MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS & MILITARY SURGEONS
A previously hidden document reveals the Stuart monarch’s humane concern for the role of medics in warfare
Britain is currently rediscovering its fascination with Mary, Queen of Scots thanks to a new Oscar and Bafta-nominated film starring Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie. The Stuart monarch is one of the most famous figures in British history but new facts are still being made public about her life.
The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSED) has recently made public a document showing how the queen protected the status of surgeons in military law. Known as a
‘Letter of Exemption’ the document states that surgeons should not have to bear arms in battle and instead focus on tending to the wounded. Signed “Mary by the Grace of God, Queen of Scots”, the letter is believed to have been intended for the whole population of Scotland. It puts responsibility upon surgeons to be “present with our armies ready to do their cure and duty to all sick persons”.
Dated to May 1567 this document reveals a humanitarian side to Mary at the height of her own personal turmoil. The queen had not only given birth to her son the previous year, but she had also recently survived an attempted coup by her own husband Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, as well as witnessing the murder of her secretary David Rizzio. Darnley was subsequently murdered in February 1567 while Mary was abducted and allegedly raped just months before signing the Letter of Exemption. Although it is not clear whether Mary was referring to the care of enemy soldiers as well, the document was remarkably ahead of its time. The perception of medical staff as non-combatants in warfare is usually ascribed to the first Geneva Convention of 1864. Nevertheless the Letter of Exemption shows that Mary was clearly setting down these particular rights for surgeons three centuries earlier.
Mary’s letter is now available to be viewed on archiveandlibrary.rcsed.ac.uk. This is a new resource launched by the RCSED that allows people to easily delve into the medical history. Chris Henry, the director of heritage at the RCSED, says of the royal document, “This unique artefact is one of the college’s treasured possessions. It gives us a fantastic insight into the ethics and civilisation of 16th century Scotland as well as the standing of surgeons in the capital back then.”
“ALTHOUGH IT IS NOT CLEAR WHETHER MARY WAS REFERRING TO THE CARE OF ENEMY SOLDIERS AS WELL, THE DOCUMENT WAS REMARKABLY AHEAD OF ITS TIME”