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British Society for the History of Medicine
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The BSHM News 2004 edited by John Blair was issued in printed form at the end of 2004. Unfortunately the electronic copy of the final version was destroyed by a fire at the printers. It has been recreated by scanning and optical character recognition - we apologise if any errors have been introduced. It has been converted to web pages by David Hawgood.
2003 Congress Report - Poynter Lecture, John Blair Trust and 2005 Congress - Society Reports - Office Bearers
The British Society for the History of Medicine was formed in 1965 by members of the Faculty of the History and Philosophy of Medicine and Pharmacy of the Society of Apothecaries, and the Royal Society of Medicine, both of London, the Scottish Society of the History of Medicine, and the Osler Club of London. Its aims are to encourage the study, research, and teaching of medical history at both graduate and undergraduate level. In alternate years, it holds a National Meeting and the Poynter Lecture in London. The Society represents the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in the International Society for the History of Medicine.
There is no individual membership; membership of an affiliated society automatically provides this. The governing committee, of office-bearers and representatives from the affiliated societies, meets annually, either at the National Congress or at the Poynter Lecture. Office-bearers 2002-2003 are: President, Dr Aileen Adams, CBE, FRCA, , Secretary Dr Ann Ferguson, FRCA, Treasurer, Dr Tina Matthews, Past-President, Dr Denis Gibbs, DM, FRCP, and National Delegate to the International Society, Mrs Belinda Heathcote. On the governing committee, member societies with more than one hundred members have two representatives, smaller societies have one member. This NEWS is published annually, and provides a link between constituent societies and an up-date on medical history at home and abroad.
The current BSHM website is http://medweb.bham.ac.uk/histmed/bshmindex.html [later note - now http://www.bshm.org.uk ]
This past year has seen the return of the Pybus Society. Dr Ann Ferguson, our new Secretary, visited Newcastle for their AGM as part of her plans to keep in touch country-wide, when the decision was voted. We welcome this society again. She visited Dundee, also, where medical history is active and their Medical Faculty has first-class staff. The 2007 National Meeting will be held there. At the other end of the country, the new Suffolk Society progresses well, and Dr Roger Rolls keeps medical history going well in Bath. Dr David Wright completes his tour as National delegate, and our thanks go to him for his contribution. He is succeeded by Mrs Belinda Heathcote.
Last year we were the victims of our own success. Our larger and more extensive newsletter, showing all the extra activity of BSHM with many more copies printed, made our costs too large to be comfortable. Dr Ann Ferguson, who has quickly made her mark and whose visits and prompt communication to all parts has been most welcome, and our past treasurer Dr Jean Guy, decided that some means had to be found of reducing the bill while retaining the service. All member societies and organisations were asked their views and as a result, some members have asked that their newsletter be sent by e-mail, some as a single letter which they would distribute to their own members, and some asked for fewer copies. So this is being done. A grant from Wellcome was given in 2003 and we thank them sincerely for it.
The most significant event of the year as far as our Society is concerned has been the dissolution of the Friends of the Wellcome Library and Centre. After a preliminary Executive Committee meeting, an Extraordinary General Meeting was held on the 21st of June. At this it was reported that because the Wellcome Trust had suffered a large fall in its endowment since AD 2000, it had had to review all its commitments including grant funding and operational costs. One post to be removed was that of the Administrative Secretary of the Friends.
Various possible solutions were put forward - complete independence of the Friends, a move to the Centre for the History of Medicine at UCL, migration of the Friends to the Society of Apothecaries, or dissolution. After discussion, it was reported to those present that the Executive Committee had reached the conclusion that the practicalities of the Friends continuing on a voluntary basis are insurmountable and that there was no ideal solution. The final decision became that the Society be dissolved. No new members would be accepted, but existing memberships will be valid until the end of the year.
Further to this, Miss Cathy Doggrell, editor of the of Wellcome bibliography of the History of Medicine, has recently informed us that her publication (the former 'Current Work in the History of Medicine') will no longer be produced after June of 2004. Access will still be possible 'as part of the catalogue of the Wellcome Library for the History and Understanding of Medicine'. Miss Doggrell 'hopes that readers will not be too inconvenienced by its demise.'
John S.G. Blair, editor
Many problems have continued to dog our efforts to make the ISHM more flexible and its accounting more clear and acceptable. We who are involved have the earnest hope that a new president will be elected in Bari at the World Congress due to be held in September. The current president wishes to remain in post and carry on his policies; and if the ISHM is to become less restricted in outlook, a new attitude is essential. Our candidate is Professor Thanos Diamandopoulos from Greece, whose forward looking stance is exactly what is needed.
JSG Blair vice-president ISHM
Copyright 2005 David Hawgood and the British Society for the History of Medicine
This page by David Hawgood
was amended 8 Dec 2007