The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE) is a
medical royal college In the United Kingdom, some Commonwealth realm, Commonwealth realms and Republic of Ireland, Ireland, a medical royal college is a professional body responsible for the development of and training in one or more medical speciality, medical specialit ...
in Scotland. It is one of three organisations that set the
specialty training standards for physicians in the United Kingdom. It was established by
royal charter
A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, but ...
in 1681. The college has over 14,000 fellows and members worldwide, who are entitled to use using the post-nominal MRCP(Edin) or FRCP(Edin).
History
The RCPE was formed by a royal charter, granted in 1681, with
Sir Robert Sibbald
Sir Robert Sibbald (15 April 1641 – August 1722) was a Scottish physician and antiquary.
Life
He was born in Edinburgh, the son of David Sibbald (brother of Sir James Sibbald) and Margaret Boyd (January 1606 – 10 July 1672). Educated at t ...
recognised as playing a key part in the negotiations.
Three applications preceded this and had been unsuccessful.
There were 21 original Fellows, eleven of whom were graduates or students of the
University of Leiden
Leiden University (abbreviated as ''LEI''; ) is a public research university in Leiden, Netherlands. Established in 1575 by William, Prince of Orange as a Protestant institution, it holds the distinction of being the oldest university in the Neth ...
.
The
Universities (Scotland) Act 1858
The ancient university governance structure in Scotland is the organisational system imposed by a series of Acts of Parliament called the Universities (Scotland) Acts 1858 to 1966. The Acts applied to what were termed the 'older universities': the ...
resulted in several items from the college's charter becoming obsolete, and they obtained a further charter on 31 October 1861.
In 1920 the college enacted changes that allowed women to be admitted on the same terms as men.
The charter was further amended on 7 May 2005.
Edinburgh Pharmacopoeia
In 1699 the college first published a medical guide with standardised recipes ''Pharmacopoea Colegi Regii Medicorum Edimburgensium''; thirteen editions of this
Edinburgh Pharmacopoeia
The ''Edinburgh Pharmacopoeia'' was a medical guide consisting of recipes and methods for making medicine. It was first published by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh in 1699 as the ''Pharmacopoea Collegii Regii Medicorum Edimburgens ...
were published until 1841 when it was replaced by a
British Pharmacopoeia
The ''British Pharmacopoeia'' (''BP'') is the national pharmacopoeia of the United Kingdom. It is an annually published collection of quality standards for medicinal substances in the UK, which is used by individuals and organisations involve ...
.
Buildings
In 1704 the college acquired a house and grounds on Fountain Close, off the
Cowgate
The Cowgate (Scots language, Scots: The Cougait) is a street in Edinburgh, Scotland, located about southeast of Edinburgh Castle, within the city's World Heritage Site. The street is part of the lower level of Edinburgh's Old Town, Edinburgh, ...
, in the
Old Town
In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins. In some cases, newer developments on t ...
.
On 27 November 1775,
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 ...
laid the foundation stone for a new hall and library in George Street in the
New Town
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz (South Korean band), The Boyz
* New (album), ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
** New (Paul McCartney song), "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013
* New (EP), ''New'' (EP), ...
. Architect
James Craig had ideas about expansion but the builders of neighbouring properties found favour instead. The hall was not fully completed until 1830.
The great cost of the hall's exterior exhausted the college's finances, leaving no money to finish the interior. The college's debt was so great that there was talk of selling the Hall before it was even occupied. The Hall was sold to the
Commercial Bank of Scotland
The Commercial Bank of Scotland Ltd. was a Scotland, Scottish commercial bank. It was founded in Edinburgh in 1810, and obtained a royal charter in 1831. It grew substantially through the 19th and early 20th centuries, until 1958, when it merge ...
in 1841 and was demolished.
Between 1843 and 1846 the college did not own a meeting place, instead renting premises at 119 George Street.

