Record of the events and work which led to the formation of that society by the amalgamation of the leading medical societies of London with the Royal Medical and Chirurgical Society : being extracts from the Medico-Chirurgical Transactions, 1905-1907 / Royal Society of Medicine.
- Royal Society of Medicine
- Date:
- 1914
Licence: In copyright
Credit: Record of the events and work which led to the formation of that society by the amalgamation of the leading medical societies of London with the Royal Medical and Chirurgical Society : being extracts from the Medico-Chirurgical Transactions, 1905-1907 / Royal Society of Medicine. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.
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![we have all these different bvauches co-operating for the same eud, when some great subject comes up it would be discussed at a meeting of the great central body, and there would then be elicited the opinion, not merely of those immediately and specially intei'ested in the point in question, but of representa- tives from every department of medical science. If I might give au illustration, I would say that supposing, for instance, we were discussing puerperal convulsions, which interests primarily, of course, those engaged in obstetrical work, if we had a discussion on a large subject like that brought up, we should have the pathologist, the neurologist, the experimental physiologist, the pathological chemist, and the general pijysician, and should bring to bear on such a discussion the whole range of medical science and medical practice. And we should thus not merely prevent overlapping, but we should get more efficient and thorough discussion of some of those large general questions. If I might say so, I should myself prefer the words Royal Academy of Medicine to Eoyal Society. I think that when a young man enters the profession to take up any special subject he would like still to l)e able to say that he was a member of, say, the Ophthalmological or the Laryngological, or some other special society. It would carry more weight to be a member of a society than to be a member of a branch, and I think that the idea woiild be to have all societies within a great royal academy. I think in that way we should also be able to invite the co-operation of those local societies of which Sir Douglas Powell spoke so forcibly. It would be the greatest possible misfortune to extinguish or interfere with local societies, and I think that a large central royal academy might even benefit them by bringing them to a better position through their relations with it, and they might send up subjects for dis- cussion to the great central authority. It is of the greatest importance that this committee, when it shall be set up, shall command general confidence, and be thoroughly businesslike, and have a thorough acquaintance with all the difficulties that are likely to beset the path of this great project. The importance of this committee cannot be overlooked. I hope that the con- stitution suggested—two representatives of the Medical Society, two of the Royal Medical and Chirurgical Society, and one each of the Pathological, Clinical, Obsteti-ical, and Epidemiological Societies—will form the nucleus, and in addition to those there would be the presidents of the two colleges and five re])resenta- tives to be chosen for their special qualification for work of this kind. I beg to move that this committee be elected, and that it have the composition intimated in the resolution. Mr. Herbert P. Waterhouse : I have very great pleasure in seconding the i-esolution proposed by Sir William Broaclbent. I think the unanimity which has been shown by this meeting](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b21471605_0107.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
