The Public Dispensary of Edinburgh is regarded as the first free-of-charge hospital in Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

. It gave rise to both the first Department of General Practice and, in 1963, the first Chair of General Practice in the world, both at the University of Edinburgh

University of Edinburgh

The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...

.

The public dispensary was founded in 1776 by physician Andrew Duncan

Andrew Duncan (doctor)

Andrew Duncan FRSE FRCPE FSA was a Scottish physician. He was born at Pinkerton, by St Andrews, in Fife, and educated nearby at the University of St Andrews...

 (1744–1828), who provided the impoverished in the city with free medical

Medicine

Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....

 advice. Their individual cases were presented to medical students taught by Duncan.

The dispensary received a royal charter

Royal Charter

A royal charter is a formal document issued by a monarch as letters patent, granting a right or power to an individual or a body corporate. They were, and are still, used to establish significant organizations such as cities or universities. Charters should be distinguished from warrants and...

on 13 January 1818, becoming the Royal Public Dispensary of Edinburgh.