When cardiologist Steve Leslie does his hospital rounds he’s taking a journey into the past.
With his father Jim, he is helping people to learn more about forgotten parts of Inverness.
The pair have been studying the history of healthcare facilities in the Highlands for more than 15 years.
Now they have launched a free audio walking trail of hospitals in the city centre to add to their books and lectures on the subject.
Plaque for former dispensary?
Prof Leslie, a consultant cardiologist at Raigmore Hospital, and his father, a retired geography teacher, aim to raise awareness of the important roles played by the buildings.
They include some whose medical past will be unknown to many Invernessians.
In particular, they hope a heritage plaque can be erected detailing the history of the former Forbes Dispensary at 44 Huntly Street.
The dispensary opened in 1832 ‘for bestowing medicines gratuitously to the sick poor’ pre-NHS.
It also helped people, including tradesmen and labourers, who risked destitution if they fell ill and carried out vaccinations and minor operations.
In its first year it made 1,159 treatments, rising to 100,000 by 1925.
It was superseded by the NHS and free prescriptions – no one attended after July 5 1948, the day the NHS started.
The building was sold in 1955 to the Red Cross which occupied it until 2014 and is now offices.
Where do you join the walking trail?
Steve and Jim started the History of Highland Hospitals project in 2008.
A two-year research programme was supported by the NHS Highland Endowment Fund and the Centre for History at the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI).
It documented more than 60 institutions, including fever hospitals, poorhouses and maternity homes, many of them long forgotten.
The walking trail is an extension of the project. It will take people on a 45-60 minute walk around nine sites using the Geotourist app.
A formal launch is planned in May and it is being promoted in hotels and B&Bs in the city.
Prof Leslie said: “We have had a lot of interest in the project over the years.
“People are interested in how healthcare has changed.
“There is a lot of negativity about healthcare, but it’s probably better than it’s even been.
“If you look back 100 years it was woeful.”
He added: “We hope the walking trail will be of interest to locals and tourists alike.
“As a cardiologist, getting more people walking is an added benefit. And it is also accessible by wheelchairs and pushchairs.”
Letter from America helped uncover wartime hospital
The pair can often make new discoveries via members of the public sharing information.
Recently, they heard from a man in America researching his family.
He discovered a Pt MacAulay of the Cameron Highlanders died in 1915 of measles and pneumonia in the Kindergarten Hospital, Academy Street.
“We had just written a book about hospitals in Inverness and had not heard of this hospital”, said Prof Leslie. “It turned into an interesting hunt.”
They contacted Anne Mackintosh, of the Inverness History Forum, who discovered another Cameron Highlander, Pt James Nicolson, had also died in the hospital.
Research confirmed the soldiers were accommodated in the Old High Church Hall during a measles outbreak, with six others treated at the Citadel Hospital.
The Kindergarten Hospital opened for just a few months, specifically to deal with the measles outbreak among Cameron Highlanders.
Its name came from the Kindergarten School that previously occupied the building.
What other hospitals feature?
It will feature, with the Forbes Dispensary, on the walking trail that starts at the Town House and ends at the Royal Northern Infirmary (RNI).
The RNI was the Highlands’ first general hospital, opening in 1804.
Other featured buildings include the former Dunbar’s Hospital in Church Street, an almshouse for the old and infirm rather than the sick, now a cafe.
And the Ida Merry Maternity Home, named after one of its founders in 1919, was converted from a house in Church Street.
The walking trail is supported by the UHI Tourism Knowledge Exchange Challenge Fund through the Centre for Recreation and Tourism Research (CRTR) which promotes cultural heritage.
CRTR recently led a project with the University of Lapland to create audio walking trails for rural communities based in under-visited destinations in Ardgour and Lapland.
Dr Katie Murray, a project officer with CRTR, said: “After speaking with Steve and Jim, and seeing how passionate they were about the subject, the walking trail seemed an obvious thing for them to do.
“As well as tourists, they are keen to help local people know more about their home city.”
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