Peter David Handyside’s Diploma as Senior President of the Royal Medical Society

  • Matthew H Kaufman

Abstract


Over the last few years, the author of this article was fortunate to be offered and purchased two diplomas dating from the first half of the 19th century. Both were awarded to Peter David Handyside1 (1808-81). He had graduated in medicine in 1831 with the Edinburgh M.D. degree. Shortly after he graduated, he pursued his anatomical studies, initially in Paris and then in Heidelberg under the distinguished physician Friedrich (or Frederick) Tiedemann (1781-1861). It is believed that his earlier apprenticeship under James Syme (1799-1870) had stimulated his interest in both Anatomy and Surgery. He was awarded the FRCS Edin. (Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh) diploma in August of 1833, and was for most of the rest of his career a practising surgeon. The subject of his probationary essay was Osteo-aneurism, and this was dedicated to Tiedemann. He commenced the teaching of Anatomy in Edinburgh in the summer of 1834, and was, on and off, for over 45 years a teacher of this subject at the Edinburgh Extra-mural School. He taught this subject until a few weeks before his death. While a medical student, he was elected Senior President of the Royal Medical Society during the Society’s 92nd Session (1828-29). He had also been awarded the Harveian Society medal in 1827, and was in 1837 appointed Secretary of the Harveian Society. During the same year, he was elected to a Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, while in 1871 he was elected President  f the Medico-Chirurgical Society of Edinburgh.

How to Cite
Kaufman, M. (1). Peter David Handyside’s Diploma as Senior President of the Royal Medical Society. Res Medica, 268(1). https://doi.org/10.2218/resmedica.v268i1.1021