GB 0100 G/S4 - Physical Society of Guy's Hospital

Identity area

Reference code

GB 0100 G/S4

Title

Physical Society of Guy's Hospital

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.

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.

Related descriptions

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

King's College London College Archives

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

Script(s)

    Sources

    Accession area