#NHS70: exploring the Glasgow Coma Scale

29 May 2018

To celebrate seventy years of the NHS and as part of the Glasgow Science Festival, The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow are hosting an event discussing two major medical developments developed in Glasgow by Fellows of the College – the Glasgow Coma Scale and Ultrasound. The discussion will be held at its Goodall Symposium, which will take place at 6.30pm on Thursday, 7th June 2018 at the College’s headquarters at 242 St Vincent Street Glasgow.

The Goodall Symposium, held at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow in St Vincent Street, will highlight how these two medical developments revolutionised medicine, not only in Glasgow but across the world.

Mr Roy Miller, Honorary Librarian of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow said:

“The College is delighted to be welcoming two of the most eminent Fellows of our College, Sir Graham Teasdale and Professor Andrew Calder to give these keynote presentations. Ultrasound and the Glasgow Coma Scale are practical and life-saving techniques which are used extensively in modern medicine, and have both been developed and delivered in Glasgow by members of this College. That’s why this year’s Goodall Symposium is an excellent opportunity for anyone interested in Glasgow’s significant and substantial role in the development of modern medicine to hear first-hand from these two experts.”

Sir Graham Teasdale former President of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow (2003-2006) who developed the Glasgow Coma Scale in 1974 will be speaking about this practical, neurological scale used to determine the level of consciousness of a patient during assessment. The scale remains the default method for assessing consciousness in almost every hospital and medical school in the world. Its enduring popularity makes its development one of Glasgow’s greatest contributions to the world of medicine.

Professor Andrew Calder will speak about the development of Ultrasound. Developed in the 1950s by Professor Ian Donald while he was Professor of Midwifery at the University of Glasgow, ultrasound had already been used industrially as an imaging tool, leading Donald to investigate its potential medical use. Publishing findings in The Lancet in 1958, the use of ultrasound spread quickly and within a few years had become a routine part of ante-natal care. Ultrasound scanning is now used for a variety of purposes and recent advances in technology have enabled three dimensional images to be produced.

The event takes place on Thursday, 7th June 2018, on 6.30pm – 8.30pm.

Category: Engagement