Physicians Of Edinburgh Research Articles

Dr James Mark Jeyasebasingam Supramaniam's links with Edinburgh medicine and the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

Dr James Mark Jeyasebasingam Supramaniam's links with Edinburgh medicine and the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

Research activity among physicians in the United Kingdom: results from the Royal College of Physicians Census 2022

We present the results of the 2022 Census of the Federation of Royal Colleges of Physicians of Edinburgh, Glasgow and London on whether physicians undertake research and the barriers they have encountered. 40% of physicians reported that they undertook research alongside their clinical work. Multivariate analysis of the responses showed that men were 1.6 times more likely to say they undertake research than women. The main barriers to undertaking research were having enough time, organisational factors and a lack of confidence. In this opinion piece we discuss some of the challenges and how they could be addressed.

BAPIO Scotland Annual Meeting Report

15 July 2023, Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
 Themes included- Diversity, equality and inclusion; Innovations; Fitness to practice reform by GMC; Differential Attainment report from RCOpth, Bridging the Gap, Dignity at Work Standards and Personal finances for retirement.

James Walker Dawson: His fingers and their historical context

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is one of the most prevalent neurologic disorders in the world. James Walker Dawson examined, in considerable depth, the gross and histologic patterns of MS. Today, periventricular plaques that exhibit an appearance typical for demyelination are nicknamed “Dawson’s Fingers.” A literature review was conducted on PubMed and Google Scholar to find articles that chronicle the personal and professional life of James Walker Dawson. Research focused on Dawson’s work with disseminated sclerosis, or MS as it is known today. Born in India, Dawson and his family moved to Scotland as a child, and he studied at the Edinburgh Institution. After earning his medical degree, Dawson started his career at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. While his early career focused on the study of wound healing and inflammation, Dawson transitioned into neurologic research under the guidance of Dr. Alexander Bruce in 1908. Dawson’s landmark manuscript, “The Histology of Disseminated Sclerosis,” published in 1916, featured findings from extensive research on the pathology of MS in nine patients. His findings earned him recognition as a founder of autoimmune neurology and foremost contributor to the current understanding of MS.

Editorial introductions.

Editorial introductions.

Past and present: Sir Ian Hill (1904-1982). A vignette.

Sir Ian Hill, who passed away in 1982, was a former President of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. His was an illustrious career, including a brief stint as Dean of the medical school in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The author, a current Fellow of the College describes a brief, yet life-changing encounter with Sir Ian as a student in Ethiopia.

Book Notice: Senior Fellows Club, Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh: Medical Lives: Memories and Musings Senior Fellows Club, Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh: Medical Lives: Memories and Musings.

Book Notice: Senior Fellows Club, Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh: Medical Lives: Memories and Musings Senior Fellows Club, Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh: Medical Lives: Memories and Musings.

SUDDEN LOSS OF VISION: A RARE PRESENTATION OF DIABETIC KETOACIDOSIS IN THE ICU

SUDDEN LOSS OF VISION: A RARE PRESENTATION OF DIABETIC KETOACIDOSIS IN THE ICU

Matthew Baillie (1761-1823): From Shotts to Duntisbourne Abbots.

Matthew Baillie was born in Shotts, Lanarkshire, Scotland in 1761 and died at Duntisbourne Abbots, Gloucestershire, England in 1823. In the intervening years he established himself as one of the foremost anatomists of his day, publishing one of the earliest treatises on pathological anatomy, and then as physician, eventually ministering to the Royal household and other notable patients and earning a considerable fortune in the process. Amongst his many honours he received an Honorary Fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, where he is commemorated in the frieze in the Great Hall. This article follows the trajectory of his career, introducing material not found in previous biographies.

Fraud and Deceit in Medical Research

Fraud and Deceit in Medical Research

COVID-19: the role of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

The entire College, notably officers and staff, responded with resilience and versatility to COVID-19. We strove to remain at the forefront of medical education during rapid change in both medical care and the scientific evidence that supports it. Every department has had to adapt, indeed evolve, to tackle the pandemic, which affected all aspects of College work, notably education, training, examinations, heritage, policy and public affairs. Several of the resulting changes will provide a strong foundation for the future development of the College. These innovations, especially in the nature and delivery of education, will both extend the reach of the College in years to come, and enhance its relevance. Effective though electronic communication has proved over the last 15 months, however, it cannot replace the social coherence and innate teamwork of a Royal College. So we look forward to re-engaging colleagues in the revitalised College.

