Archival Resources
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North-East of Scotland and Highlands & Islands for research in the History of Medicine
One of aims of the Diet, Disease & Death Group is to create and maintain a list of archival and library resources in the North-East, and the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, for research in the history of medicine, for the information of prospective postgraduate researchers and others.
The following archives have responded with details on their collections, opening hours and addresses:
Aberdeen City Archives - Old Aberdeen Branch
These archives hold the records of local government administration of Aberdeen, Banff, Kincardine and Elgin/Moray. They also comprise records of poor relief, education, property valuation and electoral registration along with various burgh and county material. The principal source for researching health and mortality in the 19th and early 20th centuries are the records of the parochial boards and parish councils. These include minute books, registers of applications and registers of guardians, and contain details of the physical and/or mental condition of individual applicants as well as, occasionally, the cause and place of death. Minutes of various environmental and public health committees can be found in the county council series dating from 1890. The corresponding letter-books, where these have survived, may also contain significant material relating to public health. Responsibility for public health and sanitation was also shouldered at burgh level. This is apparent in the following examples: Burgh of Banff, Soup Kitchen minutes (1899-1963); Burgh of Inverbervie, Public Wells Committee minutes (1806-1840s), Register of Cow-keepers, Dairymen and Purveyors of Milk (1879); Burgh of Stonehaven, Public Health & Cleansing Committee minutes (1890-1924), Water and Sewerage Committee minutes (1890-1923). Comprehensive paper catalogues to all our holdings are available in the search room for consultation. The search room is open to the public from Monday to Wednesday, 9.30 am to 1 p.m., 2 p.m. to 4.30 p.m. Access to the Archives is by appointment only. Requests for appointments and general inquiries should be made in the first instance to Aberdeen City Archives, Old Aberdeen House, Dunbar Street, Aberdeen, AB24 1UE (tel. 01224-481775).
Aberdeen City Archives - Town House Branch
This archive administer the records of the Royal Burgh of Aberdeen as well as a number of privately deposited collections. The council minutes and court books date from 1398, the sasine registers from 1484 and a regular series of accounts and letter books from the sixteenth century, making this one of the finest medieval and early burgh archive in the British Isles. The City Archives maintains several records series which deal specifically with medicine and health, such as the Public Health Department minutes (1867-84) and Medical Officer of Health reports (1940-71). Material relating to public health and sanitation in a broader sense includes the following smaller collections and single volumes:
1) various Press
18 items relating to meal provision in the 1740s.
2) report
of the committee on spring water (1792).
3) Aberdeen
Public Soup Kitchen minutes (1827-1988).
4) papers
of the Aberdeen Association for the Improvement of the Dwellings of the Labouring
Classes (1862-78).
5) register
of patients at the Smallpox Hospital, Mounthooly (1872-75).
6) Waste
Collection Committee minutes (1917-19).
7) Cleansing
Department files (20th century).
Information on mortality can be gleaned from the various burial and lair registers kept in the Archives (late 18th-20th centuries) as well as from the Kirk and Bridgework accounts which contain the mortcloth lists for St Nicholas Church (1851-1872). Researchers should note that the Town Council minutes (1398 onwards), and letter-books (1582-1846), that also contain a wide range of information on epidemics, sanitary conditions, public health as well as hospital provision. Likewise, the early Police Commissioners' minute books and correspondence (1795-1891), are valuable sources for public health information due to the Commissioners' early responsibilities for public sanitation and refuse collection. Deposited records which may be of interest include the records of Voluntary Service Aberdeen, which comprise a variety of early social welfare committees and groups, for example, the minutes and annual reports of the Sick Man's Friend Society (1835-1978) and the Association for Improving the Condition of the Poor (1870-1939). The search room is open to the public from Wednesday to Friday, between the hours of 9.30 and 4.30. Due to the limited number of reader spaces available, access to the Archives is by appointment only. Requests for appointments, as well as general inquiries, should be made in the first instance to the Aberdeen City Archives, Town House, Broad Street, AB10 1AQ (tel. 01224 522513).
