One of the dispensaries set up by the Glasgow Medical Missionary Society. The society's first mission was erected in the Havannah in the city centre in 1873 and soon demolished. A second was erected at Moncur Street in the Calton in 1879, and that is probably the building photographed here. Another mission was opened in Oxford Street in Gorbals in 1884.
The Society was founded in 1867 by a group of Glasgow men and women. Its aim was to provide essential medical services for the poor at a time when approximately one in five Glaswegians died without seeing a doctor or receiving medical assistance because they were unable to afford the fees. The Society charged just 1d (less than 0.5 pence) for each consultation and the rest of the money required to fund the service was raised through donations.
Reference: TEMP.2039 / 140.78.250
Reproduced with the permission of Glasgow City Council, Glasgow Museums
Keywords:
clinics, dispensaries, doctors, free medical services, general practitioners, Glasgow Medical Missionary Society, GPs, healthcare