Head and shoulders portrait of Robert Lawson Tait. Lawson Tait was born in Edinburgh in 1845, the son of a butler. Instead of pursuing a trade apprenticeship following his schooling, he began attending lectures at Edinburgh University. He attended the Extramural School rather than pursuing a medical degree and in 1870 became a member of the Royal College of Surgeons of England and a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. He moved to Birmingham to establish his own practice and through close links with notable public figures such as Joseph Chamberlain, was involved in the establishment of the Birmingham and Midland Hospital for Women. He was a founding member of the Birmingham Medical Society and a pioneer in the field of gynaecology.

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