Free tour

An Injection of Edinburgh Medicine

5.00

Excellent(2)

Edinburgh

Duration: 1 hour and 45 minutes

Languages: English

Guru: Brian

PRO

Verified quality

Registered on 9 December 2019

Hello, my name is Brian and I've been guiding in Edinburgh, Scotland and London for 15 years and very much enjoy showing this fabulous city of Edinburgh to the world. I spent 11 years working at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the Queens Official Residence in Scotland, before studying in London for a year to gain a Special Diploma in Tour Guiding. Today, my focus is on Edinburgh and Scotland and I love learning more about this beautiful city and country.

Free reservation and cancellation

Pay-what-you-want tour, no set price, reservation and cancellation are free

Tour description

AN INJECTION OF EDINBURGH MEDICINE
The City of Edinburgh has an amazing and fascinating history of Medicine and Healthcare and very much has the stories to go along with it. There are many walking tours of Edinburgh but very few go into interesting and in some cases incredible stories of what happened in Edinburgh regarding medicine especially between the 18th and 20th centuries.
In this tour, we explore several striking people, characters, and facts. FOR YOUR INFORMATION THIS TOUR IS NOT SUITABLE FOR THOSE UNDER 18.

These include:
1. Dr. Elsie Inglis. The doctor who helped revolutionize female healthcare in Edinburgh.
2. The story of William Burke and William Hare and their role in medicine.
3. The Bedlam Theatre. Today a student theatre but in the 18th century a psychiatric hospital.
4. Sir James Young Simpson and his "Chloroform Parties".
5. The Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh from the 19th century and an added piece of interest for Beatles fans.
6. Potterow - Where Dr. James Barry lived during her university days.
7. The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. A wonderful museum and riots against female education.
The tour ends with the stunning Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh building with its museum and cafe, both of which are definitely worth a visit in themselves.

This walking tour will give you something different from so many of the walking tours around Edinburgh which talk about the same stories. So get underneath the skin of the city and inject a little piece of Edinburgh's medical history into your soul.

Highlights

What will we see on this tour?

Meeting point:

54 North Bridge, Edinburgh EH1, UK

To meet you I will start the tour at Bella Italia, 54-56 North Bridge, Edinburgh. EH1 1SB. I'll be holding a black umbrella and wearing Doc Martin boots.

Outside visit

54-56 North Bridge

This is our meeting point. I'll be outside the restaurant with a black umbrella and Dr Marten boots.

Outside visit

219 High Street

This is the site of the hospice of Dr Elsie Inglis, one of the first female doctors in Scotland.

Outside visit

grassmarket

A site where the infamous William Burke and William Hare made dubious profits in the early 19th century in an equally dubious trade.

How much does this tour cost?

Free tours do not have a set price, instead, each person gives the guru at the end the amount they consider appropriate (amounts usually range from €15 to $50 depending on satisfaction with the tour).