King Edward Medical University was established in 1860. It is one of the oldest medical institution in the South Asia, after Medical College Kolkata (1835) in India. Initially known as Lahore Medical College in 1886. Both the college and the attached hospital (Lahore Dispensary) were small compared to the current size.
"The original idea for the establishment of a medical college for the undivided Punjab was placed before the Imperial Government in 1857, but shelved because of ‘War of Independence’, The need was so great that is was decided to make the beginning by establishing a Medical School in 1860. At that time the only other Medical School in Indo-Pakistan Sub-Continent was situated in Calcutta. In August, 1860, Dr. IB. Scriven of the General Hospital in Calcutta was invited to become the Principal of the proposed Lahore Medical School, which was to be the second such Institution in Indo Pakistan Sub-Continent.
Dr. Scriven with Dr. Smith, a Civil Surgeon, conducted the first Matriculation Examination on the 1st of November, 1860 having arrived in Lahore on 10th of October, 1860. The classes were to be held in and English 20 students qualified for the Hindustani class in initial examination while another qualifying examination was held on the 15th November, 1860 allowing 24 more students to qualify for the class thus producing a total of 44 students for the Hindustani class. only 5 students were enrolled for the English Class of which only 2 persisted on the College Rolls after a year; one European, and one Indian, English was not widely known in the province at that time."
