History and Vision

 

The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) is one of the oldest surgical Colleges in the world. Its story begins in the late 1400s when the roles of surgeons and barbers, both requiring sharp instruments to practice their trade, were indistinctly defined concerning tasks as bloodletting, lancing, shaving, bandaging, and treating wounds in battle. Since its formal foundation in 1505, the Incorporation of Surgeons and Barbers, now The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, has dedicated itself to promoting the highest standards in surgical education, training and clinical practice.


Our motto: 'Hinc sanitas' - 'From here, Health'

This seventeenth century Badge of Office, worn by the College Officer on ceremonial occasions, is an important part of our heritage.

The College’s armorial bearings and motto are featured.

The motto is "Hinc sanitas" - "From here, health".

The bearings feature Aesculapius, Hippocrates, Edinburgh Castle, a saltire, a range of tools as used by a barber or surgeon and the figure of a cadaver, as granted to the surgeons in 1505 so that they might respectfully dissect to learn and teach anatomy.

college-officer-badge.jpg

Questions

For any questions about the 519 years of College history, its Fellows and Members of the past, its paintings, portraits, busts, furniture, books and archives, please contact the College Library & Archive. We are always pleased to arrange visits for enquirers and researchers by appointment. Our Surgeons' Hall Museums house one of the largest and most historic collections of surgical pathology material in the United Kingdom. Developed as a teaching museum for students of medicine, it has also been open to the general public since 1832, making it Scotland's oldest museum. Alternatively, some literature is available for purchase from our RCSEd bookshop.