Edward McCombie McGirr (1916-2003) was Muirhead professor of medicine at

Glasgow Royal Infirmary The Glasgow Royal Infirmary (GRI) is a large teaching hospital. With a capacity of around 1,000 beds, the hospital campus covers an area of around , and straddles the Townhead and Dennistoun districts on the north-eastern fringe of the city cen ...

, a former President of the

Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow is a global community of over 15,000 Members working together to develop skills, knowledge and leadership to drive the highest standards in healthcare. For 425 years, the Royal College of ...

and Dean of Faculties at the

University of Glasgow The University of Glasgow (abbreviated as ''Glas.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals; ) is a Public university, public research university in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by papal bull in , it is the List of oldest universities in continuous ...

Early life and career

Born in

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...

, Lanarkshire, Scotland on 15 June 1916 and educated at the prestigious

Hamilton Academy Hamilton Academy was a Boarding school, boarding and day school in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It was founded in 1588 as a boy's school and was open for nearly four centuries. In the late 19th century, ...

school from which he won a bursary to attend the

which he entered in 1934, McGirr graduated BSc in 1937 and MB ChB with honours in 1940. AM RoyalInfirmary CharlesStreet

Following house posts in medicine at

and in surgery at

Glasgow Western Infirmary The Western Infirmary was a teaching hospital situated in Yorkhill in the West End of Glasgow, Scotland, that was managed by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. It was opened in 1874 and closed in 2015. History After the University of Glasgow moved f ...

McGirr entered the RAMC (

Royal Army Medical Corps The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) was a specialist corps in the British Army which provided medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace. On 15 November 2024, the corps was amalgamated with the Royal Army De ...

) (1941–46) largely serving overseas, in India, Burma, Siam and Indochina. Brigadier Max Rosenheim ( Max Rosenheim, Baron Rosenheim) noted his potential which led to McGirr's promotion to specialist rank (honorary major.) Demobilised in 1947, McGirr returned to the Department of Medicine at Glasgow Royal Infirmary where he was highly instrumental in the change of the department from a teaching department to one involved in clinical research, this leading to the award of MD with honours and the Bellahouston Medal by

Glasgow University The University of Glasgow (abbreviated as ''Glas.'' in post-nominals; ) is a public research university in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by papal bull in , it is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ...

Mid career

In 1961 McGirr was appointed Muirhead Professor of Medicine at Glasgow Royal Infirmary and over the next fifteen years his department emerged as one of the best in the UK for clinical research. In 1963 he was elected a member of the

Harveian Society of Edinburgh The Harveian Society of Edinburgh was founded in April 1782 by Andrew Duncan (physician, born 1744), Andrew Duncan. The Society holds an annual Festival in honour of the life and works of William Harvey, the physician who first correctly des ...

and served as President in 1979. In 1968 appointed vice-president of the

McGirr then served as president from 1970 to 1972. In 1974 Professor McGirr was appointed Dean of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Glasgow, a post held until his retirement in 1981. Professor McGirr established the Nursing and Health Care School at the University of Glasgow in 1977, which offered a four year undergraduate pre-registration Bachelor of Nursing degree programme.

Later career and retirement

McGirr was to serve on a wide range of advisory bodies, including the Scottish Council for Postgraduate Medical and Dental Education, the medical sub-committee of the Universities' Grants Committee, the medical committee of Vice Chancellors and Principals, the

General Nursing Council General Nursing Councils for England & Wales, Scotland, and Ireland (then one country and part of the United Kingdom) were established by three country specific Nurses Registration Act 1919, Nurses Registration Acts 1919. Each General Nursing C ...

for Scotland, the National Radiological Protection Board and the Intercollegiate Committee on Nuclear Medicine. Other appointments included honorary consultant physician to the army in Scotland, and membership of Greater Glasgow Health Board. In recognition of his work, McGirr was appointed a

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

in 1978, an honorary

DSc DSC or Dsc may refer to: Education * Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) * District Selection Committee, an entrance exam in India * Doctor of Surgical Chiropody, superseded in the 1960s by Doctor of Podiatric Medicine Educational institutions * Dyal Sin ...

in 1995, and fellowships of the

Royal Society of Edinburgh The Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and non-partisan basis and provides public benefit throughout Scotland. It was establis ...

and the

American College of Physicians The American College of Physicians (ACP) is a Philadelphia-based national organization of internal medicine physicians, who specialize in the diagnosis, treatment, and care of adults. With 161,000 members, ACP is the largest medical-specialty or ...

. He was also appointed to the post of Dean of Faculties at Glasgow University (1992-94.) In retirement Professor McGirr published an account of the life of the celebrated 18th. century physician

William Cullen William Cullen (; 15 April 17105 February 1790) was a British physician, chemist and agriculturalist from Hamilton, Scotland, who also served as a professor at the Edinburgh Medical School. Cullen was a central figure in the Scottish Enli ...

who almost 200 years before had, like himself, been educated at the

school and

. Professor Dr. McGirr died on 12 May 2003.
Royal College of Physicians, Monk's Roll - biography, retrieved 2010-10-16

References

External links

University of Glasgow - biography Professor Edward McGirr
{{DEFAULTSORT:McGirr, Edward Mccombie 1916 births 2003 deaths People educated at Hamilton Academy Alumni of the University of Glasgow Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 20th-century Scottish medical doctors Scottish scholars and academics Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Office bearers of the Harveian Society of Edinburgh Members of the Harveian Society of Edinburgh People from Hamilton, South Lanarkshire Royal Army Medical Corps officers Academics of the University of Glasgow