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British Society for the History of Medicine
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This web page has an introduction, Medical History Review, reports on the International Society for the History of Medicine, John Blair Trust, Poynter Lecture 2006, Governing committee and constitution, and Congresses.
The newsletter continues on other web pages:
Affiliated Society Reports -
Book Reviews -
Treasurer's report
BSHM News 2004 and BSHM News 2005 are also available.
This newsletter consists of parts from the Society's printed "News 2006" edited by Dr John Blair, with some corrections suggested by the Secretary Dr Ann Ferguson. It also has additional material taken from the Society's web pages by the webmaster David Hawgood, who has compiled this web newsletter.
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 2005-2007 are: President, Dr John Ward, MB, FRCGP, FRCP, Secretary Dr Ann Ferguson, FRCA, Treasurer, Dr Tina Mathews, BM, FRCPath, DHMSA, Past- President, Dr Aileen Adams CBE, FRCA, Vice-President Dr David J.Wright, FRCA, FRCP, and National Delegate to the International Society, Mrs Belinda Heathcote. On the governing committee, member societies with more than fifty members have two representatives, smaller societies have one member. The printed BSHM NEWS is published annually, and provides a link between constituent societies and an up-date on medical history at home and abroad. The BSHM website is www.bshm.org.uk and is run by David Hawgood, david@hawgood.com
Society activity continues over the country, although some Societies have reported to me lesser activities than a year or two ago. Those with good student association have seen the their best students maintain the interest an S.S.C. began for them, and this is a hopeful trend for the future. At the other end of the spectrum, the demise of the Pybus Society in Newcastle was a sad event, when Dr Lazenby, who had worked ceaselessly for it with little help, finally retired. No other member was prepared to take on its management.
2006 has been a year when several Societies recorded by local displays, or by special meetings, the 60th anniversary of the end of the Second War. From these, a great deal of material has been salvaged and is now securely stored for posterity.
Two books by members are reviewed in this Newsletter - both are excellent and certainly worth purchasing. Dr Macgregor's is a truly outstanding account of his life in the Colonial Medical Service, where his years of service give the lie to those revisionists who teach school pupils that the Empire was entirely selfish, proud, and corrupt. The History of the Battle Workhouse and Hospital by Margaret Railton and Marshall Barr is a splendid record of one of those local Infirmaries, so often unfairly belittled by central teaching hospital staff, which shows how valuable they were for their own communities, and in ways other than by treating patients only. Perhaps others may follow the example of these colleagues of ours.
JSG Blair
The 40th Congress of the International Society for the History of Medicine took place in Budapest, at the invitation of the President of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Professor Sylvester Vizi, from 26th-30th August.
Meetings were held at the Academy itself, a beautiful building next to the Danube and the famous Szchenyi Bridge, the first bridge to connect Buda and Pest and almost next door to the famous Gresham Palace an extraordinary Art Nouveau building originally built by the English Gresham Insurance company and now most beautifully restored after years of neglect and vandalism during the Communist years.
Our hosts had worked very hard to make the meetings work smoothly and the only complaint about organisation that I heard, was that the accompanying persons returned from a sight-seeing trip round Budapest a little later than expected and found the hard-working delegates, presumably on the basis that they were the ones working and the others were just enjoying themselves, had completely cleared the buffet lunch. The speed with which more food for the starving tourists appeared was a credit to any organiser.
Deciding which paper to listen to meant facing the insoluble problem of trying to be in two, or even three, places at once to catch the parallel sessions, but that is a well-known hazard of the system and parallel sessions do allow for a great many more presentations. Subjects ranged from The Hungarian Neurological School in the 20th Century, through Medicine in the Religion of Ancient Iran, Western Medical Education in India, The Teaching on Nervous Diseases by Laennec to Did the Early Christians Glorify Disease?, with a maze of highways and byways in between. The four plenary lectures given by a German, a Greek (the President), a Brit and a Belgian were not only all worth listening to but seemed to represent just how international the ISHM is.
A lively General Assembly saw one of the spats which few Committees of any society can avoid from time to time but discussion and liaison between several national delegates produced some very positive ideas about changing the system to make things run more smoothly in the future. The wonderful invention of e-mail should allow for these ideas to be expanded.
