[The historical significance of the Polish medical faculty in Edinburgh].

The Polish Medical Faculty at the University of Edinburgh was a unique phenomenon in the history of universities. Established during the Second World War in 1941 as an entirely autonomous Polish academic institution, the Faculty trained 228 doctors and awarded 19 PhD degrees during its nine years of formal existence (1941-1949). In reviewing its almost 60-year old history, seen in the context of the involvement of the elite of both the political and academic establishments, the splendour of various celebrations and its graduates devotion in keeping the "Edinburgh experiment" alive, the author makes a case for the long-term historical and psychological significance of events well outlasting the period of formal activity of the Faculty. The history of the Faculty is well documented, but the long term outcome in terms of its lasting historical importance is gradually emerging with the passage of time. It has become an indisputable testimony to the generosity and hospitality of the Scottish (political and) academic establishment and a lasting proof of the special liaison between the Scots and the Poles. The Faculty's importance and psychological significance to the rich historical heritage of Polish medicine and the notion of patriotism and loyalty to Polishness have become apparent in the ensuing decades of its carefully maintained tradition. The existence of the Polish Medical Faculty has become an extraordinary asset in the history of Scottish universities, but for the Polish tradition both in Poland and throughout its rich diaspora it constitutes an increasingly valuable historical event which deserves to be cultivated and passed on to younger generations so that it may continue bringing further dividends, so important to national identity, achievement, dignity and pride.