 In 1892 Bruce gave up his medical studies at the University of Edinburgh and joined the Dundee Whaling Expedition to Antarctica as a scientific assistant . This was followed by Arctic voyages to Novaya Zemlya , Spitsbergen and Franz Josef Land . In 1899 Bruce , by then Britain 's most experienced polar scientist , applied for a post on Robert Falcon Scott 's Discovery Expedition , but delays over this appointment and clashes with Royal Geographical Society ( RGS ) president Sir Clements Markham led him instead to organise his own expedition , and earned him the permanent enmity of the British geographical establishment . Although Bruce received various awards for his polar work , including an honorary doctorate from the University of Aberdeen , neither he nor any of his SNAE colleagues were recommended by the RGS for the prestigious Polar Medal . 
