List of historical medical schools in the United Kingdom
Encyclopedia
This list of historical medical schools in the United Kingdom
includes all medical schools that were once part of medical education in the United Kingdom
, but now are either no longer under the authority of the UK or have ceased to exist. This includes those medical schools in Ireland, previously part of the United Kingdom, that are now part of the Irish education system.
s in London were founded centuries before the University of London. Their students qualified with diplomas from the Royal College of Surgeons
and/or the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries
, and latterly (until 1999) the Conjoint
diplomas of MRCS, LRCP. When London University degrees became available, the other diplomas were often attempted first.
Until recent decades, most of the pre-clinical output of the Oxford
and Cambridge
universities went to the London teaching hospitals: they could return to their original universities to take their medical degrees, or take the London qualifications. Small numbers went elsewhere in the UK, e.g. to Edinburgh University, and rarely further afield, such as to Harvard.
Before medical education became systematically ordered in the 19th century, it was possible to count attendance at a London teaching hospital towards an Edinburgh or Glasgow degree.
's School of Medicine was set up in Dublin under British rule in 1855. The university's qualifications were not recognised by the state, but the medical students were able to take the licentiate examinations of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
, which still runs the last surviving non-university medical school in the British Isles. The Catholic University's school became independent in 1892 and in 1909 became part of University College, Dublin, and its students thereafter took the MB BCh BAO degrees of the National University of Ireland.
system, as this could be a stepping stone to a university post) in the 19th century. These teachers were later organised into a single extramural school. Both university and extramural students could qualify with the licentiate exams of the Royal Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons.
Polish School of Medicine (Polish Medical Faculty) at the University of Edinburgh.
This school operated in Edinburgh from 1941 to 1949, originally to provide doctors for I Polish Army Corps which had been evacuated to Britain after the fall of France in World War II. At first it enabled medical students from the Polish universities, which had all been closed by the German administration, to complete their courses and qualify. Instruction and examination were mostly in Polish. As well as the university's facilities, the Paderewski Hospital was set up on the Western General Hospital site. It was not feasible to move the school as a unit to Poland after the liberation. The school was both a faculty of the University of Edinburgh and a university authorised by the Polish government in exile (in London), and the Dean also had the powers of a Polish Rector Magnificus. Of 337 students enrolled, 227 graduated, 38 transferred to British universities and 71 discontinued their studies. The school awarded both British degrees of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery and a Polish Dyplom Lekarza on the same bilingual Latin-Polish certificate. Nineteen progressed to Doctor of Medicine (MD).
In the late 19th century there was a School of Medicine for Women at Minto House.
had an extramural component similar to that of Edinburgh.
Anderson's University/College (the non degree-granting precursor of Strathclyde University) had its own Medical Faculty from 1800 to 1887, when the parent institution became part of the Glasgow and West of Scotland Technical College.
Anderson's College Medical School became independent in 1887. It prepared students for the LRCP, LRCS, LRFPS diploma or the equivalent English Conjoint
examinations but not for Glasgow University degrees. This school was attended by large numbers of Americans who were excluded from US East Coast schools by the Jewish quotas applied there before World War II.
St Mungo's College Medical School was set up in 1876 by the medical teachers of the Glasgow Royal Infirmary
(GRI), after the university had migrated westwards and set up the new Western Infirmary for clinical teaching. At first their students could not take the university examinations. St Mungo's College also had a non-university law school, which prepared accountants and law agents but not advocates. In 1947 it was absorbed into the University of Glasgow
's Faculty of Medicine, whose teaching departments remain based within GRI to the present day. The college buildings on the GRI campus remained in use until 1982, when the teaching departments moved into the-then new Queen Elizabeth Building - a multi-storey car park now stands on the site of St. Mungo's College.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
includes all medical schools that were once part of medical education in the United Kingdom
Medical education in the United Kingdom
Medical education in the United Kingdom includes educational activities involved in the education and training of medical doctors in the United Kingdom, from entry-level training through to continuing education of qualified specialists. A typical outline of the medical education pathway is...
, but now are either no longer under the authority of the UK or have ceased to exist. This includes those medical schools in Ireland, previously part of the United Kingdom, that are now part of the Irish education system.
London
Most of the teaching hospitalTeaching 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...
s in London were founded centuries before the University of London. Their students qualified with diplomas from the Royal College of Surgeons
Royal College of Surgeons of England
The Royal College of Surgeons of England is an independent professional body and registered charity committed to promoting and advancing the highest standards of surgical care for patients, regulating surgery, including dentistry, in England and Wales...
and/or the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries
Worshipful Society of Apothecaries
The Worshipful Society of Apothecaries of London is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. Originally, apothecaries were members of the Grocers' Company and before this members of the Guild of Pepperers formed in London in 1180...
