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Accessing Scotland's Past Project
Event ID 561243
Category Descriptive Accounts
Type Accessing Scotland's Past Project
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/561243
According to records, a hospital dedicated to St John the Evangelist appears to have been founded in Roxburgh in the later half of the twelfth century, in the reign of Alexander III (1249-86), and is mentioned in the records of Kelso Abbey. It is likely that the hospital was associated with the church of St John the Evangelist at Roxburgh Castle.
Medieval hospitals were either monastic foundations, or secular foundations endowed by a wealthy patron. One important patron in medieval Scotland was King James IV. Such was his interest in medicine that he appears to have studied the subject himself and several contemporary accounts document his attempts at surgery. He practised dentistry on himself and others (including his own surgeon) and studied human physiology amongst other things. Unfortunately, the king was not always successful in practising what he had learnt; one woman was paid modest compensation after a cataract operation performed by the king went wrong and left her blind.
Text prepared by RCAHMS as part of the Accessing Scotland's Past project
