Medicine as culture : Edinburgh and the Scottish Enlightenment
Within fifty years of its foundation in 1726 the Edinburgh Medical School had become the pre-emjnent centre of medical education in the English speaking world. This pre-eminence was part of the cultural movement known as the Scottish Enlightenment. What is attempted here is an elucidation of the intellectual content of the medicine taught at Edinburgh during the period 1726-1776 and the relation of its specific features to the changing Scottish social and philosophical context. When the School was founded its comprehensive curriculum was virtually a copy of that created by Hermann Boerhaave at Leyden. The professors at Edinburgh taught that medicine was a systematic body of knowledge which was to be learned synthetically, beginning with Newtonian natural philosophy. The establishment of Boerhaave's medical system in Edinburgh signified the increasing power in the city of pro-union,improvement minded Scots committed to the values of the Enlightenment. The Edinburgh medical courses on offer in the 1770s had overall similarity with those of the earlier period. The professors still taught that medicine was a systematic discipline which should be based on natural philosophy. However the foreign, Boerhaavian system
Lawrence, Christopher John
Edinburgh Medical School 1726-1776
Medicine as culture : Edinburgh and the Scottish Enlightenment. Within fifty years of its foundation in 1726 the Edinburgh Medical School had become the pre-emjnent centre of medical education in the English speaking world. This pre-eminence was part of the cultural movement known as the Scottish Enlightenment. What is attempted here is an elucidation of the intellectual content of the medicine taught at Edinburgh during the period 1726-1776 and the relation of its specific features to the changing Scottish social and philosophical context. When the School was founded its comprehensive curriculum was virtually a copy of that created by Hermann Boerhaave at Leyden. The professors at Edinburgh taught that medicine was a systematic body of knowledge which was to be learned synthetically, beginning with Newtonian natural philosophy. The establishment of Boerhaave's medical system in Edinburgh signified the increasing power in the city of pro-union,improvement minded Scots committed to the values of the Enlightenment. The Edinburgh medical courses on offer in the 1770s had overall similarity with those of the earlier period. The professors still taught that medicine was a systematic discipline which should be based on natural philosophy. However the foreign, Boerhaavian system
medicine culture edinburgh scottish_enlightenment within foundation edinburgh medical school become pre centre medical education english_speaking world pre eminence part cultural movement know scottish_enlightenment attempted elucidation intellectual content medicine taught edinburgh period relation specific_feature change scottish social philosophical context school found comprehensive curriculum virtually copy create professor edinburgh teach medicine systematic body_knowledge learn begin newtonian natural_philosophy establishment medical system edinburgh signify increase power city pro union improvement mind scots commit value enlightenment edinburgh medical course offer overall similarity professor still teach medicine systematic discipline base natural_philosophy however foreign system