Glasgow Royal Infirmary
Encyclopedia
The Glasgow Royal Infirmary (GRI) is a large teaching hospital
, operated by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde,. With a capacity of around 1000 beds, the hospital campus covers an area of around 20 acre
s, situated on the north-eastern edge of the city centre
of Glasgow
, Scotland
.
and James Adam, the original Royal Infirmary building was opened in December 1794. The infirmary was built beside Glasgow Cathedral
on land that held the ruins of the Bishop's Castle
, which dated from at least the 13th century but had been allowed to fall into disrepair. A Royal Charter was obtained in 1791, that granted the Crown-owned land to the hospital. The original Adams building had five floors (one underground) holding eight wards (giving the hospital just over a hundred beds) and a circular operating room on the fourth floor with a glazed dome ceiling.
After a number of additional buildings were added, the first in 1816, a specialist fever block in 1829 and a surgical block in 1861. Following the amalgamation of the old St. Mungo's College of Medicine into Glasgow University in 1947, the old College buildings on Castle Street officially became part of the hospital campus, until their replacement by the New Building in the early 1980s.
and opened by King George V. In 1924, the surgical block in which Joseph Lister
had worked was also torn down to be replaced. In 1948 the hospital became part of NHS Scotland
.
as early as the late 1940s, but by 1974, the Greater Glasgow Health Board had formally begun plans for the replacement of the 1914 Miller buildings with a brand new building. This would be located on the north of the hospital site overlooking Alexandra Parade and the M8 motorway. The New Building was designed by Sir Basil Spence
in a "modular" fashion, where new blocks could be easily added in phases as funding allowed. In the end, only the first phase of Spence's original design was implemented and was finally completed around 1982. Known as the Queen Elizabeth Building, it also incorporated new accommodation for the hospital's teaching departments, thus replacing the old St. Mungo's College buildings. The new complex is linked to the Surgical Block of the original Royal Infirmary building at basement level via a link corridor, with a further pedestrian entrance at lower basement level on Wishart Street (adjacent to the Necropolis
). Since 1982 the pre-1915 buildings of the Infirmary have been protected as a category B listed building.
After the closure of the Rutherglen Maternity Hospital and the Glasgow Royal Maternity Hospital
, a new maternity block was added to the New Building; the Princess Royal Maternity building opened in 2001. Following the closure of Canniesburn Hospital, in 2005 the Jubilee building was opened, adding purpose-built Accident & Emergency facilities and a plastic surgery unit, this development also saw a new multi-storey car park built over the former site of St. Mungo's College. The Infirmary now has over one thousand beds. Despite the new developments, the original Edwardian buildings continue to be used and are likely to remain in use for the foreseeable future.
In 1856, Joseph Lister
became an assistant surgeon at the Infirmary and a professor of surgery in 1860. Running the new surgery block, Lister noted that about half of his patients died from sepsis
. Having read Louis Pasteur
's paper on rotting and fermentation caused by micro-organisms, Lister experimented to find ways to prevent sepsis. This experimentation lead to using carbolic acid
to clean instruments and hands before and after surgery. Lister's methods were picked up around the world and he is now considered "the father of modern antisepsis".
In 1875, a student of Lister, William Macewen
joined the Infirmary surgery as an assistant surgeon, becoming a full surgeon in 1877. While at the Infirmary he introduced the practice of doctors wearing sterilisable white coats, performed some of the first bone grafts, developing a one-piece osteotome and performing a number of studies on animal bones that lead to treatments for a number of bone-related maladies. His work was immortalised in a number of medical terms, such as MacEwen's triangle, MacEwen's operation
and MacEwen's sign
. A laboratory block, built in 1981 as part of the New Building of the period, bears his name.
In 1896, John Macintyre
, Medical Electrician at the Infirmary, opened one of the first radiological departments in the world.
In 1908, one of MacEwen's students James Hogarth Pringle
, developed the Pringle manoeuvre
which is used to control bleeding during liver surgery.
Professor Ian Donald
, working in the field of obstetrics and gynaecology, was one of the pioneers of diagnostic ultrasound
.
Teaching hospital
A teaching hospital is a hospital that provides clinical education and training to future and current doctors, nurses, and other health professionals, in addition to delivering medical care to patients...