The foundation stone of a new Hall at 9
Queen Street was laid on 8 August 1844.
The new Queen Street Hall was designed by
Thomas Hamilton.
The Queen Street Hall was completed in 1846.
An adjacent building, 8 Queen Street, was designed by
Robert Adam
Robert Adam (3 July 17283 March 1792) was a British neoclassical architect, interior designer and furniture designer. He was the son of William Adam (architect), William Adam (1689–1748), Scotland's foremost architect of the time, and train ...
as a house for
Robert Ord
Robert Ord FRS (1700 – 12 February 1778) was a British lawyer and politician.
Life
Ord was born the son of John Ord, Under-Sheriff of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, of Newbiggin, Fenham and Newminster, Northumberland, and his wife, Anne Hutchinson.
...
and built between 1770 and 1771, one of the earliest New Town constructions.
In 1868 it was purchased by the college, who then leased it to other organisations until 1957.
A restoration project began in 1990 and lasted seven years.
Numbers 11 and 12 were built around 1780. They were purchased by the college in the 20th century. The space behind 11 was used for the Conference Centre and 12 contains flexible meeting rooms and office space.
In 1984 the college put
Richard Dadd
Richard Dadd (1 August 1817 – 7 January 1886) was an English painter of the Victorian era, noted for his depictions of fairies and other supernatural subjects, Orientalist scenes, and enigmatic genre scenes, rendered with obsessively minuscule ...
's painting of
Alexander Morison
Sir Alexander Morison M.D. (1 May 1779 – 14 March 1866) was a Scottish physician and Psychiatry, alienist (psychiatrist).
Life
Morison was born at Anchorfield, near Edinburgh, and was educated at Edinburgh High School and the University o ...
up for sale, to raise money to treat dry rot.
Sibbald Library

In 1682,
Robert Sibbald
Sir Robert Sibbald (15 April 1641 – August 1722) was a Scottish physician and antiquary.
Life
He was born in Edinburgh, the son of David Sibbald (brother of Sir James Sibbald) and Margaret Boyd (January 1606 – 10 July 1672). Educated at t ...
donated around one hundred books to the college.
At the end of the 18th century, the library was located at the Royal Infirmary.
The college's library in Queen Street bears Sibbald's name in commemoration.
The library also has artefacts, such as a medicine chest that belonged to
Stuart Threipland
Stuart Threipland MD, FRCPE (18 May 17161805) was a Scottish physician. He was the son of Sir David Threipland, the second baronet of Fingask and, like his father, was an active Jacobite. After qualifying MD from the University of Edinburgh in ...
, physician to
Bonnie Prince Charlie
Charles Edward Louis John Sylvester Maria Casimir Stuart (31 December 1720 – 30 January 1788) was the elder son of James Francis Edward Stuart, making him the grandson of James VII and II, and the Stuart claimant to the thrones of England, ...
. In the 1960s, the information held by the library was modern. From the sixties onward, medical information became more available and college's library became more known for its historical works.
In 2015, a project with 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 ...
digitised a collection of 5,000 letters of William Cullen from the mid-1750s to 1790, making them available online.
, the college has catalogued more than 30,000 records that are in its archives.
Laboratory
In 1888 the college decided to establish its own research laboratory, and initially rented a house in Lauriston Lane, near the Royal Infirmary.
A three-storey building on Forest Road was acquired, and in 1896 was formally opened as the college's new laboratory. It had areas equipped and fitted for a range of disciplines: Bacteriological, Chemical, and Histological and Experimental.
With the creation of the
NHS
The National Health Service (NHS) is the term for the publicly funded health care, publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom: the National Health Service (England), NHS Scotland, NHS Wales, and Health and Social Care (Northern ...
, the laboratory could no longer depend upon income from their reporting service, and it closed in 1950.
Publications

The
Journal of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
The ''Journal of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh'' is a peer-reviewed medical journal covering research in clinical medicine, medical education
Medical education is vocational education, education related to the practice of bein ...
(JRCPE) is a peer-reviewed medical journal published quarterly by the college. It was established in 1971 as ''Chronicle'', renamed in 1988 as ''Proceedings of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh'', and obtained its current title in 2002.
Membership
Following successful completion of the
MRCP(UK) or
MRCPCH examinations, doctors are eligible to become Members of the college.
See also
*
List of presidents of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
References
Further reading
*
*
External links
*
{{Authority control
1681 establishments in Scotland
Category A listed buildings in Edinburgh
Scottish medical associations
Professional associations based in Scotland
Organisations based in Edinburgh
College of Physicians of Edinburgh
Physicians of Edinburgh
Science and technology in Edinburgh