Bruntsfield Hospital
Encyclopedia
Bruntsfield Hospital was an Edinburgh
hospital which started in 1878 as a women's dispensary (out-patient clinic) opened by the city's first female doctor, Sophia Jex-Blake
. It soon added some beds for in-patients, and moved from a busy, central area to the more peaceful Bruntsfield
before the turn of the century. Its name from 1885, Edinburgh Hospital and Dispensary for Women and Children, continued in formal use into the 1930s, but before 1920 it started to be known as the Bruntsfield Hospital. For a few years, another of Scotland's pioneering female doctors, Elsie Inglis
, was a consultant there. In 1948 the hospital was absorbed into the National Health Service
(NHS); it closed in 1989.
for Women and Children to offer advice and medicines to working-class patients, either subscribers or non-paying "charity" patients. At first she treated out-patients only, although from 1883 a few patients who needed rest were accommodated in her newly-bought Regency
house, Bruntsfield Lodge, to which she also moved her private practice.
The dispensary became the Edinburgh Hospital and Dispensary for Women and Children in 1885, the year when it opened a small ward for in-patients near the original premises. The annual report that year said that "the Provident system was being more and more used to the evident advantage of both patients and doctor".
and Sarah Mair
among them. The following year things were ready for patients to be transferred to the improved hospital.
In 1899 there was discussion about joining forces with Elsie Inglis
and her Medical Women's Club, but Inglis set up a separate small charitable nursing home for maternity patients. In 1904 they moved to bigger premises which they called The Hospice, adding a dispensary, and maintaining links with the establishment at Bruntsfield, where Inglis was appointed senior consultant in 1905. Her partner in private practice was Jessie Macgregor, an ex-student of the Edinburgh School of Medicine for Women
who worked for some years at the Hospital and Dispensary for Women and Children.
in 1911. The Hospice continued to care for mothers and babies, Bruntsfield took gynaecological, medical and surgical patients, and the dispensaries carried on as before. When the new Elsie Inglis Memorial Maternity Hospital
opened in 1925, there was a joint finance and executive committee for the two hospitals, but Bruntsfield Hospital had its own management and continued to have its own identity. In 1939 the Executive Committee adopted the familiar 'Bruntsfield Hospital' name in its formal title.
By 1948, when the hospital became part of the NHS Edinburgh Southern Hospital Group, there had been several additions including a children's ward and specialist facilities. The hospital had 80 beds, and some wards had verandahs overlooking the garden. It had built up a fully female staff with three resident medical officers and a range of consultants; the 1950s saw heated debate about the first appointments of male doctors to the staff. The hospital started to take in geriatric patients in the 1970s.
Reorganisation of the NHS in the 1980s led to the closure of Bruntsfield Hospital in 1989. Napier University
hoped to use the buildings but the city council
turned down their planning applications. In 1991 the exteriors of the Regency house and the 1910-11 annexe were given a Category B listing; three years later the site was developed for residential use.
Jex-Blake's Provident Dispensary was at 73 Grove Street, near Haymarket
, and from 1885 in-patient beds were provided at 6 Grove Street. Her home and private practice were half a mile away at 4 Manor Place in the New Town
. In 1883 she moved to Bruntsfield Lodge, which had been known for decades as Greenhill Cottage, and had a good-sized garden. The 1910-1911 building with a bell roof fronts onto Whitehouse Loan.
Elsie Inglis' first nursing home was at 11 George Square. In 1904 this moved to 219 High Street and was called the Hospice.
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
hospital which started in 1878 as a women's dispensary (out-patient clinic) opened by the city's first female doctor, Sophia Jex-Blake
Sophia Jex-Blake
Sophia Louisa Jex-Blake was an English physician, teacher and feminist. She was one of the first female doctors in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, a leading campaigner for medical education for women and was involved in founding two medical schools for women, in London and in...
. It soon added some beds for in-patients, and moved from a busy, central area to the more peaceful Bruntsfield
Bruntsfield
Bruntsfield is an area of Edinburgh, Scotland, about twenty minutes walk south-west of the city centre. In feudal times it fell within the barony of Colinton.-Location:...
before the turn of the century. Its name from 1885, Edinburgh Hospital and Dispensary for Women and Children, continued in formal use into the 1930s, but before 1920 it started to be known as the Bruntsfield Hospital. For a few years, another of Scotland's pioneering female doctors, Elsie Inglis
Elsie Inglis
Elsie Inglis was an innovative Scottish doctor and suffragist.-Education:She was born in the hill station town of Naini Tal, India, to John Forbes David Inglis who worked in the Indian civil service as Chief Commissioner of Oudh...
, was a consultant there. In 1948 the hospital was absorbed into the National Health Service
National Health Service
The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
(NHS); it closed in 1989.
Origins
In 1878 Jex-Blake opened the Edinburgh Provident DispensaryProvident dispensary
A public dispensary, charitable dispensary or free dispensary gives advice and medicines free-of-charge, or for a small charge.Examples of pre-20th century dispensaries for patients who could not pay a doctor's usual fee include:...
for Women and Children to offer advice and medicines to working-class patients, either subscribers or non-paying "charity" patients. At first she treated out-patients only, although from 1883 a few patients who needed rest were accommodated in her newly-bought Regency
Regency architecture
The Regency style of architecture refers primarily to buildings built in Britain during the period in the early 19th century when George IV was Prince Regent, and also to later buildings following the same style...
house, Bruntsfield Lodge, to which she also moved her private practice.
