Great names, research and innovations, celebrated centres of medical training - Scotland has always been associated with medicine. In this exciting book, Helen Dingwall introduces the history of Scottish medicine from earliest times to the present day. Offering a new synthesis of medicine and society in Scotland, she *Covers developments in medicine, surgery and alternative medicine in relation to the changing economic, social, political and religious background. *Discusses concepts of professionalism and institutionalisation. *Assesses medical practitioners and patients in the general historical context. This is the first comprehensive study of Scottish medicine to be written by a historian for over twenty years. Its breadth of coverage - given both the time span and the range of background factors considered - makes A History of Scottish Medicine invaluable reading for all those with an interest in this fascinating subject.