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TheGenealogist is pleased to announce the release of a fascinating collection of historic occupational records for medical and nursing professionals, opening new research opportunities for family historians.

These newly added publications cover doctors, surgeons and nurses from the mid-19th to mid-20th century and contain nearly 200,000 names. Researchers can now explore details such as qualifications, training, addresses and career histories, invaluable for building a fuller picture of an ancestor’s life.

Included in this release is Sophia Jex-Blake, one of the most influential figures in British medical history. As the first female doctor to practise in Scotland and a leader in the fight for women’s access to medical education, her entry sits alongside those of thousands of other medical professionals from the era. Read her story here: www.thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/2025/from-victorian-roots-to-medical-pioneer-8732/.

[ Sophia Jex-Blake in the newly released Medical Records ]

Mark Bayley, Head of Content at TheGenealogist, says:

“These directories provide a detailed snapshot of the lives of medical professionals, from the pioneers who broke barriers to the everyday practitioners who served their communities. For family historians, they offer an  invaluable source of biographical detail that can bring your ancestor’s story to life.”

The new records are available now to all Diamond subscribers at TheGenealogist.co.uk.

The new records include: The Medical Register 1897; The Medical Register 1906; The Medical Register 1939; Medical Directory for Ireland 1856; Register of Nurses for Scotland 1947; Register of Nurses for Scotland 1948.

Newly released records covering Doctors, Midwives, Opticians and medics in British India

At this time when we are all so very conscious of the work of our medical professionals in the face of the pandemic, TheGenealogist has released a set of new records for our medical ancestors who treated others in the course of their occupations in the time before the creation of the National Health Service. 

St Mary Abbot’s Hospital, Kensington W8, ward 3

It would have been a very different world from today in which these men and women worked. Before 1948 and the founding of the NHS, medical professionals were in private practice. The poorer members of society depended on charity and being assessed for what financial contribution they could make to their treatment. 

TheGenealogist has added to its occupational records with a fascinating release that has a medical theme. From the time from before the NHS came into being, these name rich records covering Doctors, Midwives and Opticians can be searched by name and keywords. All of these practitioners would have been working at the time when the wealthy could afford the best treatment, while the poor went to hospital with the added shame that this held as these institutions were where the poor were predominantly treated.

Use these records to: 

• Add details to the lives of your medical ancestors 
• Discover Doctors etc. who served in India in The Madras Medical Register 1934
• Find Medical Ancestors in The Medical Who's Who 1912
• Seek out midwives in The Midwives Roll 1905
• See optometrists names in the Institute of Ophthalmic Opticians, Official Directory, 1927

This latest release expands TheGenealogist’s extensive Occupational records collection that includes actors, apprentices, clergy, crew lists, directors, flight, freemen, law, railway, sports, teachers and biographies as well as other medical registers. 

You can read the article, ‘Medical ancestors from before the NHS began’, here:

https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/2020/medical-ancestors-from-before-the-nhs-began-1262/

About TheGenealogist

TheGenealogist is an award-winning online family history website, who put a wealth of information at the fingertips of family historians. Their approach is to bring hard to use physical records to life online with easy to use interfaces such as their Tithe and newly released Lloyd George Domesday collections. 

TheGenealogist’s innovative SmartSearch technology links records together to help you find your ancestors more easily. TheGenealogist is one of the leading providers of online family history records. Along with the standard Birth, Marriage, Death and Census records, they also have significant collections of Parish and Nonconformist records, PCC Will Records, Irish Records, Military records, Occupations, Newspaper record collections amongst many others.

TheGenealogist uses the latest technology to help you bring your family history to life. Use TheGenealogist to find your ancestors today!