Physicians Of Edinburgh Research Articles

RCPE Symposium - Cardiology.

The Cardiology symposium was held on Thursday 31 October 2019 at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh

The Scottish Enlightenment. Links Between Philosophy and Medicine in the Activities of Philosophical Societies

What is analysed in this paper is the connection between philosophical thinking and medicine based on activity of institutional bodies such as societies, clubs or voluntary institutions. Special emphasis will be placed on cooperation between philosophers and physicians of Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow societies. Some activities of the Glasgow Philosophical Society, the Aberdeen Philosophical Society – the Wise Club, and the Philosophical Society of Edinburgh will be presented, including the active participation of physicians in those societies with a description of related topics discussed at meetings and, as a result, some linked publications. A brief analysis performed here allows us to show how the philosophical knowledge and rational thinking became the background for medicine diagnoses and, at the same time, how developing medical science influenced philosophical thinking of those days, and created a new philosophical paradigm. The interaction between the men of science in Scotland, the scientists who very often knew each other, led to that incredible development in 18th-century Scotland.

Editorial introductions

Editorial introductions

St Andrew’s Day Paediatric Symposium Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh: Friday, 17 November 2017

St Andrew’s Day Paediatric Symposium Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh: Friday, 17 November 2017

Editorial introductions

Editorial introductions

Improving the effectiveness of communication in hospitals for people with communication difficulties: results of an online Phase II survey.

In a recent paper a working group set up by the Lay Advisory Committee of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE) had looked into the problems of patients with severe communication difficulties in hospital (J R Coll Physicians Edinb 2017; 47: 211-3). The present online survey expands on this with the objective of garnering the views of physicians on this matter. An invitation aimed at physicians to complete an online survey was made through the recently published paper. The survey was open between September and December 2017. There were 83 completed surveys. A total of 69 of the returns were UK based, with the remainder from Asia, Australia, Africa and non-UK Europe and one unidentified location. The majority (44) were consultants, the remainder included those in core medical training, general practice and psychology. A wide range of medical departments were represented in the returns, with the largest returns coming from care of the elderly and acute medical departments. Four key themes were highlighted by responders: time, training, resources and environment. Based on these results, the working group have embarked upon the next phase of the project with three main tasks: firstly, to work with the RCPE to disseminate the survey findings to a wider audience; secondly, to collate the detailed suggestions for improvement to be used alongside the survey findings and any subsequent documentation or advice; thirdly, to formulate with the RCPE a strategy to promote good practice in hospitals related to the experiences of patients with severe communication difficulties.

Are we doing enough to tackle preventable causes of cancer: an interview with Professor Linda Bauld.

Linda Bauld speaks to Roshaine Wijayatunga, Managing Commissioning Editor. Linda Bauld is Professor of Health Policy, Director of the Institute of Social Marketing and Dean of Research Impact at the University of Stirling. She also holds the CRUK/BUPA Chair in Behavioral Research for Cancer Prevention at Cancer Research UK and is Deputy Director of the UK Center for Tobacco and Alcohol Studies, a UKCRC Center for Public Health Excellence covering 13 Universities. She is a behavioral scientist with a particular interest in interventions, services and policies that can prevent chronic disease including cancer. She is a former scientific advisor to the UK government on Tobacco Control, President of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco, Europe and a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

Editorial introductions

Editorial introductions

Latest developments in clinical stroke care.

Stroke medicine has seen rapid developments in diagnosis and management, and consequently improved prognosis. Management of ischaemic stroke, in particular, has benefited from these advances. The approach to management has evolved from one of historical passivity to active intervention with time of the essence following stroke onset. The last decade has seen the comparative effectiveness of several pharmacological agents being tested, creating significant randomised controlled trial evidence to support the management of common clinical problems following acute stroke. While several of these interventions are widely available, some remain less accessible. This review will discuss the latest developments in clinical stroke medicine, based on a symposium presentation at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, and reference key randomised controlled trial evidence in an effort to provide a balanced perspective on our current understanding of acute ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke.

