Author-Approved The first collective record of the evolution of general medical practice as an academic discipline over half a century This anthology captures the stories of the early struggles, between visionary supporters and traditionalist blockers, to set up university departments as well as the steadily increasing successes aided by a dedicated funding system. The accounts are written where possible by the people involved in the early developments of their subject. These tales are of vision, commitment and resilience and are interesting both in their own right and for the more general lessons they tell us about the processes of creating institutional change within a modern democracy. John Howie was a general practitioner in Glasgow before moving to academic appointments in Aberdeen and then Edinburgh, where he was professor from 1980 until 2000. He researched in the fields of antibiotics and respiratory illness, and then on quality of care at consultations attempting to develop a model of the influences on decision making by general practitioners. He was heavily involved in negotiating for SIFT/ACT money for general practice. Michael Whitfield was a general practitioner in Bristol from 1967 until 1997. He held the first academic undergraduate appointment in general practice to the University of Bristol from 1985 until 1997. He also held academic general practice appointments in the USA, South Africa and in the Sultanate of Oman. His research interests included work on respiratory disease and in mental health.