To do the sick no harm; and maybe even some good

Malcolm Fraser gives a talk at Augustine United Church on Wednesday 18 November, titled To do the sick no harm; and maybe even some good. It's part of a wider lecture called A Deep History of Health and Healing in Edinburgh, which traces the city's long relationship with care from its earliest origins up at Soutra, through Blackfriars and the Trinity College Church and Hospital, and on to the Victorian adoption of the Nightingale principles of good, healthy nursing. It's a broad sweep of Edinburgh's medical and care history, so if you've ever wondered how the city's reputation for medicine actually grew out of its older traditions of healing, this is exactly where it starts.

Fraser is an Edinburgh architect whose work spans award-winning homes, placemaking, cultural renewal and the care of historic buildings. You might recognise some of the projects he's been involved with: DanceBase, the Storytelling Centre, Dovecot and the Leith Fort Colonies social housing. He also advises government and convenes the Board of the Common Weal think tank. It's an architect leading the talk, and that comes through in the way he looks at the city's history of care through its buildings and institutions.

The talk will be recorded and added to the Old Edinburgh Club's YouTube channel, and there's a live stream available if you can't make it in person. Non-members can attend or watch on request, and the venue has an Auracast system to help hearing aid users. It starts at 7:00 pm at Augustine United Church, 41 George IV Bridge, EH1 1EL, and entry is free.