Caroline Doig (1938 – 14 November 2019) was a paediatric surgeon and the first woman to be elected to the

Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) is a professional organisation of surgeons. The College has seven active faculties, covering a broad spectrum of surgical, dental, and other medical practices. Its main campus is located o ...

council.

Early life and education

Doig was born in

Forfar Forfar ( sco, Farfar, gd, Baile Fharfair) is the county town of Angus, Scotland and the administrative centre for Angus Council, with a new multi-million pound office complex located on the outskirts of the town. As of 2021, the town has a po ...

, Scotland, in 1938. She attended the South School in Forfar, and

Forfar Academy Forfar Academy is a comprehensive school serving the community in and around the market town of Forfar, Angus, Scotland. In 2019, Forfar Academy was ranked 251 out of 339 secondary schools in Scotland for pupils achieving 5 highers or more. Nota ...

. She graduated from the

University of St Andrews (Aien aristeuein) , motto_lang = grc , mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best , established = , type = Public research university Ancient university , endowment ...

, and began surgical training in Dundee, followed by paediatric training in

Great Ormond Street Hospital Great Ormond Street Hospital (informally GOSH or Great Ormond Street, formerly the Hospital for Sick Children) is a children's hospital located in the Bloomsbury area of the London Borough of Camden, and a part of Great Ormond Street Hospi ...

in London, where she received her

ChM CHM may refer to: Biology and medicine * CHM, abbreviation for Clearing House Mechanism under the Convention on Biological Diversity * CHM, a human gene that encodes Rab escort protein 1 * Choroideremia, a retinal disease caused by mutations in the ...

(Master in Surgery) on staphylococcal wound infection and bacterial transmission.

Career

Her first post was at

Dundee Royal Infirmary Dundee Royal Infirmary, often shortened to DRI, was a major teaching hospital in Dundee, Scotland. Until the opening of Ninewells Hospital in 1974, Dundee Royal Infirmary was Dundee's main hospital. It was closed in 1998, after 200 years of op ...

in 1962. In 1975, Doig became a senior lecturer in paediatric surgery at the

University of Manchester The University of Manchester is a public university, public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester city centre, Manchester City Centre on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road. The university owns and operates majo ...

. She worked as Consultant Paediatric Surgeon at

Booth Hall Children's Hospital Booth Hall Children's Hospital was a children's hospital at Blackley in Manchester. It was managed by Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. History Booth Hall was built during the early 17th century by Humphrey Booth, a ...

and St Mary's Hospital in Manchester. Doig was elected to The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh council in 1984, serving three terms of office. She was the first women elected to Council at The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and at any royal college. She was also Chairman of the General Medical Council in 1991, the first woman to hold this position. She was also President of the

Medical Women's Federation The Medical Women's Federation is the largest UK body of women doctors. The organisation is dedicated to the advancement of the personal and professional development of women in medicine and to improving the health of women and their families i ...

in the 1980s, a body which promotes women in medicine. Doig retired in April 2000. In 2018, she was invited to unveil a plaque at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh commemorating the achievements of the '

Edinburgh Seven The Edinburgh Seven were the first group of matriculated undergraduate female students at any British university. They began studying medicine at the University of Edinburgh in 1869 and, although the Court of Session ruled that they should nev ...

', the first group of matriculated undergraduate female students at any British university.

Legacy

In 2007, the Royal College of Surgeons Edinburgh awarded the first Hunter-Doig Medal. It is named for Caroline Doig and Alice Headwards-Hunter, the first woman to sit and pass the examinations of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in 1920. The silver medal is awarded by the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh every second year, recognising excellence within the female membership.

Personal life

Doig published her autobiography, ''Enilorac: Hands of a Lady'' in 2018, on her experiences becoming a surgeon. Doig died on 14 November 2019, aged 81.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Doig, Caroline 1938 births 2019 deaths Women pediatricians Women surgeons Pediatric surgeons Scottish surgeons Alumni of the University of St Andrews People from Forfar