2026 marks 300 years since the foundation of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Edinburgh, following the formal recognition of the university’s Medical School in 1726.
The school’s popularity and achievements in the last three centuries are to be celebrated throughout the year with a range of events and activities.
Key celebrations include lectures such as “A Deep History of Health and Healing in Edinburgh” and “The Women of Edinburgh Medical School,” a tartan parade in early May, the Every Woman Festival in June, and a year-long acknowledgement of the school’s successful alumni.
A second-year medicine student told The Student:
“It is important to remember how our opportunity to study medicine in Edinburgh has emerged, particularly for women.”
A postgraduate student stated: “I am excited to join the succession of alumni who make a difference.”
The University of Edinburgh notes the anniversary as a key opportunity to “recognise and celebrate our community” and “make transformational and meaningful change that will have an impact far beyond 2026.”
The University of Edinburgh’s medical school has a profound and influential past in the history of medical studies.
Alumni in the late 18th century were involved in the founding of medical schools in the United States of America and Canada, and the school attracted students worldwide.
In the 19th century, the school contributed to the battle for women in medicine, granting student Sophia Jex Blake access to certain classes, and enormous advances in surgery were made under great names such as Robert Liston, James Syme and Joseph Lister.
Notably, midwifery was introduced as a compulsory part of teaching, aiding James Young Simpson’s revolutionary advancement in chloroform anaesthesia.
Image by Max Brown for The Student