Royal Medical Society
Encyclopedia
The Royal Medical Society (RMS) is the oldest medical society in the United Kingdom
(although this claim is also made by the earlier London-based Society of Apothecaries (1617) which is permitted to award medical degrees). Known originally as 'the Medical Society' when it was established in 1737, it was granted a Royal Charter in 1778. The RMS is a professional society engaged in the advancement of medical knowledge and provision of assistance to medical students and professionals. It is based in Edinburgh
, Scotland
, and has members throughout the world.
It is not to be confused with the younger Royal Society of Medicine
of London
.
in London in 1969. Much of the collection was purchased by the University of Wisconsin–Madison
.
s are no longer kept, the Society still encourages medical learning. The RMS hosts talks for students from physicians and surgeons from all fields each Tuesday. This year Neurology, Cardiovascular medicine and a series of talks covering Emergency medicine are just a few of the topics that will be presented to the Society. After each lecture, members hold a private business meeting and is an opportunity for students to present their research to their peers.
Also on offer are practical tutorials (plastering, venepuncture) and the student-led exam tutorials at the end of semesters.
There are also many other events throughout the year: Freshers’ Week events (including the infamous White Coat Pub Crawl); Hallowe’en parties; a Burns Supper and the Presidents' Annual Dinner — this year taking place in the Playfair Library in the University’s Old College.
The RMS is found above the Potterrow Union on Bristo Square
, in the centre of student life in Edinburgh. Members have 24-hour access to all facilities including: a lecture theatre, a well-stocked medical library, a computer suite, learning resource centre as well as a kitchen, TV area, pool table and a seating lounge. During the Edinburgh International Festival
, the rooms act a performance venue under the Pleasance and host the Performers'/VIP bar (Brooke's Bar).
The RMS also has a fund for travel and study grants: awarded to members for research at home or abroad and for final year studies. The estate, is managed by the RMS Trust, which has charitable status.
The running of the Society is managed by the RMS Council - consisting of a Senior President, three Junior Presidents and 11 Convenors - each concerned with particular areas of the Society - listed below. The Council is also aided by Dr Edward Duvall, Treasurer and Mrs Elizabeth Singh, Permanent Secretary. The Senior President for the 274th Session is Miss Kristina Lee, a third year medical student.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
(although this claim is also made by the earlier London-based Society of Apothecaries (1617) which is permitted to award medical degrees). Known originally as 'the Medical Society' when it was established in 1737, it was granted a Royal Charter in 1778. The RMS is a professional society engaged in the advancement of medical knowledge and provision of assistance to medical students and professionals. It is based in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, and has members throughout the world.
It is not to be confused with the younger Royal Society of Medicine
Royal Society of Medicine
The Royal Society of Medicine is a British charitable organisation whose main purpose is as a provider of medical education, running over 350 meetings and conferences each year.- History and overview :...
of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Sale of library
The RMS sold its extensive library, built up throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, at 3 sales at Sotheby'sSotheby's
Sotheby's is the world's fourth oldest auction house in continuous operation.-History:The oldest auction house in operation is the Stockholms Auktionsverk founded in 1674, the second oldest is Göteborgs Auktionsverk founded in 1681 and third oldest being founded in 1731, all Swedish...
in London in 1969. Much of the collection was purchased by the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
.
Notable members
- Thomas Harrison BurderThomas Harrison Burder-Life:He was born in 1789 at Coventry in England, where his father George Burder was a Congregationalist minister. He originally wanted to become a chemist, but after a while he decided to pursue the medical profession. Burder went to the University of Edinburgh in 1812, and took the degree of M.D....
- William A.F. Browne
- Andrew CombeAndrew CombeAndrew Combe , Scottish physician and phrenologist; was born in Edinburgh on the October 27, 1797, and was a younger brother of George Combe....
- James Crichton-BrowneJames Crichton-BrowneSir James Crichton-Browne MD FRS was a leading British psychiatrist famous for studies on the relationship of mental illness to neurological damage and for the development of public health policies in relation to mental health...
, psychiatrist - William CullenWilliam CullenWilliam Cullen FRS FRSE FRCPE FPSG was a Scottish physician, chemist and agriculturalist, and one of the most important professors at the Edinburgh Medical School, during its heyday as the leading center of medical education in the English-speaking world.Cullen was also a central figure in the...
, one of the founders of the society - Charles DarwinCharles DarwinCharles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
- Benjamin FranklinBenjamin FranklinDr. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat...
- Matthew KaufmanMatthew KaufmanMatthew H. Kaufman is Professor Emeritus at University of Edinburgh having been Professor of Anatomy there from 1985–2007. He has taught anatomy and embryology for more than 30 years, initially at the University of Cambridge, when he was a Fellow of King’s College, and more recently in...
- Marshall HallMarshall Hall (physiologist)Marshall Hall FRS was an English physician and physiologist. His name is attached to the theory of reflex arc mediated by the spinal cord, to a method of resuscitation of drowned people, and to the elucidation of function of capillary vessels....
, elected Senior President in 1811 - Francis HomeFrancis HomeFrancis Home FRSE FRCPE was a Scottish physician who made the first attempt to vaccinate against measles, in 1758....
, one of the founders of the society - Joseph ListerJoseph ListerJoseph Lister may refer to:*Joseph Lister, 1st Baron Lister , English surgeon, discovered that cleaning and disinfecting surgical wounds, and bandages, with carbolic acid prevents lethal infections...
