Clinique Photos: a new accession

An excellent run of photographs in LHSA’s collection is that of the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh Residents, of which there is almost a complete set from 1880 – 1973, with a number of older and more recent photographs (the oldest dates from 1865). These are an excellent source of images of famous medical staff during their training in Edinburgh. The collection as a whole is fascinating to look at, not only for finding famous individuals or ancestors; but for charting changing styles of dress and appearance, spotting the appearance of women from the 1940s onwards (although the first female resident was appointed in 1920), men in service uniform during the war years, and the odd residency pet!

Mr WJ Stuart Clinique, Winter 1925

A similar series of photographs, which is not so well represented, is that of the Cliniques. In these classes, a number of Edinburgh practitioners taught smaller groups of medical students in their specialisms. A gift of two photographs recently accessioned by LHSA (Acc 12/032) has helped to fill some of the gaps. The photographs show the Cliniques of Mr WJ Stuart in Winter 1925, and Dr Edwin Matthew in Spring 1926. 

A selection of the residents’ photos can be viewed on the following webpage: RIE Residents

LHSA out and about again

Today we’ve been taking part in the Royal Edinburgh Hospital’s summer fete, held annually in their grounds. Previously we’ve sent some of our promotional material along and it has been distributed by Artlink, who are heavily involved in the organisation of the event. But this year we had our own stall...

As well as digital images of the Hospital’s Royal Charter (find out more about the Charter on our website), we took postcards and leaflets to help spread the word about LHSA’s collections and services. We also had a laptop with a slideshow illustrating the Hospital’s long history (it celebrates its bicentenary next June).

It’s been a lovely sunny day in Edinburgh and there was a good turnout for the event. As well as LHSA’s stall, there were many others promoting the work of the Hospital and associated charities and groups. There was also plenty of home grown or baked produce for sale, including vegetables from the Hospital’s grounds. Cupcakes from a fellow stall-holder kept us going, and a win on the tombola saw us bringing back a box of goodies to share with colleagues in the Main Library!

It was great to be involved in activity at the heart of the Hospital - the fete was attended by patients and staff along with members of the public. There was a fantastic atmosphere, lots of interest in our stall, and we’re looking forward to going again this time next year!

New accession: Medical Women’s Federation: Scottish Eastern Branch (MWF: SEB)

We have been lucky to receive the papers of the MWF: SEB, dating from approximately 1917 – 2006 (Acc 12/030). The collection contains Advisory Council Papers, minutes, syllabus cards, financial papers, correspondence, campaign papers, newspaper clippings, and MWF historical papers.They are therefore a rich and comprehensive source of information on this branch, part of the Scottish region of the MWF, a UK-wide organisation founded in 1917 with the intention of promoting female doctors, and women’s health. 

The minutes of MWF: SEB Council meetings from  the 1920s and 1930s illustrate the breadth of areas in which these female doctors were engaged and reflect the concerns of the MWF at a national level:  the scale of salaries for public health officials (especially with regard to equal pay), ante-natal care, work with other national organisations such as the British Medical Association, and birth control. The latter had become a contentious issue in the wake of Marie Stopes’ work and the minutes of February 1928 indicate that the members of the Medical Women’s Students Association had asked the MWF for a lecture on the subject as there was no official teaching. The Council reflected that it “might be helpful for the Final Year students also to have a talk from someone engaged in active practice”; presumably they meant from a doctor engaged in prescribing birth control, rather than using it!

MWF: SEB Advisory Council Minutes, February 1928

As well as their campaigning and education focus, the branch produced an annual syllabus; monthly meetings with speakers which also served as social functions. Together these records show the interconnectedness of many Scottish doctors, their interests and associations, valuable information for researchers. The accession will complement existing collections relating to eminent Edinburgh-based female doctors, such as Helen Millar Lowe  , whose names appear within the records as active members of the MWF: SEB. 

MWF: SEB Syllabus, 1961 - 1962