RIE Professor Norman Dott Case Notes, 1922-1970
Scope and Contents
These early patient case notes are a fascinating resource into the development of neurology in Scotland. Opinions and diagnoses are given at length in typed case summaries, giving a strong impression of Dott's theories and methods as he considered the prognoses and outcomes of many relatively untested procedures. These records cover the period in which Dott performed the first surgery on an intracranial subarachnoid haemorrhage by wrapping the aneurysm with muscle (1931), first stemmed intracranial haemorrhages by carotid ligation as an alternative to risk-heavy intracranial surgery (1932) and pioneered the use of angiograms to demonstrate both intracranial haemorrhage (1933) and cerebral arteriovenous malformation (1929).
Most patient case notes were originally kept in an individual folder (the order of which has been retained in their preservation) and contain a wide range of written and image record forms, for example: typed case summaries; charts; photographs; nurses' record books from private nursing homes; extensive personal correspondence; patient symptom diaries; and newspaper clippings. The volume of and variation in material present in each case file leads to more 'fat' folders than are generally present in other Dott case note series.Yellow stickers on case note folders indicate the presence of photographs. A blue, yellow or red sticker indicates that an x-ray film has been removed for long-term preservation purposes. Please note that these cases may contain photographs taken at post-mortem examination.
Dates
- 1922-1970
Language of Materials
Physical Description
Conditions Governing Access
Public access to these records is governed by UK data protection legislation, the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, and the current Scottish Government Records Management: NHS Code of Practice (Scotland). Whilst some records may be accessed freely by researchers, the aforementioned legislation and guidelines mean that records conveying sensitive information on named individuals may be closed to the public for a set time. Where records relate to named deceased adults, they will be open 75 years after the latest date referenced in the record, on the next 1 January. Case records of individuals below 18 years of age or adults not proven to be deceased will be open 100 years after the latest date recorded in the record, on the next 1 January. Further information on legislation and guidelines covering medical records can be found on the LHSA webpage.
LHSA encourages the use of these records for legitimate clinical, historical and genealogical research purposes, and records that are designated as closed can be consulted by legitimate researchers if certain conditions are met. Please contact the LHSA Archivist for more details regarding procedures on how you can apply for permission to view closed records. Telephone us on: 0131 650 3392 or email us at lhsa@ed.ac.uk
Extent
1981 Files
Physical Location
Physical Description
Creator
- From the Sub-Fonds: Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh (1729-:) (Organization)
Repository Details
Part of the Lothian Health Services Archive: Case Notes Repository