- Drummond ShielsDrummond ShielsSir Drummond Shiels MC was a Scottish Labour politician.The son of James Drummond Shiels and Agnes Campbell of Edinburgh, he was educated at Edinburgh University where he graduated MB ChB....
, a Fellow and Senior President - Sir John StruthersJohn Struthers (anatomist)Sir John Struthers, LRCSE, MD, LLD, FRCSE, FRSE was Professor of Anatomy at the University of Aberdeen....
- physician, anatomist - Stuart Threipland, (see Fingask CastleFingask CastleFingask Castle is a country house in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. It is perched above Rait, three miles north-east of Errol, in the Braes of the Carse, on the fringes of the Sidlaw Hills. Thus it overlooks both the Carse of Gowrie and the Firth of Tay and beyond into the Kingdom of Fife...
), physician to Charles Edward StuartCharles Edward StuartPrince Charles Edward Louis John Casimir Sylvester Severino Maria Stuart commonly known as Bonnie Prince Charlie or The Young Pretender was the second Jacobite pretender to the thrones of Great Britain , and Ireland...
(Bonnie Prince Charlie), President 1766-1770 - Jozef VenglosJozef VenglošDr. Jozef Vengloš is a former Czechoslovak football player and coach. He has a Doctorate in Physical Education, as well as specialising in Psychology...
- Hewett WatsonHewett WatsonHewett Cottrell Watson was a phrenologist, botanist and evolutionary theorist. He was born in Firbeck, near Rotherham, Yorkshire, on 9 May 1804, and died at Thames Ditton, Surrey, on 27 July 1881, aged 77.-Biography:...
, evolutionary theorist and friend of Charles Darwin, elected Senior President in 1831 - German Sims WoodheadGerman Sims WoodheadSir German Sims Woodhead, KBE was an English pathologist, born at Huddersfield. He studied in Huddersfield College, Edinburgh University, and in Berlin and Vienna. In 1899 he was made professor of pathology in Cambridge University. At various times he was president of the Royal Medical Society,...
, a former President
The society today
Although cadaverCadaver
A cadaver is a dead human body.Cadaver may also refer to:* Cadaver tomb, tomb featuring an effigy in the form of a decomposing body* Cadaver , a video game* cadaver A command-line WebDAV client for Unix....
s are no longer kept, the Society still encourages medical learning. The RMS hosts talks for students from physicians and surgeons from all fields each Tuesday. This year Neurology, Cardiovascular medicine and a series of talks covering Emergency medicine are just a few of the topics that will be presented to the Society. After each lecture, members hold a private business meeting and is an opportunity for students to present their research to their peers.
Also on offer are practical tutorials (plastering, venepuncture) and the student-led exam tutorials at the end of semesters.
There are also many other events throughout the year: Freshers’ Week events (including the infamous White Coat Pub Crawl); Hallowe’en parties; a Burns Supper and the Presidents' Annual Dinner — this year taking place in the Playfair Library in the University’s Old College.
The RMS is found above the Potterrow Union on Bristo Square
Bristo Square
Bristo Square, in Edinburgh, Scotland, was built in the early 20th century. Bristo Square is owned by Edinburgh University and acts as a public space. It is commonly used by traceurs, skateboarders, rollerbladers and bmxers for recreational purposes...
, in the centre of student life in Edinburgh. Members have 24-hour access to all facilities including: a lecture theatre, a well-stocked medical library, a computer suite, learning resource centre as well as a kitchen, TV area, pool table and a seating lounge. During the Edinburgh International Festival
Edinburgh International Festival
The Edinburgh International Festival is a festival of performing arts that takes place in the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, over three weeks from around the middle of August. By invitation from the Festival Director, the International Festival brings top class performers of music , theatre, opera...
, the rooms act a performance venue under the Pleasance and host the Performers'/VIP bar (Brooke's Bar).
The RMS also has a fund for travel and study grants: awarded to members for research at home or abroad and for final year studies. The estate, is managed by the RMS Trust, which has charitable status.
The running of the Society is managed by the RMS Council - consisting of a Senior President, three Junior Presidents and 11 Convenors - each concerned with particular areas of the Society - listed below. The Council is also aided by Dr Edward Duvall, Treasurer and Mrs Elizabeth Singh, Permanent Secretary. The Senior President for the 274th Session is Miss Kristina Lee, a third year medical student.
Council
The council for the 274th session is as follows:See also
- Royal College of Physicians of EdinburghRoyal College of Physicians of EdinburghThe Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh was established in the 17th century. While the RCPE is based in Edinburgh, it is by no means just a Scottish professional body - more than half of its 7,700 Fellows, Members, Associates and Affiliates live and practice medicine outside Scotland, in 86...
- Royal College of Surgeons of EdinburghRoyal College of Surgeons of EdinburghThe Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh is an organisation dedicated to the pursuit of excellence and advancement in surgical practice, through its interest in education, training and examinations, its liaison with external medical bodies and representation of the modern surgical workforce...
- Surgeon's Hall
- University of Edinburgh Medical SchoolUniversity of Edinburgh Medical SchoolThe University of Edinburgh Medical School is part of the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine of the University of Edinburgh. Established nearly 283 years ago, Edinburgh Medical School is one of the oldest medical schools in Scotland and the UK...
External links
- RMS website
- RMS page, College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, University of EdinburghUniversity of EdinburghThe University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...