Andrew Duncan, the elder (17 October 1744 – 5 July 1828) FRSE FRCPE FSA (Scot) was a British physician and professor at the University of Edinburgh.

His attachment to the society continued through life: he was its treasurer for many years; and in 1786 he was awarded a gold medal for his services.

On the completion of his course of studies in 1768, he traveled to China as surgeon of the East India Company's ship Asia.

[5] The seventh volume was entitled Medical Commentaries for the year 1780, collected and published by Andrew Duncan, and reached a third edition.

[8] Duncan's extra-academical lectures were continued with considerable success till 1790, when he became the president of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

[9] In 1792, he proposed the erection of a public lunatic asylum in Edinburgh, having first conceived the idea after hearing of the miserable death of Robert Fergusson in 1774 in the common workhouse.

It was not until many difficulties had been surmounted that the project was at last accomplished, and a royal charter was granted in 1807 under which a lunatic asylum was built in Morningside.

[9] Inspired by a miscarriage of justice, he also delivered the first lectures on forensic medicine in Britain, and campaigned to establish a chair of medical jurisprudence at the University of Edinburgh.

In 1821, on the death of James Gregory, Duncan became first Physician to the King in Scotland, having held the same office to the Prince of Wales for more than thirty years.

[9] For more than half a century he walked to the top of Arthur's Seat on May-day morning, accomplishing this for the last time on 1 May 1827.

[9] Duncan's larger works, besides those already mentioned, are: In connection with the Harveian Society of Edinburgh, Duncan published an oration in praise of Harvey, 1778; and memoirs of Alexander Monro (primus), 1780; John Parsens, 1786; John Hope, 1789; Alexander Monro (secundus), 1818; Joseph Banks, 1821; and Henry Raeburn, 1824.

Some of his poetry is included in Carminum Rariorum Macaronicorum Delectus (Esculapian Society), 1801, second edition enlarged; and Miscellaneous Poems, extracted from the Records of the Circulation Club, Edinburgh, 1818.

[13] A bust of Duncan by Lawrence Macdonald is held at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.