Physicians Database

Welcome to the Physicians Database, a record of all Fellows, Members, Licentiates and Honorary Fellows from our foundation in 1681 to 1930.

Our history includes many famous figures, such as James Young Simpson, the anaesthesia innovator, Kadambini Ganguli, the first Indian woman to practice western medicine in India, and Edward Jenner, the pioneer of vaccination.

 If you have any questions about this database, the terminology it uses or how to find out more information please contact us.

Key terms used in the database: 

Fellow 

The main qualification issued by the College, awarded regularly since the College’s foundation. This qualification was granted based on demonstrated breadth of experience and did not require an individual to pass a certain examination. 

Member 

Under the terms of the College’s charter of 1861, a new level was created. This was the beginning of College Membership. 

Licentiate 

An individual who is granted a licence by the College (or Colleges). See below definitions of Single, Double and Triple Qualification for more information.

Single Qualification 

Once the College was established, if a physician wanted to practice in Edinburgh and its surrounding neighbourhood, they were required to hold a College licence obtainable by examination. Graduates of Scottish universities were exempt from this, and the license, though not obligatory, was available to those who practiced outside of the College’s jurisdiction, provided they satisfied the examiners and paid the appropriate fees. Once the exam was passed, the physician in question would become a Licentiate of the College. In the early days, the College usually granted individuals a license and a Fellowship. As such, the initial intermediate state of Licentiate became largely redundant and was discarded. These early Licentiates are listed under Fellows in this database. The new type of Licentiateship was introduced after the Medical Act in 1858 and the first examinations were held by the College in 1859. 

Double Qualification 

In 1858 the Medical Act established the Medical Register, which listed all approved to practice in Great Britain and Ireland. The issue that then arose was a matter of standardisation; while the College was recognised by the Medical Register, the College’s exam only qualified physicians, not surgeons or pharmacists. In order to not be overshadowed by the other organisations around Britain, the College collaborated with the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh to introduce the Double Qualification in 1859. From then on, Licentiateship meant an individual had passed an examination set by two or more medical colleges in partnership—it did not indicate any relationship between a single College and a Licentiate. 

Triple Qualification 

From 1884 the Double Qualification was expanded to include the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow and became known as the Triple Qualification. 

Honorary Fellow 

An honorific sporadically granted to both medical and non-medical individuals, the first being awarded in 1696.