Medical advances, NHS reorganisation and social change make the scenes in these old black and white photos almost unrecognisable to those used to the hospitals of the 2020s.
Yet the doctors, nurses and other staff all these decades ago had the same purpose as their counterparts today - to deliver the best possible care and treatment for their patients.
This selection of pictures from the Evening News archives capture the health service in the Capital 60 or 70 years ago.
When some of these pictures were taken the National Health Service was less than 10 or 20 years old. Have a look through this picture gallery and get a feel for the atmosphere of the time.
17. Royal Infirmary dental department
Edinburgh Royal Infirmary's dental department in 1959 | TSPL Photo: TSPL
18. Tattoo performance
Edinburgh Festival 1958 - Members of the Military Tattoo perform for the children of the Princess Margaret Rose Hospital. Five year old Michael Malendola from Queensferry meets Eightsome, one of the Tattoo horses | TSPL Photo: TSPL
19. Queensberry House Hospital
The Queen meets the nursing staff when she visits Edinburgh's Queensberry House Hospital - now part of the Scottish Parliament - in July 1965. | TSPL Photo: TSPL
20. Carol singing at Royal Infirmary
Nurses at the Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh singing Christmas carols in December 1967 with the boards showing donations in the background | TSPL Photo: Ian Brand