The Development of Medical Services in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, 1843-1936
type: CreativeWork
description: This thesis charts the development of medical services in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland from the establishment of the new Poor Law in 1843 to the inception and development of the Highlands and Islands Medical Service from 1913 to 1936. It begins with a brief survey of the topographical, social and economic conditions of the Highlands from 1845. It was within that context that the administrative structures that constituted Highland medical services were situated. They are traced in detail as is the interdependence which developed between local authorities, poor law administrative structures and, later, public health authorities, within the political context of the gradual extension of the authority of the state, enlightened medical thought, land reform and ‘new liberalism’. It is argued that those factors, together with the longer-standing perception of the Highlands as an area requiring special attention, culminated in the establishment of the Highlands and Islands Medical Service enquiry, known as the Dewar enquiry. Established in 1912 it investigated the level and adequacy of medical services in the region. It recommended the establishment of a central body to improve the provision of medical services for the majority of the population and it also highlighted a need for a greater number of fully-trained nurses. The Dewar enquiry’s methodology is documented and its findings assessed and evaluated. The development of district nursing is examined in a separate chapter to avoid duplication and to facilitate its specific features to be highlighted. The recommendations of the Dewar enquiry resulted in the establishment in 1913 of the Highlands and Islands Medical Service, which provided the first State-funded medical care for the Highland non-pauper population and also aimed to improve the conditions of medical practitioners working there. It is widely described, uncritically, as a ‘forerunner of the National Health Service’. Existing secondary literature on it …
abstract: This thesis charts the development of medical services in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland from the establishment of the new Poor Law in 1843 to the inception and development of the Highlands and Islands Medical Service from 1913 to 1936. It begins with a brief survey of the topographical, social and economic conditions of the Highlands from 1845. It was within that context that the administrative structures that constituted Highland medical services were situated. They are traced in detail as is the interdependence which developed between local authorities, poor law administrative structures and, later, public health authorities, within the political context of the gradual extension of the authority of the state, enlightened medical thought, land reform and ‘new liberalism’. It is argued that those factors, together with the longer-standing perception of the Highlands as an area requiring special attention, culminated in the establishment of the Highlands and Islands Medical Service enquiry, known as the Dewar enquiry. Established in 1912 it investigated the level and adequacy of medical services in the region. It recommended the establishment of a central body to improve the provision of medical services for the majority of the population and it also highlighted a need for a greater number of fully-trained nurses. The Dewar enquiry’s methodology is documented and its findings assessed and evaluated. The development of district nursing is examined in a separate chapter to avoid duplication and to facilitate its specific features to be highlighted. The recommendations of the Dewar enquiry resulted in the establishment in 1913 of the Highlands and Islands Medical Service, which provided the first State-funded medical care for the Highland non-pauper population and also aimed to improve the conditions of medical practitioners working there. It is widely described, uncritically, as a ‘forerunner of the National Health Service’. Existing secondary literature on it …
author: Whatley, Patricia E.
language: eng
date published: 2013
date modified: 2026-07-24T02:08:26Z
provider: University of Dundee
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of Dundee