Robert Sibbald was born in 1641 in Fife. In 1660 he travelled to Leiden, where he studied anatomy, surgery, botany, chemistry, and natural philosophy. After eighteen months he moved to Paris for further study and then took his examinations at Angers. Returning to Scotland in 1662, he worked with Andrew Balfour to establish a physic garden, which was fully operational by 1670 and received a royal warrant in 1699. Sibbald was instrumental in the foundation of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and petitioned the Duke of York to secure its charter, which was signed and sealed on St Andrew's Day 1681. He became President of the College in 1684. With Balfour, he drafted early versions of the 'Edinburgh Pharmacopoeia', which was finalised in the 1690s. Sibbald died in Edinburgh in 1722.

Bust: Robert Sibbald

Painting: Robert Sibbald

Biography: Robert Sibbald

James Livingstone was one of the original twenty-one Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh when it was incorporated by royal charter on 29 November 1681. His name was listed seventh on the charter. For a short time Livingstone served as a Councillor and Censor of the College. His limited attendance at meetings suggests he may have been in poor health. Robert Trotter, the ninth name on the roll of Fellows, was elected to succeed him as a member of the Council, and Robert Sibbald was appointed Censor in his place. Livingstone died in May 1682.

Andrew Balfour was one of the original twenty-one Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh when it was incorporated by royal charter on 29 November 1681. Born in Fife on 18 January 1630, the fifth and youngest son of Sir Michael Balfour, he was educated at the parish school and studied philosophy at the University of St Andrews, graduating MA in 1650. Balfour travelled to London, where he was presented to Charles II and appointed tutor to the young Earl of Rochester, whom he accompanied on a grand tour from 1661 to 1664. During his travels he assembled an extensive collection of medical and natural history books and specimens. By 1670 he had established a medical practice in Edinburgh and, with his cousin Robert Sibbald, created a physic garden that became the Royal Botanic Garden of Edinburgh. Balfour was instrumental in founding the College in 1681.

Biography: Andrew Balfour

Robert Crawfurd was one of the original twenty-one Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh when it was incorporated by royal charter on 29 November 1681. His name was written eighth on the charter. Crawfurd received his medical degree from the University of Leiden in 1668. Alongside Thomas Burnet, he was elected in February 1682 to serve the poor of the city and helped to organise the first dispensary in Great Britain. Crawfurd was also appointed to a committee for the 'Edinburgh Pharmacopoeia' in March 1682. He died in 1699.

Robert Trotter was one of the original twenty-one Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh when it was incorporated by royal charter on 29 November 1681. His name was written ninth on the charter. Trotter received his medical degree from the University of Leiden in 1672. His dissertation, 'De Essentia Febris', was among the first submitted to the College. Before his election he had served as a Censor of the College, and he later held two terms as President, in 1694 and 1700. In 1700 he gave a discourse before the College entitled 'De Catarrho Suffocativo'. He died in 1727.

Fellowship entry