Aberdeen Central Library - Reference and Local Studies Department
The Reference and Local Studies department houses printed Annual Reports of a number of local medical institutions, including the Aberdeen Dispensary, Royal Infirmary, Lunatic Asylum, Morningfield Hospital and reports of the Medical Officer of Health. These date mainly from the late 19th to the mid 20th century and give details of administration, finance and staffing in addition to statistics of patients, disease treated etc.
The department has a considerable collection of printed pamphlet and ephemeral material, dated from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, relating to medical education, conditions, epidemics and hygiene. The vast majority of the autjors worked locally either in the field of medical education or as practising physicians.
Since most of these items are not on open access, it is advisable to give advance notice of material required for consultation.
Reference and Local Studies Department, Central Library, Rosemount Viaduct, Aberdeen AB25 1GW, opening hours 9.00 am - 9.00 pm Mon - Fri; 9.00 am - 5.00 pm Sat. Telephone 652512. Fax 626118.
Aberdeen Medico-Chirurgical Society Library
The library holds local material collected over the years since the foundation of the Society in 1789. Thence, the Minutes of the Society are complete. The library also holds the following: the McGrigor manuscripts (approximately 60 volumes concerned with Sir James McGrigor's military service 1794-1814); manuscript volumes of medical lectures dating from 1776 onwards; manuscript volumes of papers given to the Society in its early years; doctors' midwifery books & account books; books of local medical interest; a collection of old medical instruments.
Access is by appointment only with the Honorary Librarian, Mr. Alexander Adam, Aberdeen Medico-Chirurgical Society, Medical Centre, Foresterhill, Aberdeen AB9 2ZB. Tel. 01224 681818 ext. 52737.
Aberdeen University Library Division (Special Collections & Archives)
The Department of Special Collections and Archives holds the archival records of King's College (founded 1495) and Marischal College (founded 1593). At both provision was made for the teaching of medical subjects.
The Department also contains the records for: the united University of Aberdeen from 1860; medical institutions of the North-East; individuals active in the field of medicine. Dictates and lecture-notes from the 17th to the 20th century provide evidence of the courses of instruction pursued at King's & Marischal Colleges and the University of Aberdeen. College minutes and (after 1860) the minutes of Senatus and the Faculty of Medicine record policies and practice in teaching and research. Printed course prospectuses and (after 1860) Calendars give syllabuses and required texts. The records of King's and Marischal list members of the medical profession who acquired MDs from the Colleges. Copies of theses formally presented for the MD and other higher degrees are held from 1883, as are some research papers. The papers of the Aberdeen Medical Club 1868-75 and of the Garioch and Northern Medical Association and Buchan Medical Society 1854-1935 are held. The papers of individuals include, e.g., the detailed case notes of Dr David Skene, a local physician (Dean of Faculty, Marischal College, 1767-1770) and a founding member of the Aberdeen Philosophical Society. Manuscripts of the published work of Alexander Bain (1855-61) are also held, as are diaries and case notes of Jonathan Troup (1788-97) reflecting his experiences as a physician in the West Indies as well as in Aberdeen. The history of medicine is a major strength also of printed holdings. Duncan Liddell (d. 1613), professor of medicine at Helmstedt, bequeathed his books to Marischal, whilst Alexander Reid (d. 1641), distinguished medical practitioner in London, bequeathed his medical books to King's. In 1782, 1300 volumes of scientific and medical works were presented to Marischal by John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute, Chancellor, followed in 1790 by medical books from Sir William Fordyce, and in 1859 by the medical library (c. 3,000 volumes) of Sir John Forbes, MD, London. The right of King's College from 1710 to 1836, under the Copyright Act (1709), to claim a copy of every book registered at Stationers' Hall contributed significantly to the depth of the Library's early holdings, not least in popular medicine. The library of some 3,000 volumes bequeathed by Dr Alexander Henderson of Caskieben, who practised as a physician in London, contains many medical works of the period 1750-1850, plus a number of rare 16th-century medical texts, and about 60 Edinburgh medical theses from the early 19th century. Medical and scientific books form the core of the library of John Gregory (1724-73) augmented to some 2,000 volumes by other members of that distinguished academic dynasty. The Phillips Library of Pharmacology and Therapeutics is based on the bequest of Charles D F Phillips (1831-1904), MB MD (Marischal) LLD (Aberdeen), founder of the Phillips Scholarship. Much material emanating from local institutions and individuals is to be found in the Local Collection and in the Thomson, Herald and King Pamphlet Collections. The pi, SB, KCx, FL, GY, HN and Phillips collections contain most of the other material mentioned above.
