touched every aspect of life in the city. Medicine is no exception, and its story in Edinburgh is filled with compelling facts.
Edinburgh1.one tells you more.
The Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh can be considered a true treasure of the city’s medical past. Founded way back in 1729, it holds the status of Scotland’s oldest voluntary hospital. But before achieving this, the institution went through a long and arduous journey of development, which ultimately led to its popularity and an ever-growing number of patients.
Interestingly, the infirmary also became a prime example of successfully engaging the public with medical matters. A huge number of people from various professions took part in its creation. And every time the institution needed to expand or move to a new location, the community was there to help, time and time again.
But let’s take it from the beginning.
The Dawn of an Idea
The story of the infirmary began in 1712 with an initiative from John Monro, President of the Incorporation of Surgeons, to establish a “seminary of medical education” in Edinburgh. An integral part of this vision was a general hospital.
The promotion of this idea was continued by his son, Alexander Monro primus, who had become a professor of anatomy. In 1721, he began circulating a pamphlet explaining just how necessary and beneficial building a hospital would be.
A New Hospital
After long deliberations, the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh embraced the Monro family’s initiative. In 1725, they appealed to the shareholders of the Fishing Company, an organisation that was on the verge of dissolution at the time.
The physicians proposed that the company’s shares be transferred to fund the creation of a new hospital.
However, it’s important to note that many physicians, surgeons, parishes of the Church of Scotland, and Episcopalian meeting houses in Edinburgh also became sponsors and donors for the future facility.
Bringing the Project to Life
A special committee was formed to bring the hospital project to fruition. They leased a house near the Royal College of Physicians, and on 6 August 1729, the medical institution was established, soon becoming known as the “Hospital for the Sick Poor”.
The Staff
The approach to staffing and patient care deserves special attention. Two women were hired specifically for this purpose: one as a housekeeper and the other as a nurse. Both were required to live in the hospital full-time.
As for the medical professionals, they conducted patient examinations twice a week at the Royal College of Physicians on a voluntary basis. However, one physician was required to attend the hospital to see both inpatients and outpatients.
Surgeon-apothecaries were expected to dispense medicines prescribed by the physicians free of charge.
The Patients
The infirmary’s patients were predominantly residents of Edinburgh and its surrounding areas. They received help for a range of conditions, including fevers, ulcers, abscesses, paralysis, consumption, and hysterical disorders.
The free consultations and, of course, the complimentary medicines for outpatients were immensely popular. It’s fair to say that demand for the institution’s services was considerably high.
This very success created the need for another fundraising effort to build a new, larger hospital. Merchants, lawyers, landowners, doctors, and church representatives all united to expand the popular medical facility.
Further Expansion
The year 1736 was a landmark for the hospital, as it received a Royal Charter from King George II. This document officially named the institution the “Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh”. Following the charter, the architect William Adam was commissioned to design a new hospital near the original building.
By 1741, the infirmary had moved into the unfinished structure. When construction was fully completed in 1744, the new hospital had 228 beds—a significant increase compared to the old building.
Yet, the hospital remained so popular that by the 1830s, it was severely overcrowded once more. Consequently, in 1832, the nearby former Royal High School was converted into a surgical hospital with a new operating theatre. But after a while, even this was not enough. In 1853, a new surgical hospital, designed by David Bryce, was successfully built.
Moves and Modernisation
But the changes and updates at the infirmary were far from over.
In 1871, when Charles Hamilton Fasson took over as the infirmary’s head, he began to champion the idea of creating a new hospital that would meet all modern standards. He even approached Edinburgh’s town council to request that the city cover the construction costs.
In 1879, the infirmary was destined to change its location again, moving to a site that was then almost on the outskirts of Edinburgh.
As you can see, the medical institution had to endure various upheavals repeatedly.
After a period of relative calm, the next wave of changes arrived in the 1920s. The hospital once again needed to expand. To make this happen, George Watson’s College had to make way—or rather, relocate—as its site was purchased for the infirmary’s expansion.
But perhaps the most significant change was yet to come much later: the move to Little France.
A new building and site were acquired for this purpose in 1998. The move itself was driven by the fact that an increasing number of the institution’s patients lived outside of Edinburgh. The new infirmary building officially opened in 2003.
New Milestones
Since then, the hospital has continued to impress its patients with numerous achievements and improvements.
Notably, in 2012, the institution became the first in Scotland to perform the TAVI (transcatheter aortic valve implantation) procedure. Then, in 2014, the hospital installed a PET-MRI scanner. This event was, without exaggeration, another sensation, as no such device had existed anywhere else in Scotland before.
Thus, the infirmary has played a crucial role in the development of medicine in Edinburgh. This very institution, which began its history as a hospital for the poor, has achieved incredible success and has become a renowned hospital whose services are in enormous demand.
Of course, the hospital could not have achieved such results without the talented doctors who were there at its inception and who worked within its walls. In this respect, the institution was truly fortunate. These individuals were deeply invested in its future and wholeheartedly strove for its development and improvement, which is why these famous medical figures so eagerly proposed new projects and ideas.
On the other hand, perhaps the secret to its success also lies in its constant evolution and its fearlessness in the face of change. Indeed, these traits have been highly visible throughout the entire history of the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.