James Barry's legacy: 200th anniversary of the first successful caesarean section and a tale of three cities

Celebrate the 200th anniversary of Barry’s ground breaking Caesarean, exploring legacy in Cork, Edinburgh, Cape Town, & gender in medicine.

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: https://youtu.be/dHiWJJLblTg

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.

Posters - abstract submission

We are also inviting submissions of abstracts for posters to display on digital poster boards at the Edinburgh conference, and online on the main conference webpage. We invite submissions on a number of themes, including:

· Developments in obstetric and reproductive health research

· Clinical practice, safety and decision making in Caesarean birth

· Neonatal outcomes and longer term considerations

· Gender, identity, and representation in medicine and healthcare

· Patient experiences, narratives, and birth choices

· Global and cross cultural perspectives on maternity care

· Ethical, social and policy aspects of Caesarean section

· Future directions and innovation in obstetric care

· Historical perspectives on Caesarean section and its evolution

· The life, work, and impact of Dr James Barry across Ireland, Scotland and South Africa

Details on how to submit an abstract for submission can be found here: https://www.ucc.ie/en/npec/newsevents/2026conference/

Please note, the deadline for abstract submission is currently set for March 9th, but this will be extended to March 23rd.