"A bruised reed shall he not break": John Miles's portraits of patients at the Royal Edinburgh Asylum. Part 2.

This is the second of two papers which examine a series of portraits of patients at the Royal Edinburgh Asylum (REA) which were undertaken in the 1880s by John Miles, who, as well as being a professional painter, was also an inmate of the Morningside institution. Alongside the portraits by Miles, we began, in Paper 1, to discuss a second series of portraits of the same patients, contained in a collection, entitled Bruised Reeds. In this paper we focus on the remaining portraits in this collection, before discussing the wider implications of the two series of portraits. These two series are of interest for several reasons. They are an example of patient art, only a small portion of which has survived from nineteenth century asylums. They are also in the tradition of patient portraiture. The patients in the portraits have been identified and their case notes examined. This information complements the portraits and helps to build a fuller picture of individual patients and their life in the Morningside Asylum. The case notes also reveal the symptomatology and behaviour of the patients. We discuss if the Bruised Reeds portraits were also by Miles, and suggest they were not.

"A bruised reed shall he not break": John Miles's portraits of patients at the Royal Edinburgh Asylum. Part 1.

This is the first of two papers which examine a series of portraits of patients at the Royal Edinburgh Asylum (REA) which were undertaken in the 1880s by John Miles, who, as well as being a professional painter, was also an inmate of the Morningside institution. The portraits by John Miles are of interest for several reasons. They are an example of patient art, only a small portion of which has survived from nineteenth century asylums. They are also in the tradition of patient portraiture. Miles's work is of interest because he was both a professional artist and a patient. His portraits also provide some insight into the patients' world: their appearance, demeanour, posture, clothing and their surroundings in the asylum. The patients in the portraits have been identified and their case notes examined. This information complements Miles's portraits and helps to build up a fuller picture of individual patients and their life in the Morningside Asylum. The case notes also reveal the symptomatology and behaviour of the patients. Alongside the portraits by Miles, we discuss a second series of portraits of the same patients and contained in a collection entitled 'Bruised Reeds'. We discuss if these portraits were also by Miles.

COVID-19: the role of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

The entire College, notably officers and staff, responded with resilience and versatility to COVID-19. We strove to remain at the forefront of medical education during rapid change in both medical care and the scientific evidence that supports it. Every department has had to adapt, indeed evolve, to tackle the pandemic, which affected all aspects of College work, notably education, training, examinations, heritage, policy and public affairs. Several of the resulting changes will provide a strong foundation for the future development of the College. These innovations, especially in the nature and delivery of education, will both extend the reach of the College in years to come, and enhance its relevance. Effective though electronic communication has proved over the last 15 months, however, it cannot replace the social coherence and innate teamwork of a Royal College. So we look forward to re-engaging colleagues in the revitalised College.