Physiological Society

The Physiological Society was formed in March 1876 after John Burdon Sanderson invited 19 scientists interested in physiology to his house for informal discussions over how they should react to impending legislation on the use of animals in experiments. For the first four years the meetings were fairly informal and intimate affairs, with membership formally limited to forty, and business taking place over dinner in a hotel. In December 1880 the first afternoon meeting for the demonstration of experiments and presentation of results took place, a precedent which has continued, and now the demonstrations and presentations are at the core of the Society's meetings, although dinner still plays an important part. The archive contains the unpublished manuscripts of History of the Physiological Society 1926 - 1969 by HP Gilding (GB0120 SA/PHY/R.1/2), and The origin of the Physiological Society's dog, by RA Chapman (GB0120 SA/PHY/R.1/4), which was given as a presentation at a Society meeting in 1989.