Mary Cunningham, nurse at the Royal Infirmary

Category

Library Item

Item no

32391

Title

Mary Cunningham, nurse at the Royal Infirmary

Artist / maker

Unknown

Date

1912

Size

7.4 x 9.8cm

Type

Photograph

Location

Edinburgh and Scottish Collection

The Edinburgh Royal Infirmary (ERI)has existed since 1729. The first hospital was a 4 bed unit at Robertson Close above the Cowgate and had standards very different from those today. In 1736 a Royal Charter granted permission to build a hospital at High School Yards which had 228 beds plus 12 Cells for the mentally ill. Edinburgh now had a hospital to serve a population of 50,000.

This hospital became over extended and a new building opened in 1879 between Lauriston Place and the Meadows with facilities for 600 patients. During its lifetime it was regarded as one of the finest medical centres in the UK. In 2003 Lauriston Place was closed and the new ERI opened at Little France serving a much wider area than was previously possible.

This image comes from a photograph album donated to Edinburgh Libraries covering the nursing career of Miss Mary Morag Bird Cunningham. Mary was born in 1888 and at the age of 22 began training at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary (RIE) as a nurse. Once qualified in 1915 she moved to the Edinburgh Royal Maternity Hospital (ERMH) and obviously found her calling in the care of children. In 1917 she became one of Edinburgh's first health visitors as part of the introduction of Edinburgh's Child Welfare Scheme. The album contains early photographs of the RIE and ERMH as well as images of child health care clinics that she worked in during the 1930s at Portobello and Prestonfield.

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Clothing and dress > Garments > Uniforms

People > Health and safety > Nurses

Places > Edinburgh areas > Old Town

Places > Scotland > Edinburgh