Bruce Campbell Ogilvie

Bruce Campbell Ogilvie was born in Edinburgh and educated at George Heriot’s School. After considering a variety of possible careers including forestry and meteorology, towards the end of his school...

The Enduring Legacy of 250 Years of Pharmacology in Edinburgh.

In 1768, 250 years ago, the University of Edinburgh appointed Francis Home to the first chair of materia medica, the accumulated knowledge of materials used in healing. Francis Home and his colleagues were determined to improve the quality of medical training in Edinburgh by introducing a final examination and compiling a catalog of medicines validated by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The catalog, known as the Edinburgh Pharmacopoeia, was a great success, partly due to the orderly nature of its contents, its routine editing to eliminate worthless entries, and the introduction of new treatments whose preparation was precisely documented. In a relatively short time, the worth of the Edinburgh Pharmacopoeia was recognized throughout Europe, America, and the British Empire. Today, the British and European Pharmacopoeias are catalogs of publicly available, legally enforceable standards for active pharmaceutical ingredients and finished dosage forms of pharmaceutical products and medical devices. Home and the many luminaries who succeeded him would surely take pleasure and pride in the fact that the mantra of today's medicines regulators worldwide is little different from that of these early visionaries: "To take better advantage of the best possible science in the service of the public health and our health-care systems" ( 1 , p. 492).

A Deiodinase 2 Polymorphism May Lower Serum T3 and Tissue T3 in Levothyroxine-Treated Patients

Clinical ThyroidologyVol. 29, No. 9 SummariesA Deiodinase 2 Polymorphism May Lower Serum T3 and Tissue T3 in Levothyroxine-Treated PatientsJerome M. HershmanJerome M. HershmanSearch for more papers by this authorPublished Online:1 Sep 2017https://doi.org/10.1089/ct.2017;29.338-340AboutSectionsView articleView Full TextPDF/EPUB Permissions & CitationsPermissionsDownload CitationsTrack CitationsAdd to favorites Back To Publication ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmail View articleFiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsCited byThyroid Hormone Replacement – a Counterblast to Guidelines*1 December 2017 | Journal of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, Vol. 47, No. 4 Volume 29Issue 9Sep 2017 InformationCopyright 2017 American Thyroid Association, Inc.To cite this article:Jerome M. Hershman.A Deiodinase 2 Polymorphism May Lower Serum T3 and Tissue T3 in Levothyroxine-Treated Patients.Clinical Thyroidology.Sep 2017.338-340.http://doi.org/10.1089/ct.2017;29.338-340Published in Volume: 29 Issue 9: September 1, 2017PDF download

Editorial introductions

Editorial introductions

Selected Abstracts from the Society for Acute Medicine and Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh Autumn International Meeting 2016

The Autumn meeting of the Society for Acute Medicine in 2016 was co-hosted with the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and was held in the prestigious surroundings of the Edinburgh International Conference Centre. As usual a large number of abstracts were received and over 150 of these were selected for display as posters following peer review. Those ranked most highly were also presented orally, and the abstracts of these are published here. We have also published the abstracts of the posters which were awarded ‘highly commended’ rosettes during the meeting.

A symposium in 1961, two years after the advent of dialysis

Journal of Kidney CareVol. 1, No. 3 RegularsA symposium in 1961, two years after the advent of dialysisThreshold of the new nephrologyNeil TurnerNeil TurnerSearch for more papers by this authorNeil TurnerPublished Online:27 Sep 2016https://doi.org/10.12968/jokc.2016.1.3.170AboutSectionsView articleView Full TextPDF/EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail View articleFurther informationRoyal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (1961) Some Aspects of Renal Disease. Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh Google ScholarRoyal College of Physicians of Edinburgh(1982) Symposium on Renal Disease. Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh Google ScholarTurner AN (2016) History of Nephrology blog.historyofnephrology.blogspot.com Google Scholar FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails 2 September 2016Volume 1Issue 3ISSN (print): 2397-9534ISSN (online): 2397-9542 Metrics History Published online 27 September 2016 Published in print 2 September 2016 Information© MA Healthcare LimitedPDF download

'Any style but gothic': Building a home for the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland.

