author
Andrew Duncan
1744–1828
A pioneering Scottish physician and teacher, he helped shape medical education in Edinburgh and pushed for more humane care for people with mental illness. His long career linked scholarship, public health, and practical reform.
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About the author
Born near St Andrews in 1744, Andrew Duncan studied at St Andrews before training in medicine at the University of Edinburgh. Early in his career he served as a surgeon on an East India Company voyage, then returned to Edinburgh, where he built a reputation as a physician, lecturer, and energetic organizer of medical life.
Duncan became one of the notable medical figures of his era. He was a professor at the University of Edinburgh and a joint founder of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. He is also remembered for promoting better clinical teaching and for his wide-ranging work as a writer and editor on medical subjects.
One of the causes most closely associated with him was the reform of mental health care. Moved by the harsh treatment he saw around him, he argued for a public asylum in Edinburgh and became known as an early advocate of more humane care for people with mental illness. He died in 1828, leaving behind a legacy in both medicine and public reform.