, and latterly (until 1999) the Conjoint
Conjoint
The conjoint was a basic medical qualification in the United Kingdom administered by the United Examining Board. It is now no longer awarded. The Conjoint Board was superseded in 1994 by the United Examining Board, which lost its permission to hold qualifying medical examinations after 1999.Medical...
diplomas of MRCS, LRCP. When London University degrees became available, the other diplomas were often attempted first.
Until recent decades, most of the pre-clinical output of the Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
and Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
universities went to the London teaching hospitals: they could return to their original universities to take their medical degrees, or take the London qualifications. Small numbers went elsewhere in the UK, e.g. to Edinburgh University, and rarely further afield, such as to Harvard.
Before medical education became systematically ordered in the 19th century, it was possible to count attendance at a London teaching hospital towards an Edinburgh or Glasgow degree.
Dublin
The Catholic University of IrelandCatholic University of Ireland
The Catholic University of Ireland was a Catholic university in Dublin, Ireland and was founded in 1851 following the Synod of Thurles in 1850, and in response to the Queen's University of Ireland and its associated colleges which were nondenominational...
's School of Medicine was set up in Dublin under British rule in 1855. The university's qualifications were not recognised by the state, but the medical students were able to take the licentiate examinations of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland , is a Dublin-based medical institution, situated on St. Stephen's Green. The college is one of the five Recognised Colleges of the National University of Ireland...
, which still runs the last surviving non-university medical school in the British Isles. The Catholic University's school became independent in 1892 and in 1909 became part of University College, Dublin, and its students thereafter took the MB BCh BAO degrees of the National University of Ireland.
Edinburgh
In Edinburgh, students accumulated "duly performed" certificates from classes and clinics to become eligible to take the examinations. For the university exams, at least half of the classes had to be in the university, but the rest could be from teachers recognised by the Royal Colleges (a kind of PrivatdozentPrivatdozent
Privatdozent or Private lecturer is a title conferred in some European university systems, especially in German-speaking countries, for someone who pursues an academic career and holds all formal qualifications to become a tenured university professor...
system, as this could be a stepping stone to a university post) in the 19th century. These teachers were later organised into a single extramural school. Both university and extramural students could qualify with the licentiate exams of the Royal Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons.
Polish School of Medicine (Polish Medical Faculty) at the University of Edinburgh.
This school operated in Edinburgh from 1941 to 1949, originally to provide doctors for I Polish Army Corps which had been evacuated to Britain after the fall of France in World War II. At first it enabled medical students from the Polish universities, which had all been closed by the German administration, to complete their courses and qualify. Instruction and examination were mostly in Polish. As well as the university's facilities, the Paderewski Hospital was set up on the Western General Hospital site. It was not feasible to move the school as a unit to Poland after the liberation. The school was both a faculty of the University of Edinburgh and a university authorised by the Polish government in exile (in London), and the Dean also had the powers of a Polish Rector Magnificus. Of 337 students enrolled, 227 graduated, 38 transferred to British universities and 71 discontinued their studies. The school awarded both British degrees of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery and a Polish Dyplom Lekarza on the same bilingual Latin-Polish certificate. Nineteen progressed to Doctor of Medicine (MD).
In the late 19th century there was a School of Medicine for Women at Minto House.
Glasgow
The Glasgow Medical SchoolGlasgow Medical School
Glasgow School of Medicine is the medical school of the University of Glasgow and is one of the largest in Europe, offering a 5 year MBChB degree course. The School of Medicine is renowned for its integrated learning approach and strong international research links...
had an extramural component similar to that of Edinburgh.
Anderson's University/College (the non degree-granting precursor of Strathclyde University) had its own Medical Faculty from 1800 to 1887, when the parent institution became part of the Glasgow and West of Scotland Technical College.
Anderson's College Medical School became independent in 1887. It prepared students for the LRCP, LRCS, LRFPS diploma or the equivalent English Conjoint
Conjoint
The conjoint was a basic medical qualification in the United Kingdom administered by the United Examining Board. It is now no longer awarded. The Conjoint Board was superseded in 1994 by the United Examining Board, which lost its permission to hold qualifying medical examinations after 1999.Medical...
examinations but not for Glasgow University degrees. This school was attended by large numbers of Americans who were excluded from US East Coast schools by the Jewish quotas applied there before World War II.
St Mungo's College Medical School was set up in 1876 by the medical teachers of the Glasgow Royal Infirmary
Glasgow Royal Infirmary
The Glasgow Royal Infirmary 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 acres, situated on the north-eastern edge of the city centre of Glasgow, Scotland.-History:Designed by Robert...
(GRI), after the university had migrated westwards and set up the new Western Infirmary for clinical teaching. At first their students could not take the university examinations. St Mungo's College also had a non-university law school, which prepared accountants and law agents but not advocates. In 1947 it was absorbed into the University of Glasgow
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
's Faculty of Medicine, whose teaching departments remain based within GRI to the present day. The college buildings on the GRI campus remained in use until 1982, when the teaching departments moved into the-then new Queen Elizabeth Building - a multi-storey car park now stands on the site of St. Mungo's College.