University rename Medical School courtyard in honour of Else Inglis

A medical pioneer who saved countless soldiers’ lives has been honoured by her former university 100 years after her death.

The University of Edinburgh’s Old Medical School courtyard is to be renamed in memory of the trailblazing doctor Elsie Inglis, who was one of Edinburgh’s first women graduates.

The announcement was made by the University’s Chancellor, Her Royal Highness the Princess Royal, during a visit to Edinburgh today.

A plaque highlighting the square’s revised name – the Dr Elsie Inglis Quadrangle – has been unveiled.

Dr Inglis is credited with saving thousands of lives after founding 17 Scottish Women’s Hospitals across Europe during the First World War. She also established a medical college for women and a maternity hospital for poor mothers in Edinburgh.

The Edinburgh-raised doctor and suffragette died in November 1917 after returning to Britain from Russia where she had been treating wounded Serbian and Russian soldiers.

After her death, Winston Churchill was quoted as saying that Dr Inglis and her medical staff “will shine in history”.

University of Edinburgh Principal, Professor Sir Timothy O’Shea, has welcomed the news: “I am very pleased to be marking the centenary of the death of one of our most inspirational alumni. Naming our historic quadrangle after Dr Inglis is a fitting reminder of her remarkable achievements and lasting legacy.”