On 15 July 1864 the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland held its first business meeting in its newly built home at 6 Kildare Street, Dublin. Although the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland had been in existence for over 200 years this was the first occasion that a College meeting had been held in a building owned by the College. This paper looks at the history behind the construction of a home for the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland. It will examine why it took over 200 years for the Physicians to find a permanent home, how they ended up with the building they did, and what they borrowed from the Royal College of Physicians in Edinburgh in the process.

'…to whom it will be extremly Usefull.' Dr William Cullen's adoption of James Watt's copying machine.

Dr William Cullen (1710-1790) was a leading physician of the Enlightenment era. As professor in Edinburgh he became the most influential teacher of theoretical and practical medicine in 18th century Britain. A renowned private practitioner, Cullen systematically archived his postal 'consultations', now held by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. Initially Cullen preserved his replies as transcriptions, but from April 1781 he began using a mechanical copier, newly devised by the Scottish engineer James Watt. This paper describes the development, promotion and functioning of Watt's copier and considers Cullen's own adoption of the machine. It is suggested that with Cullen's adoption of Watt's copier, medical record keeping entered a new historical phase comparable with the recent digital revolution.

Abstracts from the Scottish Paediatric Society St Andrew's Day Paediatric Symposium: Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Friday 27 November 2015.

Summary: We present a family of three siblings. The older two had been given diagnoses of autism by the time the youngest presented with epileptic seizures. Investigation of the youngest sibling revealed a highly abnormal electroencephalogram which was characterised by electrical status epilepticus in slow wave sleep. The older siblings then had electroencephalograms which were also highly abnormal. All three children demonstrated an improvement in language and behaviour when treated with oral prednisolone. Index case: The index case, a five-year-old boy, presented in December 2014 with a nocturnal convulsive epileptic seizure lasting approximately 1 min. Four limb jerking was accompanied by drooling from the corner of his mouth. The following morning he was noted to be very different. He was not speaking and was described by his mother as being unusually “quiet and reserved.” A 24 h ambulatory electroencephalogram was arranged. This showed very frequent epileptic activity and electrical status epilepticus in slow wave sleep. He was treated with four weeks of oral prednisolone. He gradually regained his previous language ability. Repeat electroencephalogram two months later demonstrated a clear improvement, with no evidence of electrical status epilepticus in slow wave sleep. Older siblings: Older brother of the index case, aged nine, had been diagnosed with autism at the age of four. Having gained language skills up to the age of two years he went through a period of regression in speech and behaviour. Since then gradually gained language skills and was able to speak in three to four word sentences at the age of nine. Electroencephalogram at the age of nine was near identical to that of his younger brother. He was also treated with oral prednisolone. Both electroencephalogram and language ability improved markedly. An older sister of the index case, aged eight, had been diagnosed with autism at the age of five. At the age of two she could say several people’s names, several colours and could sing ‘twinkle twinkle little star’. She then lost all expressive language. Electroencephalogram at the age of seven was more abnormal than her brothers’ and also showed electrical status epilepticus in slow wave sleep. After treatment with oral prednisolone the electroencephalogram improved markedly and she started to say the names of her brothers. Message: We would like to use this case to highlight the importance of considering electrical status epilepticus in slow wave sleep as a cause of ‘autistic regression’. We would like to discuss the increasing evidence, particularly from genetic studies, supporting a theory of shared neurobiology between epilepsy and autism.

Royal colleges concerned about junior contract’s impact on women

Medical royal colleges have expressed concerns that a new contract for junior doctors in England could unfairly disadvantage women. On Thursday 31 March, NHS Employers published the new contract.1 At the same time the Department of Health published an equality analysis of the draft contract.2 Following its publication, a number of doctors expressed concerns about the analysis, which said that some aspects of the new contract would be “disadvantageous” to those who worked part time.3 The Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (RCOG), the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh …

Gaps in trainee rotas cause patient safety problems, say consultants

A fifth of UK consultant physicians believe that significant patient safety problems are being caused by gaps in trainee rotas, a census of the profession has found. The 2014-15 census, produced by the Royal College of Physicians, Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, was sent to 13 003 UK consultant physicians and …