College Timeline

A charter is granted by Charles II for the establishment of the College following decades of petitioning by its founders, particularly Robert Sibbald, physician, botanist and Geographer Royal.

The College resolves to appoint fellows to visit the sick poor of the city in their homes and treat them free of charge.

The College establishes its first meeting house in Fountain Close, in Edinburgh’s Old Town.

The ‘little house’ hospital is established in rented premises at the head of Robertson Close, financed by a College appeal. Initially staffed by College Fellows, this goes on to become the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, Scotland’s first public hospital.

The foundation stone is laid for the College’s new premises, on Queen Street, where it still resides today. The architect of the new hall, Thomas Hamilton, is also responsible for the Royal High School, on Calton Hill, and Edinburgh’s Dean Gallery.

The Triple Qualification agreement comes into operation. This allows the College to examine physicians and grant their Licence to practice jointly with the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow and the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.

The Extra-Mural School of Medicine is established by the College, in collaboration with the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. The purpose of the school is to formalise the medical education taking place outside the city’s university, granting licences to teach to approved lecturers. In 1948 the school is closed, its work being absorbed into that of the University of Edinburgh.

Sir John Crofton is appointed Chair of Respiratory Diseases and Tuberculosis at the University of Edinburgh. Over the next few years Sir John leads the team which pioneers the development of the combined treatment and cure for tuberculosis known as the Edinburgh Method. Sir John later becomes President of the College from 1973-76.

The MRCP (Membership of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the United Kingdom) is introduced. This is a postgraduate medical diploma jointly administered by this College, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow and the Royal College of Physicians of London. Those who pass the assessment are able to become members of any of these colleges.

The first issue of the Proceedings of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh is published. This goes on to become The Journal of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) is established by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges in Scotland. The College is a lead participant in its establishment and hosts the SIGN Secretariat until its merger into NHS Quality Improvement Scotland in 2004. Professor Jim Petrie, the Founding Chair of SIGN, is also President of the College from 1997-2001. SIGN becomes internationally recognised for its clinical guideline development methodology and contribution to the development of evidence based medicine and has gone on to publish over 150 clinical guidelines.

Smoke free legislation in Scotland is introduced (preventing smoking in public places). The College acted as a lead participant within the Scotland Cleaner Air Now coalition which advocated for legislation.

The College’s holds the 50th annual St. Andrewstide Symposium. In an accompanying poll, Fellows and Members vote antibiotics as the most important medical development in the last 50 years.

The Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) (Scotland) Act is passed, but it’s implementation was delayed due to legal challenge.  The College (through SHAAP) has been a lead participant in the advocacy of minimum pricing as a policy measure to reduce alcohol-related harm. The policy was finally enacted in 2018.