Material will be fetched on request for consultation in the Reading Room of the Department which is open on Mondays-Fridays, 9.30 a.m.-4.30 p.m. Prior contact is advisable to avoid delays in receiving material. Telephone: 01224 272598; fax: 01224-273891; e-mail: speclib@abdn.ac.uk
Aberdeen University - Medical School Library
The Medical School building, which opened on the Foresterhill site in 1938, included a small library and when the School was extended in the early 1950s a slightly larger library was included at the west end of the building. The completion of the present four-storey Medical School Library in 1972, and its total refurbishment in 1995, allowed it to become one of the best equipped in the UK with 35,000 books and 55,000 bound journals. The amalgamation of stock and theses all on one site following the recent closure of Marischal College Library has consolidated the Library's position as the premier medical information centre in the North of Scotland. Over the years tape/slide and, to a lesser extent, video have come and gone while text books, scholarly monographs and biomedical journals continue to proliferate. Lengthy runs of the British Medical Journal (1863-), Lancet (1835-), foreign language journals such as Zentralblatt für die medizinische Wissenschaft (1863-1915), Virchows Archiv für pathologische Anatomie und Physiologie und für klinische Medizin (1847-1988), Annales de l'Institut Pasteur (1887-1972), Annales d'hygiène publique et de médecine légale (1829-1951) are held. Extensive collections of nineteenth century books and complete runs of the Medical Directory (1850-) and Medical Register (1859-) continue in regular usage. The 1990s have seen a vast increase in computer and interactive multimedia provision, with 'end-user' information resources such as networked Medline completely overtaking the earlier and more expensive mediated online search systems.Medical School Librarian: Dr. P. D. Lawrence. For details of the opening hours etc. phone (01224) 6852488. Fax (01224) 685157.
Highland Council Archive
The archive is primarily responsible for preserving those records deemed of archival value produced by local authorities once existing within the boundaries of the present Highland Council. These comprise six County authorities, namely Caithness, Sutherland, Ross & Cromarty, Inverness-shire, Nairn & North Argyll, plus thirteen Burghs. The County records date from the early 18th century, the Burgh records from the late 15th century. In the case of Inverness there is a continuous run of Burgh records from 1556 plus a large collection of process papers produced by the Sheriff and High Courts during the 18th and early 19th centuries. The archives of a number of Highland families and businesses are also held, plus an extensive map collection. The main Inverness repository holds some interesting doctors' reports on the cholera epidemic in Inverness in 1832. Health matters feature in the numerous Parochial Board minutes for the Highland parishes (1845 to 1930) and public health concerns are to be found in the relevant Burgh minutes. The archive also has a good collection of 20th century education records, particularly for Inverness County, which, up to 1975, included most of the Western Isles (including St Kilda). There are many references to children's health and hygiene in these records in addition to the school log books. The Archive also administers the Council genealogical service that holds copies of census returns and parish registers for the whole Highland area.
A guide to the Highland Council Archive has recently been produced for sale at a cost of £7.00 plus £2.50 postage.
The archive is open Monday-Thursday, by appointment only. The address is Highland Council Archive, Inverness Library, Farraline Park, Inverness, IV1 1NH. Tel 01463 220330, fax 01463 711128.
Highland Health Board
The archives comprise of pre- and post-NHS material from the highlands and inner islands of Scotland. Information on their day to day management is provided by the Highland Health Sciences Library. Records relate to hospitals and health authorities in the area and date mostly from the mid-19th century, although minutes and financial records of the Royal Northern Infirmary start in 1798. Other material includes minutes, financial records, patient and staff registers, case notes, nurse training records and annual reports. The collection also includes administrative records from the Northern Regional Hospital Board, as well as material from the local authority health departments. The usual closure periods for administrative records (30 years) and for personal and medical information (75 years for adults and 100 years for minors) applies.
