The Royal Society of Medicine : opening of the new building by His Majesty the King accompanied by Her Majesty the Queen.

  • Royal Society of Medicine.
Date:
[1912]
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: The Royal Society of Medicine : opening of the new building by His Majesty the King accompanied by Her Majesty the Queen. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    A special feature of the Library is the electric lighting arrange- ment of the reading tables. This is the invention of the Secretary, Mr. J. Y. W. MacAlister, and solves the problem of effectively getting rid of the usual flexible wires which are a great inconvenience in ordinary table-lamps. The contact is obtained through two legs of the table, in which strong springs are fitted. The spring fits into a counterpart spring socket in the floor, and the contact is produced by a plug in the table. When not in use, the table may be placed in any part of the room, as its own weight is sufficient to force the spring back into the leg of the table. At the east end the Library extends the whole depth of the building, this portion forming the Periodical Room. The remainder of the first floor is occupied by the Issue Room, two small rooms for private study, and the Fellows’ lavatory. This is fitted up in the most up-to-date manner, with tiled walls and Leyland rubber flooring. The book-store occupies the major part of the basement. The books are arranged on iron stacks with adjustable shelves, and the system adopted effects a great economy of space. The Library now contains over 100,000 volumes, and there is storage room for over 200,000 volumes. On this floor are also provided a large lavatory with dressing rooms for Fellows, also the porters’ rooms, with heating chamber, coal- store, &c. The second floor is occupied by the Council Room, various Com- mittee Rooms, and the Fellows’ Tea and Smoking Rooms. The Council Room is a fine room, 30 ft. by 28 ft., with a horseshoe table at which thirty-six members can sit. On the walls hang portraits of former Presidents of the Society, some of them being of considerable value, especially that of Alexander Marcet by Raeburn. Over the chimney-piece is a medallion by John Bacon, R.A., representing iEneas escaping from burning Troy carrying his father, the blind Anchises. For this medallion Bacon was awarded the Gold Medal of the Royal Academy in the year of its foundation, 1768. It was purchased by Sir William Chambers and placed in his house at 53, Berners Street, which afterwards became the home of the Royal Medical and Chirur- gical Society. The medallion was removed in 1889 by Mr. MacAlister, and placed in the Society’s house at 20, Hanover Square. At the opposite corner of the building is the Council Room for the various Sections of the Society, and between the two are three Com- mittee Rooms, including the Henry Louis Florence Room.
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