Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1775-1851 (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
16 volumes; 8 folders
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
The Physical Society of Guy's Hospital was founded in 1771, and London's first medical society. It was not initially associated with Guy's Hospital, but met in the theatre of Dr Lowder in Southwark, a private teacher of midwifery as well as lecturer at St Thomas's and Guy's Hospitals. The first meeting was held at Guy's Hospital between 1780 and 1782. The society met weekly from October to May to hear and discuss a dissertation and exchange medical news and cases. At the early meetings the chairman was usually Dr Haighton, Lecturer in Physiology and Midwifery at St Thomas's and Guy's Hospitals. The society was open to physicians, surgeons, apothecaries and pupils, and members largely comprised the officers of the Guy's and Thomas's Hospitals and practitioners in the area. On the establishment of other medical societies in London its popularity declined, and the society closed in 1852.
Repository
Archival history
Minutes of the Physical Society were discovered in 1896 in a room next to the chapel by Mr Bryant.
GB 0100 G/S4 1775-1851 Collection (fonds) 16 volumes; 8 folders Physical Society of Guy's Hospital
The Physical Society of Guy's Hospital was founded in 1771, and London's first medical society. It was not initially associated with Guy's Hospital, but met in the theatre of Dr Lowder in Southwark, a private teacher of midwifery as well as lecturer at St Thomas's and Guy's Hospitals. The first meeting was held at Guy's Hospital between 1780 and 1782. The society met weekly from October to May to hear and discuss a dissertation and exchange medical news and cases. At the early meetings the chairman was usually Dr Haighton, Lecturer in Physiology and Midwifery at St Thomas's and Guy's Hospitals. The society was open to physicians, surgeons, apothecaries and pupils, and members largely comprised the officers of the Guy's and Thomas's Hospitals and practitioners in the area. On the establishment of other medical societies in London its popularity declined, and the society closed in 1852.
Minutes of the Physical Society were discovered in 1896 in a room next to the chapel by Mr Bryant.
Transferred from Guy's Hospital Medical School Library in 2002.
Records of the Physical Society of Guy's Hospital, 1775-1851, comprising minutes of weekly meetings, 1775-1825, 1835-1851, including discussions of the papers presented to the society and lists of members; laws of the Society, 1775-1778; case reports on patients, presented to society meetings by members, 1818-1825; volumes of dissertations and essays presented to society meetings, [1799], [1808-1809], 1826, on a wide range of subjects, including small-pox, death by drowning and hanging, dysentery, diabetes and ulcers.
As outlined in the scope and content.
Open, subject to signature of reader's undertaking form.
Copies, subject to the condition of the original, may be supplied for research use only. Requests to publish original material should be submitted to the Director of Archive and Corporate Record Services.
English
Detailed catalogues are available in the reading room of the College Archives.
Catalogue of the Society's library, [1817-1829], 1850, held by the Special Collections of King's College London Library.
Sources: Catalogue of the Printed Books and Manuscripts in the Library of St Thomas's Hospital Medical School (1491-1900) D T Bird (London, 1984); 'The Library of the Guy's Hospital Physical Society' Andrew Baster in Guy's Hospital Gazette, 1984. Compiled by Julie Tancell as part of the RSLP AIM25 project. Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal Place and Corporate Names, 1997. March 2001; revised 2002 Associations Death Diabetes Diabetes mellitus Diseases Drowning Dysentery England Europe Guy's Hospital Medical School Guy's Hospital Physical Society Higher science education Infectious diseases Injuries Learned societies Life cycle London Medical education Medical personnel Medical profession Medical sciences Medical students Organizations Pathology Personnel Physicians Smallpox Southwark Students Surgeons Surgery UK Western Europe People by occupation People
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Transferred from Guy's Hospital Medical School Library in 2002.
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Records of the Physical Society of Guy's Hospital, 1775-1851, comprising minutes of weekly meetings, 1775-1825, 1835-1851, including discussions of the papers presented to the society and lists of members; laws of the Society, 1775-1778; case reports on patients, presented to society meetings by members, 1818-1825; volumes of dissertations and essays presented to society meetings, [1799], [1808-1809], 1826, on a wide range of subjects, including small-pox, death by drowning and hanging, dysentery, diabetes and ulcers.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
System of arrangement
As outlined in the scope and content.
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Open, subject to signature of reader's undertaking form.
Conditions governing reproduction
Copies, subject to the condition of the original, may be supplied for research use only. Requests to publish original material should be submitted to the Director of Archive and Corporate Record Services.
Language of material
- English
Script of material
- Latin
Language and script notes
English
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Finding aids
Detailed catalogues are available in the reading room of the College Archives.
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Catalogue of the Society's library, [1817-1829], 1850, held by the Special Collections of King's College London Library.
Publication note
Notes area
Note
Alternative identifier(s)
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
Genre access points
Description control area
Description identifier
Institution identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal Place and Corporate Names, 1997.
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation revision deletion
Language(s)
- English