In 1869, the first women admitted to any British university began studying medicine at Edinburgh. They fought hard to be allowed to study at all and excelled in their courses, but in 1873 they were denied the right to graduate. Most of them went on to study elsewhere in Europe and returned as some of the first women doctors in Britain. So who were these pioneering women, and how did they end up becoming the country’s first female medical students?

The study and practice of medicine has been a part of Edinburgh’s history for centuries, and the city’s medical school is still an important centre of teaching today. There have been professional organisations for medical practitioners in the city for over 500 years.