About the author
Iain Macintyre describes growing up ‘in two Scotlands’. His early years were in rural Argyllshire, in the village of Kilmelford and then Campbeltown, once Scotland’s whisky capital.
It was an era of post-war rationing yet a time when children had much greater freedom to roam and explore than later generations. The transit to Edinburgh took him to a very different Scotland, a metropolis where the pace of life seemed faster, the opportunities were greater and even the sense of humour was different.
He was fortunate to gain entry to a school by a back-door route, before going on to the historic Edinburgh University Medical School with the minimum qualifications.
Immediately after graduating as a doctor, he was as a film extra in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, which was being filmed around Edinburgh in the summer of 1968. Then on to a series of junior hospital doctor posts in Edinburgh hospitals, many of which no longer exist. The final part of his surgical training was in Durban, South Africa which provided an insights into a very different culture.
He began as a consultant general surgeon at Leith Hospital moving to the Western General in 1985. Here he developed an interest in upper gastrointestinal surgery and in the developing technique of minimally invasive surgery which was destined to transform surgical practice. His latter career years were spent at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, initially in in Lauriston Place and latterly at the new hospital at Little France. He was made Surgeon to the Queen in Scotland in 1997.
Throughout this career he was closely associated with the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, serving on its Council, as Director of Education, as Honorary Secretary and then as Vice President during the 500 year anniversary celebrations.
After retiring from surgery in 2004 he embarked on a second career as a medical historian, researching, writing and lecturing mainly on the history of Scottish medicine and surgery. This has included publishing academic history papers and writing/editing five books as well as writing Wikipedia articles. In 2017 he was elected President of the British Society for the History of Medicine.
Leisure activities in earlier years included flying light aircraft and sailing his 34ft ketch have given way to more gentle pursuits like Pilates and choral singing.
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