James Barry's legacy: 200 years of caesarean section
About this Event
About the conference
Born in Cork as Margaret Ann Bulkley, James Barry adopted a male identity to attend the University of Edinburgh, graduating in 1812 with a medical degree when women were barred from study. As a distinguished army surgeon, Barry moved to Cape Town in 1816, serving as Colonial Medical Inspector and improving healthcare for both soldiers and civilians. In 1826, Barry performed the first recorded Caesarean section by a European physician in Africa where both mother and child survived, a milestone in surgical history. Upon Barry's death in 1865, it was discovered that Barry had been assigned female at birth, challenging 19th-century gender norms. This international conference will celebrate Barry’s impact across Cork, Edinburgh, and Cape Town - three cities central to Barry’s story. The conference is being held across 3 locations (Cork, Ireland, Edinburgh, Scotland, and Cape Town, South Africa), with in person and online attendance options.
There is a YouTube video describing the event:
Programme details for the whole event (including Cork and Cape Town, and their online registration details) can be found here: https://www.ucc.ie/en/npec/newsevents/2026conference/
The Edinburgh portion of the conference programme will reflect on milestones in reproductive research and gender in medicine, with contributions from the University of Edinburgh, and NHS Lothian. The in-person component of the Edinburgh portion will be held in Shirley Hall in the Chancellor’s Building at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.
The programme for Edinburgh is shown further below.
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This event is free and open to all.
Please indicate any dietary or access requirements when you register to attend.
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Privacy notice
Details of the University of Edinburgh full privacy notice can be found here
We want to run a safe and accessible event and provide the best possible experience for you. By providing any information required on the booking form, you are giving the University consent to hold and process this data about you and to advise our suppliers of these details, under data protection regulations, for the purpose of running this event. By providing this information about your guest[s], you are confirming that you have their permission to share this data with the University for the same purposes. Any dietary and accessibility requirements are deleted following completion of the event.
Photography notice
This event may be photographed and/or recorded for promotional or recruitment materials for the University and University approved third parties. For further information please contact [email protected]
Agenda
🕑: 09:30 AM - 09:45 AM
Refreshments on arrival
🕑: 09:45 AM - 09:50 AM
Online streaming begins
🕑: 09:50 AM - 10:00 AM
Welcome and introduction
Info: Prof. Andrew Horne, Centre for Reproductive Health, University of Edinburgh
🕑: 10:00 AM - 10:30 AM
A scandalously short history of gender and medicine in Edinburgh
Info: Dr Karissa Patton, Wellcome Research Fellow in Medical Humanities, Centre for Biomedicine, Self, and Society at the University of Edinburgh
🕑: 10:30 AM - 11:00 AM
Creating a new global community - healthy pregnancies, healthy world
Info: Obstetric research and innovation from Edinburgh in 2026 - Dr Rosemary Townsend, Centre for Reproductive Health, University of Edinburgh
🕑: 11:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Coffee break
Info: Online attendees can view virtual posters during the break.
🕑: 11:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Pathways to parenthood for the trans person
Info: Prof. Richard Anderson, Centre for Reproductive Health, University of Edinburgh and Dr Karen Edgar, Simpson’s Centre for Reproductive Health, Royal Infirmary Edinburgh
🕑: 12:00 PM - 12:30 PM
Widening participation at the University of Edinburgh
Info: Understanding and overcoming contemporary barriers to medicine with Lesley Stokes, Widening Participation Manager, University of Edinburgh
🕑: 12:30 PM - 12:40 PM
Close of meeting
Info: Prof. Andrew Horne
🕑: 12:40 PM - 12:40 PM
End of online streaming
🕑: 12:45 PM - 01:30 PM
In person: light refreshments and digital poster viewing
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
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