Dr Simpson with Edinburgh Castle

Straight along Princes Street for my morning run with a brief stop at Dr Simpson's statue in West Princes Street Gardens.  Dr Simpson was Professor of Midwifery at Edinburgh University in 1840 where he pioneered the use of chloroform as an anaesthetic.  I've just read The Art of Dying by Ambrose Parry (pseudonym of Christopher Brookmyre and Dr Marisa Haetzman) in which Dr Simpson is a central character.   It's a brilliant historical crime novel set in 1849 Edinburgh cleverly using the city and medical developments as a backdrop.  The Liston knife gets a spin chilling description as the tool which could ampute a leg through the thighbone in only 28 seconds - speed was all important in the pre anaesthetic era!

Afternoon bowls was abandoned after only five ends when the light rain forecast fell from the sky in torrents.  We were 6-2 up.  My waterproof jacket works!  But trousers and shoes were drenched!