Proceedings of the Scottish Society of the History of Medicine, Session 1972–73

The centenary of the foundation of the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary School of Nursing was commemorated on 7 and 8 October 1972, by a thanksgiving service in Greyfriars Kirk, and a reception. An exhibition showing the development of the school and of nursing throughout the century was held in the Florence Nightingale Nurses' Home. An admirably written and produced booklet outlining the history of the school was published. A pelican figures on the school's official crest and Royal Infirmary-trained nurses are known as 'Pelicans'. One of the events during the celebrations was the adoption of Peter, the forty-year-old pelican at Edinburgh Zoo, by the Infirmary nurses. November saw the quarter-centenary of the death of the great Scottish reformer, John Knox. Appropriate commemorative services, exhibitions and other events were held to mark the occasion which was also recognized by the Post Office by issuing a special envelope. In last year's Report of Proceedings we referred to the final medical graduation at St. Andrew's University. In this connexion it is worthy of note that in the Book of discipline (1560) prepared by the "Six Johns" of whom Knox was the best known and .the main author, proposals were made for a scheme of educational organization throughout Scotland, including the universities. "In the first Universitie and principall", viz. St. Andrews, were to be three colleges, the first for arts, understood then to be the basis of all true study, and for medicine; the second for moral philosophy and law; and the third for theology. At Glasgow and Aberdeen Universities, however, only arts, law and theology were proposed. But the Book of discipline was never adopted in its entirety. Incidentally, the duration of the medical course at St. Andrews was to be six years. During 1971 the bicentenary of the birth of Mungo Park was commemorated. Many who have visited the Park memorial at Selkirk have been impressed by the decorative panels and figures on the memorial but few knew who created them. Thomas Clapperton (1879-1962), a Galashiels man, was the sculptor, and in late 1972 his native town paid tribute to him with a photographic exhibition in the public library illustrating his work. Among Clapperton's other works are the figure of the Bruce on the esplanade at Edinburgh Castle, the statue of "Literature" on the dome of the Mitchell Library in Glasgow, the "Border Reiver" in Galashiels itself, and