Postgrad Med J: first published as 10.1136/pgmj.42.489.401 on 1 July 1966. Downloaded from

THE

POSTGRADUATE

MEDICAL JOURNAL London July, 1966

THE MEDICAL FACULTY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ABERDEEN-A BRIEF HISTORICAL NOTE H. W. FUi,LERTON, M.A., M.D., F.R.C.P., F.R.C.P.E. Regius Professor of Medicine, University of A berdeen

BISHOP ELPHINSTONE is rightly regarded as the Until 1949 the clinical professors held part- founder of King's College in Old Aiberdeen. time university appointments, and were also In 1494, James IV, on the supplication of busily engaged in private practice. But 19 years Bishop Elphinstone, applied for a papal bull lbefore then, Sir Stanley Davidson was appointed copyright. to instit;ute a university or "studium generale et to the Chair of Medicine and was the first to universitas studii generalis" for theology, canon establish a clinical department in the modem and civil law, medicine, the liberal arts and pattern. Similar appointments followed rapidly every lawful faculty; and privileged to grant in Surgery (Sir James Lea'rmonth) and 'in degrees. Although the bull was granted in 1494 Obstetrics and Gynaecology (Sir Dugald Baird). the college was not founded until the year 1505. A list of recently established chairs with the James IV and Bishop Elphinstone endowed it names of the present incumbents in parenithesis with large revenues which were increased by is as follows: 1945, Mental Health (W. M. http://pmj.bmj.com/ James VI. It is not generally appreciated that, Millar); 1947, Biological Chemistry (W. 0. in its original form, the Chair of Medicine in Kermack) and Child Health (R. G. Mitchell); King's College constitutes the most ancient 1951, Social Medicine (E. M. Backett); 1962, foundation for instruction in medicine in Great Chemical Pathology (S. C. Frazer), the first Britain. Oxford was to follow some years later. professorshi'p in this subject in Scotland; and A second university, Marischal College, was 1965, Medical Physics (J. R. Mallard). founded by George Keith, fifth Earl-Marischal, The main teaching hospitals (Royal Infirm- in April, 1593 by a charter which was strongly ary, Maternity Hospital and the Sick Children's on October 2, 2021 by guest. Protected Protestant. The principal was required to be Hospital), and the University Medical Building, well-versed in sacred literature and in Hebrew which houses all 'the clinical and lalboratory and Syriac, but he was also expected to give university departments, occupy a magnificent anatomical and physiologicail prelections. A site extendinig over 130 acres at Foresterhill. Chair of Medicine in this college was founded This site is jointly olwned by the University and in 1700. The two foundations were united and the Regional Hospital Board and the long- incorporated into one University and College term plan is to concentrate most of the hospital under the style and title of the "University of facilities of the city upon it. A ward block to Aberdeen" on 15th September, 1860. Thus, accommodate the professorial surgical unit, 'for more than two and a half centuries, Aber- thoracic surgery, which is at present at Wood- deen had two universities, which is, perhaps, end Hospital About 2 nmiles to the west, and an indication of the respect for learning which beds for private patients, which are in a very has been a characteristic of the people of this old-fashioned nursing home near the city centre, part of Scotland. is almost complete and will be occupied within Postgrad Med J: first published as 10.1136/pgmj.42.489.401 on 1 July 1966. Downloaded from 402 POSTGRADUATE MEDICAL JOURNAL July, 1966 the next few monlths. An extension of the Uni- foreseeable future; they will continue to be versity Medical Building is planned for 1968 housed at Marischal College along with the and this will be linked directly with the hospital steadily increasing accommodation required for complex. Later hospital building on the same the administrative staff. site will accommodate the wards of the pro- In the fullness of time, Aberdeen can expect fessors of medicine and therapeutics with these to have one of the most compact hospital university departments in close relation to the complexes in the country, providing a service wards, general surgical units, neuro-surgery and for a population of approximately 500,000 in neurology, urological surgery and gynaecology. the north east of Scotland. The fact that the The erection of an out-patient block is contem- clinical and para-clinical departments of the plated at a later date to replace accommodation in the old building of the Royal Infirmary at university have accommodation on the same Woolmanhill near the centre of the city. Un- site has obvious advanta,ges, which are only fortunately it seems unlikely that the depart- partly offset by the physical separation of the ments of anatomy and physiology will have Faculty of Medicine from the other Faculties accommodation on the Foresterhill site in the of the University. copyright. http://pmj.bmj.com/ on October 2, 2021 by guest. Protected