University of Edinburgh Medical School

The University of Edinburgh Medical School stands in the heart of Edinburgh, a city long known for its medical excellence. Founded in 1726 during the Scottish Enlightenment, it is the oldest medical school in the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world. The school is linked to 13 Nobel laureates, including seven in Physiology or Medicine and six in Chemistry. Its graduates have helped establish medical schools worldwide, including five Ivy League institutions in the United States. The school’s history reflects Edinburgh’s rise as a centre of medical learning. Medicine had been taught in the city since the 16th century, supported by the Royal College of Physicians and the Barber Surgeons. The first teaching hospital, the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, opened in 1741 with 228 beds and included facilities for lunatic patients and a surgical theatre for 200 students. In the 1940s, the Polish School of Medicine operated here, training Polish military doctors before closing in 1950. Today, the medical school remains a leading institution. It accepts 245 UK students and 20 international students each year and partners with Oxford, Cambridge and St Andrews. The Edinburgh Model, developed in the 18th century, offered broad scientific training and rigorous examinations, shaping medical education worldwide. The Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, its main teaching hospital, is still regarded as Scotland’s best.