Click to enlarge

The Easdale Doctor

by Mary Withall

ISBN: 9781841584379
Imprint: Birlinn
Publication Date: Sep 2006
Format: Paperback
Price: £10.99
Stock Status: in stock

When Patrick Gillies graduated from the University of Edinburgh’s distinguished school of medicine in 1890, a high-profile career as a surgeon lay ahead of him. Any city across the world would have welcomed him, yet contrary to expectations, he returned to his home town of Easdale, determined to continue the work his father had begun as a physician to the parishioners of the Slate Islands.

Over the next forty years, as well as working as a GP, Patrick involved himself in every aspect of the community. His early campaign against the closure of Cullipool School set the trend for a life spent investigating everything, from the drainage systems to preventative medicine, and fighting for improvements such as an isolation hospital for the Slate Islands and better medical provisions for school children. In later years he was able to apply his determination and sense in Army service in two wars. Mary Withall’s thoughtful and engaging book is more than a biography of this extraordinary man; it also paints a remarkable portrait of the life and times of a beautiful part of Scotland from the late Victorian era to the middle of the twentieth century. 


Mary Withall was born in London and was a science teacher for many years. On her retirement in 1988 she moved to Argyll and began a second career as a historical novelist. Her novels include Beacon on the Shore (1995), The Gorse in Bloom (1996), The Poppy Orchard (1999) and The Flight of the Cormorants (2000). In addition to her writing, she is also archivist of the Scottish Slate Islands Heritage Trust and author of The Island that Roofed the World. She lives on Easdale, near Oban.
    

Recommend to a friend