, operated by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde,. With a capacity of around 1000 beds, the hospital campus covers an area of around 20 acre
Acre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
s, situated on the north-eastern edge of the city centre
Glasgow city centre
Glasgow city centre is the central business district of Glasgow, Scotland. Is bounded by the High Street to the east, the River Clyde to the south and the M8 motorway to the west and north which was built through the Townhead, Charing Cross, Cowcaddens and Anderston areas in the 1960s...
of Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
History
Designed by RobertRobert Adam
Robert Adam was a Scottish neoclassical architect, interior designer and furniture designer. He was the son of William Adam , Scotland's foremost architect of the time, and trained under him...
and James Adam, the original Royal Infirmary building was opened in December 1794. The infirmary was built beside Glasgow Cathedral
Glasgow Cathedral
The church commonly known as Glasgow Cathedral is the Church of Scotland High Kirk of Glasgow otherwise known as St. Mungo's Cathedral.The other cathedrals in Glasgow are:* The Catholic Metropolitan Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew...
on land that held the ruins of the Bishop's Castle
Bishop's Castle, Glasgow
The Bishop's Castle, also known as Glasgow Castle, was a medieval castle in Glasgow, Scotland. It served as the residence of the bishops and archbishops of Glasgow Cathedral until the Reformation, when the last Catholic archbishop, James Beaton, fled to France in about 1560...
, which dated from at least the 13th century but had been allowed to fall into disrepair. A Royal Charter was obtained in 1791, that granted the Crown-owned land to the hospital. The original Adams building had five floors (one underground) holding eight wards (giving the hospital just over a hundred beds) and a circular operating room on the fourth floor with a glazed dome ceiling.
After a number of additional buildings were added, the first in 1816, a specialist fever block in 1829 and a surgical block in 1861. Following the amalgamation of the old St. Mungo's College of Medicine into Glasgow University in 1947, the old College buildings on Castle Street officially became part of the hospital campus, until their replacement by the New Building in the early 1980s.
New building
The original Adams building was replaced in 1914 with a new building designed by James MillerJames Miller (architect)
James Miller was a Scottish architect and artist. He is noted for his many buildings in Glasgow and for his Scottish railway stations. Among these are the heavily American-influenced Union Bank building at 110-20 St Vincent Street; his 1901-1905 extensions to Glasgow Central railway station; and...
and opened by King George V. In 1924, the surgical block in which Joseph Lister
Joseph Lister, 1st Baron Lister
Joseph Lister, 1st Baron Lister OM, FRS, PC , known as Sir Joseph Lister, Bt., between 1883 and 1897, was a British surgeon and a pioneer of antiseptic surgery, who promoted the idea of sterile surgery while working at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary...
had worked was also torn down to be replaced. In 1948 the hospital became part of NHS Scotland
NHS Scotland
NHS Scotland is the publicly funded healthcare system of Scotland. Although they are separate bodies the organisational separation between NHS Scotland and the other three healthcare organisations each commonly called the National Health Service in the United Kingdom tends to be hidden from its...
.
Post-war redevelopment
Visions of a brand new hospital on the site had been part of the Bruce ReportBruce Report
The Bruce Report is the name commonly given to two urban redevelopment reports of the Glasgow Corporation ....
as early as the late 1940s, but by 1974, the Greater Glasgow Health Board had formally begun plans for the replacement of the 1914 Miller buildings with a brand new building. This would be located on the north of the hospital site overlooking Alexandra Parade and the M8 motorway. The New Building was designed by Sir Basil Spence
Basil Spence
Sir Basil Urwin Spence, OM, OBE, RA was a Scottish architect, most notably associated with Coventry Cathedral in England and the Beehive in New Zealand, but also responsible for numerous other buildings in the Modernist/Brutalist style.-Training:Spence was born in Bombay, India, the son of Urwin...
in a "modular" fashion, where new blocks could be easily added in phases as funding allowed. In the end, only the first phase of Spence's original design was implemented and was finally completed around 1982. Known as the Queen Elizabeth Building, it also incorporated new accommodation for the hospital's teaching departments, thus replacing the old St. Mungo's College buildings. The new complex is linked to the Surgical Block of the original Royal Infirmary building at basement level via a link corridor, with a further pedestrian entrance at lower basement level on Wishart Street (adjacent to the Necropolis
Glasgow Necropolis
The Glasgow Necropolis is a Victorian cemetery in Glasgow, Scotland. It is on a low but very prominent hill to the east of Glasgow Cathedral . Fifty thousand individuals have been buried here. Typically for the period only a small percentage are named on monuments and not every grave has a stone...
). Since 1982 the pre-1915 buildings of the Infirmary have been protected as a category B listed building.
After the closure of the Rutherglen Maternity Hospital and the Glasgow Royal Maternity Hospital
Glasgow Royal Maternity Hospital
Glasgow Royal Maternity Hospital in Glasgow, Scotland, was founded as the Glasgow Lying-in Hospital and Dispensary in 1834 in Greyfriars Wynd. It moved to St Andrews Square in 1841 then to Rottenrow in 1860...
