Bill H. Jenkins

Royal Medical Society of Edinburgh plaque

Mar 242017

1 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh EH1 1AD

On this site stood the hall of the Royal Medical Society between 1852 and 1966. The Society was, and still is, run by students at the University of Edinburgh Medical School. First founded by a group of medical students as the ‘Medical Society’ in 1737, it received its Royal Charter in 1778. The Society has had many illustrious members over the years, including Benjamin Franklin, Charles Darwin and Joseph Lister. It is still in existence but has now moved to new premises on Bristo Square.

Royal Medical Society of Edinburgh plaque.

Find out more

Royal Medical Society

St Bernard’s Well

History of Medicine No Responses »

Mar 242017

Upper Dean Terrace, Edinburgh EH3 6TS

This natural spring beside the Water of Leith was discovered in 1760 and rapidly became popular with citizens of Edinburgh suffering from a variety of medical conditions. The foul tasting, sulphurous water was claimed to be a cure for all manner of ailments from general aches and pains to blindness. The building in the form of a Ancient Greek temple that now sits over the well was designed by the painter Alexander Nasmyth (1740–1840) and built in 1789. It surrounds a statue of Hygeia, the Greek goddess of health.

Only periodically open to the public on Open Doors Day.

Site of the old Royal Infirmary

History of Medicine 2 Responses »

Mar 242017

Infirmary Street, Edinburgh EH1 1LT

Edinburgh Royal Infirmary moved to this site in 1741. The old Infirmary, which first opened its doors in the nearby Robertson’s Close in 1729, had only four beds, quite inadequate for the city’s needs. The new hospital was granted patronage and a charter by King George II and had 228 beds. Over the decades the Infirmary grew to occupy most of the land between Infirmary Street and Drummond Street. By the 1860s the hospital was again proving inadequate and plans were made to move the hospital to Lauriston Place in 1879.

Royal Infirmary plaque, Infirmary Street.

Find out more

Lothian NHS: Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh History

Site of James Barry’s student lodgings

History of Medicine No Responses »

Mar 242017

74 Potterrow, Edinburgh EH8 9BT

In 1812, long before women could enrol at Edinburgh’s medical school, a woman born under the name Margaret Ann Bulkley (c.1799–1865) successfully graduated with an MD from the University of Edinburgh. This is the site of the house where she lodged as a student. To enrol at the university she had to disguise herself as a man, using the name she is now better known under, James Barry. Barry went on the serve with distinction as a surgeon in the British Army in India and South Africa. Her true gender was only revealed after her death.

James Barry with John, a servant, and his dog, Psyche.

Find out more

The University of Edinburgh: James Barry (1797–1865)

Science Museum: Brought to Life – James Barry (1792 or 1795–1865)

The Royal Observatory Edinburgh

History of Astronomy, History of Physics No Responses »

Jul 252016

The Royal Observatory

Blackford Hill View, Edinburgh EH9 3HJ

A new observatory for Edinburgh was opened in 1896 on top of one of the Braid Hills. It was made possible by the largesse of James Ludovic Lindsay, 26th Earl of Crawford and 9th Earl of Balcarres, a keen and extremely wealthy amateur astronomer, who left his instruments and library to the Scottish nation – now forming the world-renowned Crawford Collection. The situation of the observatory gives it spectacular vistas over the city, Salisbury Crags and Arthur’s Seat. The observatory is still in use and is home to the University of Edinburgh’s Institute of Astronomy and the UK Astronomy Technology Centre (an establishment of the UK’s Science and Technology Facilities Council), Higgs Centre for Innovation (a business incubator and innovation facility), several spin-off companies and a Visitor Centre.

It is possible to visit the observatory, but only by prior arrangement. You can find out how to book from the link the the observatory’s website below.

Caricature of James Ludovic Lindsay, 26th Earl of Crawford (1847–1913)

Detail of the observatory buildings

Star design on the brackets for a downpipe at the Royal Observatory

Find out more

Merchiston Castle

History of Physics No Responses »

Jul 252016

Merchiston Campus, Napier University, 10 Colinton Road, Edinburgh EH10 5DT

Now on the campus of Napier University, Merchiston Castle was once the family home of John Napier (1550–1617). It was here that Napier developed the concept of logarithms. Napier was inspired by the work of Paul Wittich, one of the assistants of the famous Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe, whose work was brought back to Scotland by John Craig, a Scot who taught mathematics at the University of Frankfurt an dem Oder. Logarithms have many important applications, including plotting the tranjectories of the rockets that took the first men to the moon.

