FORTHCOMING EVENTS

Dr John Stewart Muir – the Beloved Doctor

One man show performed by John Nichol

Saturday 18th September, 7.30 pm.

Tickets £10

Contact: Linda Kinsman Blake, The Gallery, Smailholm

01573 460666

Refreshments by donation, proceeds to the village hall.

Dr John Stewart Muir was a doctor in Selkirk, 1867-1928, and kept a regular diary for much of that time. They provide a fascinating insight into Selkirk society in this period, as well as examining the local response to the Great War.

Muir began almost every entry with a report on the weather. This was followed by a roundup of the cases that he had seen on that particular day, and the places he visited in the course of his rounds. There are descriptions of social events, church services, and family news. As well as treating disease and prescribing medicine, he also did minor surgery, often in the home and with minimal anaesthetic.

In the early days Dr Muir travelled the vast distances required for his work by horse, sometimes riding, sometimes in a gig. However, it was on a bicycle that Dr Muir was most often seen, having taken up cycling in 1882.

He was deeply valued in the town and in 1937, a year before his death, he received the honour of the Freedom of Selkirk. “His kindness, courtesy and humour, the ability to manufacture sunshine in his own soul, made him a favourite with all – from cottage to castle” (Southern Reporter 24 November 1938).

This performance will take place under current covid regulations.