, a new maternity block was added to the New Building; the Princess Royal Maternity building opened in 2001. Following the closure of Canniesburn Hospital, in 2005 the Jubilee building was opened, adding purpose-built Accident & Emergency facilities and a plastic surgery unit, this development also saw a new multi-storey car park built over the former site of St. Mungo's College. The Infirmary now has over one thousand beds. Despite the new developments, the original Edwardian buildings continue to be used and are likely to remain in use for the foreseeable future.
Notable staff and research
Joseph Lister, 1st Baron Lister
Joseph Lister, 1st Baron Lister OM, FRS, PC , known as Sir Joseph Lister, Bt., between 1883 and 1897, was a British surgeon and a pioneer of antiseptic surgery, who promoted the idea of sterile surgery while working at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary...
became an assistant surgeon at the Infirmary and a professor of surgery in 1860. Running the new surgery block, Lister noted that about half of his patients died from sepsis
Sepsis
Sepsis is a potentially deadly medical condition that is characterized by a whole-body inflammatory state and the presence of a known or suspected infection. The body may develop this inflammatory response by the immune system to microbes in the blood, urine, lungs, skin, or other tissues...
. Having read Louis Pasteur
Louis Pasteur
Louis Pasteur was a French chemist and microbiologist born in Dole. He is remembered for his remarkable breakthroughs in the causes and preventions of diseases. His discoveries reduced mortality from puerperal fever, and he created the first vaccine for rabies and anthrax. His experiments...
's paper on rotting and fermentation caused by micro-organisms, Lister experimented to find ways to prevent sepsis. This experimentation lead to using carbolic acid
Phenol
Phenol, also known as carbolic acid, phenic acid, is an organic compound with the chemical formula C6H5OH. It is a white crystalline solid. The molecule consists of a phenyl , bonded to a hydroxyl group. It is produced on a large scale as a precursor to many materials and useful compounds...
to clean instruments and hands before and after surgery. Lister's methods were picked up around the world and he is now considered "the father of modern antisepsis".
In 1875, a student of Lister, William Macewen
William Macewen
Sir William Macewen, CB, FRS, was a Scottish surgeon. He was a pioneer in modern brain surgery and contributed to the development of bone graft surgery, the surgical treatment of hernia and of pneumonectomy .-Career:Macewen was born near Port Bannatyne, Isle of Bute, Scotland in 1848 and studied...
joined the Infirmary surgery as an assistant surgeon, becoming a full surgeon in 1877. While at the Infirmary he introduced the practice of doctors wearing sterilisable white coats, performed some of the first bone grafts, developing a one-piece osteotome and performing a number of studies on animal bones that lead to treatments for a number of bone-related maladies. His work was immortalised in a number of medical terms, such as MacEwen's triangle, MacEwen's operation
Macewen's operation
Macewen's operation is an operation for the cure of inguinal hernia, developed by Scottish surgeon Sir William Macewen .It is performed by closing the internal ring with a pad made of the hernial sac....
and MacEwen's sign
Macewen's sign
Macewen's sign is a sign used to help to diagnose hydrocephalus and brain abscesses. Tapping the skull near the junction of the frontal, temporal and parietal bones will produce a stronger resonant sound when either hydrocephalus or a brain abscess are present.The sign was discovered and...
. A laboratory block, built in 1981 as part of the New Building of the period, bears his name.
In 1896, John Macintyre
John Macintyre
John Macintyre was a Scottish doctor who set up the world's first radiology department at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary, in Glasgow....
, Medical Electrician at the Infirmary, opened one of the first radiological departments in the world.
In 1908, one of MacEwen's students James Hogarth Pringle
James Hogarth Pringle
James Hogarth Pringle was a surgeon. He was born to George Hogarth Pringle a well known surgeon in Sydney, Australia....
, developed the Pringle manoeuvre
Pringle manoeuvre
The Pringle manoeuvre is a surgical manoeuvre used in some abdominal operations. A large haemostat is used to clamp the hepatoduodenal ligament interrupting the flow of blood through the hepatic artery and the portal vein and thus helping to control bleeding from the liver.Should bleeding though...
which is used to control bleeding during liver surgery.
Professor Ian Donald
Ian Donald
Ian Donald was a Scottish physician who pioneered the use of diagnostic ultrasound in medicine. His article Investigation of Abdominal Masses by Pulsed Ultrasound, published June 7, 1958 in the medical journal The Lancet, was one of the defining publications in the field...
, working in the field of obstetrics and gynaecology, was one of the pioneers of diagnostic ultrasound
Ultrasound
Ultrasound is cyclic sound pressure with a frequency greater than the upper limit of human hearing. Ultrasound is thus not separated from "normal" sound based on differences in physical properties, only the fact that humans cannot hear it. Although this limit varies from person to person, it is...
.