The dispensary became the Edinburgh Hospital and Dispensary for Women and Children in 1885, the year when it opened a small ward for in-patients near the original premises. The annual report that year said that "the Provident system was being more and more used to the evident advantage of both patients and doctor".
1899 - 1910
When Jex-Blake retired and moved away in 1899, she left funds for trustees to buy or build a new hospital. In fact her own house was bought and fitted out by the hospital committee: a committee led by well-connected women active in various social reform projects, Flora StevensonFlora Stevenson
Flora Clift Stevenson was a Scottish social reformer with a special interest in education for poor or neglected children, and in education for girls. She was one of the first women in the United Kingdom to be elected to a school board...
and Sarah Mair
Sarah Mair
Dame Sarah Elizabeth Siddons Mair, DBE was a Scottish campaigner for women's education and women's suffrage, active in the Edinburgh Association for the University Education of Women and the Ladies' Edinburgh Debating Society, which she founded before she was 20.-Life:Born into a well-to-do family...
among them. The following year things were ready for patients to be transferred to the improved hospital.
In 1899 there was discussion about joining forces with Elsie Inglis
Elsie Inglis
Elsie Inglis was an innovative Scottish doctor and suffragist.-Education:She was born in the hill station town of Naini Tal, India, to John Forbes David Inglis who worked in the Indian civil service as Chief Commissioner of Oudh...
and her Medical Women's Club, but Inglis set up a separate small charitable nursing home for maternity patients. In 1904 they moved to bigger premises which they called The Hospice, adding a dispensary, and maintaining links with the establishment at Bruntsfield, where Inglis was appointed senior consultant in 1905. Her partner in private practice was Jessie Macgregor, an ex-student of the Edinburgh School of Medicine for Women
Edinburgh School of Medicine for Women
The Edinburgh School of Medicine for Women was founded by Dr Sophia Jex-Blake in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1886, with support from the National Association for Promoting the Medical Education of Women....
who worked for some years at the Hospital and Dispensary for Women and Children.
Expansion, change and closure
Financial and administrative amalgamation came in 1910, when a new hospital building was constructed in the grounds of the old 'Lodge' and officially opened by Queen MaryMary of Teck
Mary of Teck was the queen consort of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, as the wife of King-Emperor George V....
in 1911. The Hospice continued to care for mothers and babies, Bruntsfield took gynaecological, medical and surgical patients, and the dispensaries carried on as before. When the new Elsie Inglis Memorial Maternity Hospital
Elsie Inglis Memorial Hospital
The Elsie Inglis Memorial Hospital was a hospital in Abbeyhill, Edinburgh, Scotland, and was founded in 1925 as a memorial to Elsie Inglis. Backing onto Holyrood Park just east of Holyrood House, Edinburgh, Scotland, it was well liked for its intimate atmosphere by mothers who often referred to...
opened in 1925, there was a joint finance and executive committee for the two hospitals, but Bruntsfield Hospital had its own management and continued to have its own identity. In 1939 the Executive Committee adopted the familiar 'Bruntsfield Hospital' name in its formal title.
By 1948, when the hospital became part of the NHS Edinburgh Southern Hospital Group, there had been several additions including a children's ward and specialist facilities. The hospital had 80 beds, and some wards had verandahs overlooking the garden. It had built up a fully female staff with three resident medical officers and a range of consultants; the 1950s saw heated debate about the first appointments of male doctors to the staff. The hospital started to take in geriatric patients in the 1970s.
Reorganisation of the NHS in the 1980s led to the closure of Bruntsfield Hospital in 1989. Napier University
Napier University
Edinburgh Napier is one of the largest higher education institutions in Scotland with over 17,000 students, including nearly 5,000 international students, from more than 100 nations worldwide.-History:...
hoped to use the buildings but the city council
City council
A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...
turned down their planning applications. In 1991 the exteriors of the Regency house and the 1910-11 annexe were given a Category B listing; three years later the site was developed for residential use.
Footnotes
Addresses and other details:Jex-Blake's Provident Dispensary was at 73 Grove Street, near Haymarket
Haymarket, Edinburgh
Haymarket is an area of Edinburgh, Scotland. It is in the west of the city and is a focal point for many main roads, notably Dalry Road , Corstorphine Road and Shandwick Place .Haymarket contains a number of popular pubs, cafés and...
, and from 1885 in-patient beds were provided at 6 Grove Street. Her home and private practice were half a mile away at 4 Manor Place in the New Town
New Town, Edinburgh
The New Town is a central area of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. It is often considered to be a masterpiece of city planning, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site...
. In 1883 she moved to Bruntsfield Lodge, which had been known for decades as Greenhill Cottage, and had a good-sized garden. The 1910-1911 building with a bell roof fronts onto Whitehouse Loan.
Elsie Inglis' first nursing home was at 11 George Square. In 1904 this moved to 219 High Street and was called the Hospice.