The gala dinner, a highlight of every Congress was a little different this time. It was held on a boat sailing up the Danube, following immediately on to a visit to the great basilica at Esztergom, so instead of smart suits and flowing skirts we sat down to a wonderful meal in a range of anoraks, jeans, fleeces and walking shoes. The lack of formal dress did nothing to damp the enthusiasm of those who decided to trip the light fantastic and the anoraks were very useful against a slight chill in the air when many of us gathered in the bows to watch the lights of Budapest appear at the end of our trip. Altogether a very good Congress.
The next Congress will be in 2008 in Mexico so brush up your Spanish (Mexican style), your bull-fighting skills and your Mexican waves and come and join us. A bit of history will also be accepted.
The 40th International Congress was held in Budapest from 26th - 30th August, at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, one of the many impressive buildings in that fine city. As well as paper sessions, participants enjoyed visits to some of the wonderful scenery Budapest offers, and a bus trip to Esztergom to view its basilica, followed by a sail down the Danube while the gala dinner took place.
Topics included ancient and Hungarian medicine, the history of social medicine and medical schools. Many papers were of local subject matter, and were short and somewhat limited. Of the major lectures, Dr Tilli Tansey's, about the current work of the Wellcome Institute, was excellent. Not everything was positive. Once again the Belgians and French raised unnecessary and harmful issues, so much so that after Dr J.P.Tricot had made demands, and Dr Ségal loudly threatened to sue the president, Professor Diamandopoulos, 'in French Law' for alleged intention to maintain items he disliked in the bye-laws, the Chairman had to suspend the General Assembly on August 28th. At its re-convening of the Assembly on the morning of the 30th, only about two dozen members were present.
Many members complained informally about the failure to produce Vesalius, the ISHM journal, in proper time for the Congress, so that it was three months late.
It is hoped, all being well, that the next ISHM Congress will be held in 2008 in Mexico.
On the ISHM Website for the 2006 Congress it is announced that the next Congress will be in Mexico, September 7-12 2008. Organiser Professor Carlos Viesca, E-mail: cviesca@frontstage.org
The Trust has given grants and prizes over the past year, and is available for financial help to medical and dental students who are carrying out research projects at home or abroad. It is also available for prizes to students doing student selected components in medical history. The new Trustee appointed this year is Dr L.Lazenby, MA, PhD. Application should be made directly to Dr JSG Blair at 'The Brae' 143, Glasgow Road, Perth, UK, PH2 OLX, the senior trustee. (e-mail JGB143@aol.com)
The 12th Poynter lecture was given by Dr David Allen on the subject: Remedies from our natural flora: piecing together an under-rated tradition. The lecture was given on Tuesday 14th March 2006 at the Royal College of Surgeons of England, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London WC2. Dr Allen told the audience of medicinal uses of many plants, as used by ordinary people in Britain and Ireland. He has drawn the information from surveys and many folklore and published sources. He gave precise botanical information about the plants involved, with many examples. He also included drugs developed by systematic tests on thousands of plants; an example is Taxol, originally found in bark extract from the Pacific Yew, later partially synthesised to reduce the amount of natural material needed, and used in cancer treatment.
David E. Allen studied archaeology and anthropology at Cambridge. He has had a long interest in field botany. He has been president of the Botanical Society of the British Isles, and of the Society for the History of Natural History.
He is co-author (with Gabrielle Hatfield) of "Medicinal plants in folk tradition: an ethnobotany of Britain and Ireland" (Cambridge: Timber Press, 2004). Read more about the book and Dr Allen
The lecture was organised jointly by:
The lecture was also supported by a donation given on dissolution of The Friends of the Wellcome Library and Centre for the History of Medicine.
There is a Poynter lecture every two years - the next will be in 2008.
The Officers and Representatives Committee met before the Poynter Lecture. An amendment to the constitution was agreed, adding "At the beginning of the last year of the Secretary's term of office the ORC shall elect a Secretary elect" and after "The Secretary, Treasurer and National Delegate to the ISHM shall serve for a term of four years" adding "The secretary elect will, without further election, assume the office of Secretary." See the amended constitution.
Dr Fiona Davidson was then elected as "Secretary elect".
The 2007 Congress will be held in Dundee 5-8 September 2007, organised by the Scottish Society for the History of Medicine. Plans are well in hand, the call for papers has been available for some time.
The 2009 Congress will be held in Brighton in September 2009.
Copyright 2006 British Society for the History of Medicine,
prepared by David Hawgood,
6 Nov 2006, amended 8 Dec 2007