The completion of Surgeons’ Hall in 1697 gave the Incorporation the opportunity to expand their library. They established rules for that library - there was, for example, to be no eating or drinking. Books (and surgical instruments) could be borrowed by members of the Incorporation - with fines for late returns, and books could be consulted by apprentices. In 1697 they advertised in the Edinburgh Gazette for books for the library, demonstrating their desire to have a collection that would include a wide range of subjects other than medical. The heirs of Thomas Kincaid, in 1709, donated his collection of books to the College. While this is not as large as the collections of his contemporaries, Archibald Pitcairn (q.v.) or those of Robert Sibbald and Andrew Balfour, founders of the Edinburgh Physic Garden, it offers valuable insight into the books which were read by 17th century surgeons.
Little is know about the early career of Thomas Kincaid. He was commissioned in 1644 into the Scots Covenanting Army and was known to be active in the Covenanting Government in the 1640’s, the period when the Covenanters ruled Scotland for 11 years. Following the Battle of Dunbar where Cromwell defeated the Covenanting Army, Kincaid opposed the English occupation of the city in 1650. He was admitted into the Incorporation in 1646, served as treasurer from 1652-55 when he became Deacon. His time in office saw a period of educational reform which resulted in apprentices being trained as Surgeon-Apothecaries, with training in chemistry, botany and herbal cures and, as a consequence, more roundly educated.
Thomas Kincaid practised as a Surgeon-Apothecary in Edinburgh for 45 years, dying in 1691 at the age of 72 and is buried in Greyfriars Churchyard.
In 1709 his son Thomas(qv) donated his father’s collection of some 230 books to the College. This is not as large as those of several of his contemporaries. Archibald Pitcairn had, of course, trained as a Physician and been Professor of Physic in Leiden before joining the Incorporation. Other contemporary physicians such as Andrew Balfour had a collection of some 3,500 books, while that of Robert Sibbald, the physician with whom he had founded the Physic Garden amounted to 5,300 books.
Kincaid’s library was a comprehensive collection of major 16th and 17th century texts, which is probably typical of a working practitioner and surgeon of that time. It included several books in question and answer format for surgical apprentices. In addition to the classical works of Celsus, Galen and Fabricius, there were many books from the Leiden School. French books included the works of Ambrose Paré and Paracelsus, the Swiss physician.