No public access.

Portrait of John Napier, 1616.

John Napier plaque, Merchiston Castle.

Find out more

Outlook tower (Camera Obscura)

History of Astronomy, History of Physics No Responses »

Jul 252016

The Camera Obscura at the top of the Royal Mile

549 Castlehill, Edinburgh EH1 2ND

Edinburgh is home to the oldest camera obscura in Britain, which first opened in 1853. The original proprietor of this popular tourist attraction was Maria Theresa Short, who came from a family of Edinburgh scientific instrument makers and had previously run a Popular Observatory on Calton Hill, before this was closed by the City Council in 1851. The camera obscura allows visitors to view scenes of the surrounding streets, projected onto a large table in the viewing room. Nowadays the other rooms in the tower are given over to a variety of exhibitions on optics.

The Camera Obscura and World of Illusions is open to the public on purchase of a ticket. See link below for times and prices.

Detail of the Camero Obscura tower.

Find out more

Site of John James Waterston’s house

History of Physics No Responses »

Jul 252016

Former Waterson's sealing wax factory. 46 Pleasance, Edinburgh EH8 9TJ

John James Waterston (1811-83) lived in a house on St John’s Hill, next to the sealing wax factory owned by his family. The house is long since gone, but the factory building still stands. Waterson, a surveyor by profession, wrote a paper on the kinetic theory of gases, which he submitted to the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society in 1845. It was rejected by the referee, Sir John William Lubbock, as ‘nothing but nonsense’. Only after Waterston’s death was it realised that the paper had prefigured the later theory of Rudolf Clausius and James Clerk Maxwell.

John James Waterston (1811–83).

Find out more

University of St Andrews: John James Waterston

Birthplace of James David Forbes

History of Physics No Responses »

Jul 252016

86 George Street, Edinburgh EH2 3BU

James David Forbes, who was born at this address, pipped his mentor David Brewster to the post of Professor of Natural Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh in 1833, much to the disgust of the latter. As Brewster was aware, Forbes’ appointment owed more to political connections rather than to his scientific reputation. Nonetheless, he went on to do important research on the polarisation and refraction of radiant heat. This work revealed the similarity of heat to visible light, promoting the idea of a continuous spectrum of radiation. He also taught Edinburgh’s most famous physicist, James Clerk Maxwell.

The ground floor of the house is now a shop.

James David Forbes (1809–68).

Find out more

Encyclopaedia Britannica: James David Forbes

Site of the Luckenbooths

History of Physics No Responses »

Jul 252016

Royal Mile, Edinburgh EH1 1SG

In the centre of the High Street close to this spot in the 17th century stood the so-called ‘luckenbooths’. In one of these was the family home of John Keill. Keill deserves the blame for inspiring the acrimonious priority dispute between Sir Isaac Newton and Gottfried Leibniz over the invention of the calculus. In 1701 he accused Leibniz of taken Newton’s unpublished work on ‘fluxions’ and publishing it as his own, calling them ‘differentials’. Newton was convinced by Keill of Leibniz’s plagiarism and so began a long and bitter dispute between them and their followers.

1647 map of Edinburgh by James Gordon of Rothiemay showing luckenbooths behind St Giles Cathedral.

Find out more

University of St Andrews : John Keill

Older Entries Newer Entries

New Curious Edinburgh tours

On October 23 we will be officially launching our newest tour on the History of Witchcraft in Edinburgh during an event at the Edinburgh Futures Institute starting at 3pm. Please register here and hope to see you there!

On International Women’s Day 2024, we launched a new tour featuring locations in Edinburgh connected to amazing women in STEM. Celebrate equality, diversity and inclusion in STEM by taking a look at Edinburgh-connected women who have made an impact in a wide range of STEM fields.

Check out our new bird trail! We are currently working on the development of coastal trails, in collaboration with Traveltech for Scotland and the Royal Society of Edinburgh’s Young Academy Scotland’s Coastal Knowledge map. Here you can upload your own experiences of the coast, including birds you have spotted.

Last year we added the Second World War tour developed by academics from the schools of Social and Political Science and History, Classics and Archeology.