Inquiries should be made first to the area librarian, Mrs. Rebecca Higgins (Highland Health Sciences Library, Stirling University, Highland Campus, Old Perth Road, Inverness IV2 3FG). Tel.: (01463) 705269. Please contact the library well in advance if you intend to visit, as there is no open access to the collection and material has to be retrieved for consultation.
Northern Health Services Archives
This body administers the archives of Grampian and Highland Health Boards. These comprise the records of hospitals and other health-related institutions that have existed and/or still exist in Grampian and Highland and date from 1739 and 1799 respectively. Most 18th and 19th-century records are of hospitals (general and specialist), asylums and poorhouses which became NHS hospitals. The records contain information not only on the administrative and financial affairs of the hospitals, but also on individuals who were managers, staff, patients or benefactors. Material from the 20th century includes the records of the local National Insurance Committees set up under the 1911 National Health Insurance Act and the records of local NHS administrative bodies as well as those of individual hospitals. Also contained in the archives are the records of various local authority health departments that, prior to 1974, had responsibility for a range of healthcare services. Some administrative records are subject to closure for periods of 30 years while those containing confidential, personal or medical information are closed for 75 years (100 years in the case of minors).
Access to the archives is by appointment only and records may be consulted on weekdays during office hours.
Inquiries should be directed to the archivist, Miss F R Watson, at Northern Health Services Archives, ARI Woolmanhill, Aberdeen AB25 1LD (tel. 01224 555562).
North Highland Archive
The archive was officially opened in October 1995 to administer the archival records of the County of Caithness. The Archive is the official place of deposit for the records generated by local government administration in Caithness. Regarding the subject of health/welfare in general, the Archive holds such collections as:
- Wick and Pulteneytown District Nursing Association Minute Books (1893-1946);
- Combination Poorhouse of Wick and Latheron Minute Books/Admission Registers (1857-1953);
- Bignold Hospital Minute Books (1939-1948), Admission Registers (1857-1953);
- District of Caithness, Lunacy Board Minute Book (1858-1930);
- District Committee of Caithness, Public Health Minute Books (1890-1908), (1908-1916).
Lisa Farrelly, Archivist, North Highland Archive, Wick Library, Sinclair Terrace, Wick, CAITHNESS, KW1 5AB. Opening hours weekdays 10 a.m.-1, 2-5.30 p.m.; except Weds. 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Tel.: (01955) 606432; Fax:(01955) 603000.
Orkney Archives
The archives administer the records of Orkney Islands Council and its predecessor authorities but in addition to the records of the local authority also are responsible for Orkney church records and a wide range of gifts and deposits. In addition, the following categories of records are kept under charge and superintendence of the Keeper of the Records of Scotland: Orkney Sheriff Court, Justice of the Peace Court, Admiralty Court, Customs and Excise. Local authority records which contain information relevant to the study of medicine and health would include applications for relief made to relevant parochial boards and parish councils; reports of the medical officer of health to the burgh and county councils; council and committee minutes; housing records; hospital plans. Annual reports of the school medical officer can be found among the records of the Orkney Education Authority. Access to some of these records may be restricted as some are subject to the 75-Year closure rule. A wide variety of information relating to the practice of medicine, disease, etc., can be found among the gifts and deposits. This ranges from the records of Balfour Hospital Trustees in the Macrae and Robertson collection, to correspondence regarding smallpox vaccination, 18th century medical students' notebooks, medical prescriptions and accounts, etc. The photographic and sound-archive also contain relevant information. Microfilm material is also available, notably local newspapers, census, parish registers, etc., but also copies of records held in Edinburgh such as the Orkney section of the Poor Law Inquiry Report of 1843, which includes evidence of local medical practitioners.
Orkney Archives is normally open to the public Monday-Friday (9.00 am-1.00 p.m.; 2.00 p.m.-4.45 p.m.). Readers are strongly advised to make contact with the department in advance of their visit as facilities are limited and space, especially in the summer months, and access cannot be guaranteed without an appointment. Inquiries should be directed to Miss A Fraser, Orkney Archives, The Orkney Library, Laing Street, Kirkwall, Orkney KW15 1NW (Tel: 01856 873166 Fax 01865 875260)