ARCHIVES OF THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS

Part 2: Annals of the Royal College of Physicians, 1916-1988

Publisher's Note

Part 2 of this microfiche project provides the annals (a record of proceedings of the College and minutes of Comitia) for much of the 20th century with a complete run of documents, including background papers, from 1916 to 1988. Covering both World Wars, the numerous technological and scientific breakthroughs in medicine in the modern era, the availability of new techniques, new drugs, advice for Government, and the advancement of medical knowledge, these records offer a wealth of detail on the role of the Royal College of Physicians in promoting the highest standards of medical practice, health and healthcare in the modern era.

The College sets out its main aims as follows:

to set and improve standards for clinical practice
to support physicians in their practice of medicine
to promote and provide continuing professional development throughout a doctor’s career
to advise the Government, the public and the profession on healthcare issues
to promote the advance of medical knowledge
to foster collaboration with all relevant bodies in medicine, nationally and throughout the world

Since the 1960s the College has witnessed another period of major expansion which it describes as follows: “Its activities are more numerous than ever. It is a professional body of doctors with its own exacting standards and examinations, exercising a direct influence on the quality of training and the appointment of consultants in all medical specialities. The College is an academic institution, with a diverse educational programme helping physicians to keep abreast of the latest state of scientific and clinical knowledge. The College continues the tradition set by Thomas Linacre in being an independent body deriving its status and authority from the knowledge and professionalism of its Fellows and Members, now numbering more than 22,000 physicians. The College publishes reports, makes recommendations and gives advice across the whole range of medical and health matters. Its expert knowledge is drawn upon by Governments, Royal Commissions, public bodies and the medical profession internationally. The College Journal is a vital forum for the latest developments and debates in the world of medicine while its reports range widely over public health policy topics such as the effects of smoking and alcohol, NHS issues such as the setting of priorities, and authoritative overviews of medical conditions.”

The following topics from the Index to the 1974 Annals give an idea of the range of material covered by this project:

Medical Commission on Accident Prevention
Report on Cruelty to Animals
Standing Committee on Cardiology
Censors’ Board
Committee on Clinical Pharmacology
Standing Committee on Geriatrics
Working Group on Strokes
Licence Examinations
Radio-Diagnosis
Grants of Diplomas
Election of Officers
Standing Committee on Neurology
Medico-Pharmaceutical Forum
Committee on Communicable Diseases
Communications with, and Recommendations to the Department of Health and Social Security
Hospital Provision for Infectious Diseases
The Davies Report - the Report of the Committee on Hospital Complaints Procedures

Brief Note on the Arrangement of material in Part 2:

For the period 1916-1981 the minutes and background papers are interleaved and bound together in a single sequence in each volume (v.49 to v.82). The odd folio numbers are used to identify the minutes with relevant background documents appearing in between the folios of minutes. An alphabetical index of contents appears at the end of each volume.

For the period 1982-1988 (v.83 to v.90) the arrangement is different and the material is not interleaved. The folios of minutes appear first, followed by the sequence of background documents relevant to that year's minutes. The alphabetical index of contents for each year is included after the background documents.

For more details of the arrangement of material in Part 2 of this microfiche project please see the Contents of Fiche listing. This paperback guide accompanies the microfiche edition and contains the listings for both Parts 2 and 3.

Part 3 brings together a full set of Council Minutes for the College, covering the years 1836-1978. The early Council Minutes are quite brief, but particularly from the 1960s onwards, they become much more important and more detailed than the Annals. Both sets of records combined give scholars the full picture of College activities, views on the most important issues of the day, the challenges of the National Health Service, as well as the inter-action between social issues, such as poverty and poor housing, and policy decisions on health and medicine.

Some of the entries in the Index to the Council Minutes for 1977 give a picture of the range of issues under discussion:

Reorganisation of the Programme of Advanced Medicine
Airline Pilots, Cardiovascular fitness
College representation on the Central Committee of Hospital Medical Services
Child Health Services
Deployment of Doctors in the Medical Specialities
Disputes within the National Health Service
Dissident Scientists, Soviet Union
EEC
Endocrinology and Diabetes Mellitus
Joint Working Party on Ethics of the Medical Profession
Functions of Council
Representation on the General Medical Council
Hospital Posts
Training Posts
Joint Consultants Committee
Medical Care for the Elderly
Nursing Staff
Evidence for Royal Commission on the National Health Service
Smoking or Health

“This publication in microfiche of archival sources from the Royal College of Physicians is much to be welcomed, for through close study of the College’s affairs it provides the key to the institutional history of medicine in Britain.”
Dr Roy Porter
Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine

We are most grateful to Cathy Thornton, Archivist, and her colleagues in the Library at the Royal College of Physicians, London for their help in the preparation and filming of this project.

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