Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Aberdeen, Scotland, United Kingdom Aberdeen Royal Infirmary opened its doors to its first 4 patients in August 1742, and admitted 21 patients in its first year, tak- ing in people from the Northeast region of Scotland and beyond. The early 1800s saw huge changes take place, including the opening of a dedicated mental health hospital. In 1830, increasing demand on the Infirmary resulted in the construction of the Simpson Pavilion at the Woolmanhill site (top left), accommodating 230 patients. Early cardiology records from 1890 show an unidentified physician diagnosing mitral and aortic stenosis. Aberdeen graduate Augustus Désiré Waller conceptualized and recorded the world’s first ECG in 1887, and the first ECG machine was introduced at Woolmanhill in 1920. The New Aberdeen Royal Infirmary at Foresterhill opened in 1936 (aerial photo, top right), expanding over the last century to become one of the largest hospital complexes in Europe (bottom right). As the main teaching hospital of the University of Aberdeen (world’s fifth-oldest English-speaking University, established 1495), doctors and scientists work closely together in shared facilities. Aberdeen Royal Infirmary is home to many medical discoveries and innovations. In the early 1970s, John Mallard andJim Hutchinson pioneered the design and construction of the world’s first whole body magnetic resonance imaging scanner for clinical use (bottom left). Development of the next generation of the technology (fast field cycling magnetic reso- nance imaging) continues here today. In collaboration with general practitioners, Aberdeen cardiologists pioneered prehospital thrombolysis for acute myocardial infarction in the prepercutaneous intervention era. Dana Dawson, DM, DPhil University of Aberdeen and Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Scotland Euan Wemyss, BSc (Hons) University of Aberdeen, Scotland.