Library Catalogue

The library was established in 1791 and rapidly grew until by the end of the 19th century it was one of the great collections of medical literature. Its use then declined as it was replaced, for up-to-date information, by the University library. In 1967 a large part of the library was sold at Sotheby's, but much local material was retained. Items continue to be added through the generosity of members and friends and there is now a valuable collection of books and articles relating to medical history, particularly local.

The late Dr Ian Porter, the Society's Librarian 1970-1980, left a large and valuable collection of books and papers to the library.  These have been catalogued separately under the title "The Ian Porter Collection". 

Manuscript material includes:

• A complete set of minutes from 1789
• Volumes of papers delivered to the Society from 1789 onwards.
• Manuscript volumes of text-books and student's notes from 1776.
• 60 Volumes of records of his military service kept by Sir James McGrigor, including his account of the Peninsular Campaign when he was Director-General of the Medical Services.

There is also a large collection of medical instruments and other artifacts dating back to the 18th century.

Browse the Catalogue ( Microsoft Word Document 363 KB)

Archive collections of the Aberdeen Medico-Chirurgical Society available to view online

A project to catalogue the Society's rich and unique collection of papers has recently been completed. The Society, working in collaboration with the University of Aberdeen 's Special Libraries and Archives department, received a grant from the Wellcome Trust to catalogue the records of the Society and make them searchable online via the University's CALM collection management system.

The papers of Sir James McGrigor (1771-1858), who was instrumental in founding the Society and eventually became Director-General of the Army Medical Department, can now be accessed for the first time online. The Society's archive collection also includes a complete series of minute books dating from 1789, accounts, case books, lecture notes and a series of thesauri containing the discourses of members from the early years of the Society.

As a result of this project, the Society's contribution to the provision of medical training, the championing of radical public health measures and the establishment of hospitals and their services within the community will be brought to the attention of those interested in the history of medicine with the intention of stimulating further research into this important and varied collection of papers.

The catalogue to the archives of the Aberdeen Medico-Chirurgical Society can be accessed via the following link . The catalogue to the archive collections of the University of Aberdeen can be accessed at: http://calms.abdn.ac.uk/searchingthearchives/

The Heritage of the Med-Chi