The Eye of Providence and the Hamsa in medicine

The mural of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh contains a unique symbol of an eye placed in the palm of a hand. The symbol is known by many names—the Eye of Providence, the All-Seeing Eye, and the Eye of Horus—and has been a central symbol of religious and medical organizations across many cultures, including Egyptian, British, Indian, and American. The symbol is also representative of the Hamsa. In Arabic cultures, the Hamsa is a palm-shaped amulet that is popular in jewelry and wall hangings. It is a symbol of protection against evil. Both symbols have an important history with regards to medical practice. This paper examines the history of the Eye of Providence and the Hamsa with regard to their use and meaning within the medical profession.

Editorial introductions.

Editorial introductions.

Joseph Sonnabend: the first AIDS doctor

Photo credit: Simon Watney Joseph Sonnabend was the world’s first AIDS doctor. He never made that claim, and perhaps it wasn’t quite literally true, but fate placed him in New...

Brain Structural Associations with Depression in a Large Early Adolescent Sample (The ABCD Cohort)

Background: Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide with >50% of cases emerging before the age of 25yrs. Large-scale neuroimaging studies in depression implicate robust structural brain differences in the disorder. However most studies have been conducted in adults and therefore, the temporal origins of depression-related imaging features remain unknown. This has important implications for understanding aetiology and informing timings of potential intervention. Methods: Here, we examine associations between brain structure (cortical metrics and white matter microstructural integrity) and depression ratings (from caregiver and child), in a large sample of early adolescents from the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study (N=9981, 9-11-year olds). Findings: We report significantly decreased global cortical and white matter metrics, and regionally in frontal, limbic and temporal areas in adolescent depression (Cohen’s d = -0.018 to -0.041, β = -0.019 to -0.057). Further, we report consistently stronger imaging associations for caregiver-reported compared to child-reported depression ratings. Divergences between reports (caregiver vs child) were found to significantly relate to negative socio-environmental factors (e.g., family conflict, absolute β=0.048 to 0.169). Interpretation: Depression ratings in early adolescence were associated with similar imaging findings to those seen in adult depression samples, suggesting neuroanatomical abnormalities may be present early in the disease course, arguing for the importance of early intervention. Associations between socio-environmental factors and reporter discrepancy warrant further consideration, both in the wider context of the assessment of adolescent psychopathology, and in relation to their role in aetiology. Funding: The study is funded by Wellcome Trust Strategic Award “Stratifying Resilience and Depression Longitudinally” (STRADL) (Reference 104036/Z/14/Z) and MRC Mental Health Data Pathfinder Award (Reference MC_PC_17209). HCW is supported by a JMAS SIM fellowship from the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and by an ESAT College Fellowship from the University of Edinburgh. AMM receives the Wellcome Trust Strategic Award (Reference 104036/Z/14/Z). Declaration of Interests: AMM has received research funding from The Sackler Trust, Eli Lilly and Janssen. No other conflicts of interest declared by other authors. Ethics Approval Statement: The study was approved by the National Institute of Mental Health Data Archive, United States (NIMH). Data was accessed through the NDA data base (http://nda.nih.gov/abcd, Federal-Wide Assurance: FWA00018101).

Shantakumar Dnyaneshwar Bhandarkar

Shantakumar Dnyaneshwar Bhandarkar was a pioneer endocrinologist, devoted physician, inquisitive scientist-researcher, and a passionate teacher. He had a long and distinguished scholastic career at the Seth Gordhandas Sunderdas Medical College...

RCPE symposium - Medicine of the Older Person.

The Medicine of the Older Person symposium was held on Thursday 19 March 2020 at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

Trust by Design: Evaluating Issues and Perceptions within Clinical Passporting.

A substantial administrative burden is placed on healthcare professionals as they manage and progress through their careers. Identity verification, pre-employment screening, and appraisals: the bureaucracy associated with each of these processes takes precious time out of a healthcare professional's day. Time that could have been spent focused on patient care. In the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, it is more important than ever to optimize these professionals' time. This article presents the synthesis of a design workshop held at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE) and subsequent interviews with healthcare professionals. The main research question posed is whether these processes can be re-imagined using digital technologies, specifically self-sovereign identity? A key contribution in the article is the development of a set of user-led requirements and design principles for identity systems used within healthcare. These are then contrasted with design principles found in the literature. The results of this study confirm the need and potential of professionalizing identity and credential management throughout a healthcare professional's career.

Editorial introductions

Editorial introductions

Editorial introductions

Editorial introductions