13 February 2013

As part of the ongoing Dewar centenary celebrations, a well-attended conference " From Farm Cart to Air Ambulance", was organised by the Skye & Lochalsh Archive Centre in Portree on 1 February. Local GP Dr Stephen McCabe opened the day with an introduction to the Dewar Committee of 1912, bringing home the continuing relevance of the challenges identified by their report. Next up was Professor Alasdair Munro of the Centre for Health Sciences in Inverness, who took a look back at the Beaton physicians of earlier centuries. Jim Leslie, co-author of a recent report on the history of Highland hospitals, then gave an overview of the impact of Dewar on hospital provision in the area. In the afternoon session, Dr John Adamson from Kyle shared vivid reminiscences of some of the old doctors of Lochalsh, including plant remedies and folk treatments employed by local people. The furthest-travelled speakers of the day were Hugh Lamont and his sister, Dr Janet Bisset, who returned to Skye to provide a personal view of their father, the well-remembered Dr Angus Lamont. Dr Roddy MacLeod from Ballachulish then spoke about three of the medical officers at the Gesto Hospital, focusing particularly on Dr Lachan Grant. For the last presentation, Professor Norman Macdonald placed HIMS in an international context with a paper about Ann MacKinnon from Roag in Skye, who became a pioneer of the Frontier Nursing Service in Kentucky during the late 1920s.