The Harveian Society of London, named after the physician

William Harvey William Harvey (1 April 1578 – 3 June 1657) was an English physician who made influential contributions in anatomy and physiology. He was the first known physician to describe completely, and in detail, the systemic circulation and propert ...

, is a medical society and registered charity, founded in 1831. Doctors assemble regularly at the Medical Society of London, Chandos Street,

Cavendish Square Cavendish Square is a public garden square in Marylebone in the West End of London. It has a double-helix underground commercial car park. Its northern road forms ends of four streets: of Wigmore Street that runs to Portman Square in the much ...

to converse and discuss medical matters through the medium of lectures and conferences. The society's council rotate annually and comprises the president, two vice-presidents, the treasurer, the executive and two honorary secretaries, the archivist and nine councillors.

Origins

John Coakley Lettsom John Coakley Lettsom (1744 – 1 November 1815, also Lettsome) was an English physician and philanthropist born on Little Jost Van Dyke in the British Virgin Islands into an early Quaker settlement. The son of a West Indian planter and an Iris ...

, had opened a dispensary in London in 1770, following which, in 1773, he founded the Medical Society of London. Over the next 50 years, the expansion of dispensaries, particularly around Marylebone, created a platform for a group of doctors to get together and create The West London Medical Society, the intention of which was to cultivate a medium to better their knowledge and advance medical science. By October 1831, the society's name had changed to 'The Harveian Society of London' and it had held its first meeting at the Western General Dispensary. From 1951, the meetings have been held at the Medical Society of London's home, Lettsom House. Anthony Todd Thompson and Marshall Hall, both physicians, were the first two presidents. Subsequently, presidents have frequently been high-profile medical professionals, including

Thomas Hodgkin Thomas Hodgkin RMS (17 August 1798 – 5 April 1866) was a British physician, considered one of the most prominent pathologists of his time and a pioneer in preventive medicine. He is now best known for the first account of Hodgkin's disease, ...

, D'Arcy Power, Lord Horder, Cecil Wakeley and Sir

Zachary Cope Sir Vincent Zachary Cope MD MS FRCS (14 February 1881 – 28 December 1974) was an English physician, surgeon, author, historian and poet perhaps best known for authoring the book ''Cope's Early Diagnosis of the Acute Abdomen'' from 1921 until ...

. Society rules were first printed in 1832. The Society remained exclusively male until 1956, when women were permissible to join in only as guests, eventually being allowed full membership from 1964 under the Presidency of Dr. D. Geraint James.

Annual Harveian lecture

Letter from Francis Crick to Dr Anthony Dawson Wellcome L0038049

Started in 1875, an annual lecture is given in honour of William Harvey. Past speakers have included surgeon (and brother of economist

John Maynard Keynes John Maynard Keynes, 1st Baron Keynes, ( ; 5 June 1883 – 21 April 1946), was an English economist whose ideas fundamentally changed the theory and practice of macroeconomics and the economic policies of governments. Originally trained in ...

)

Geoffrey Keynes Sir Geoffrey Langdon Keynes ( ; 25 March 1887, Cambridge – 5 July 1982, Cambridge) was a British surgeon and author. He began his career as a physician in World War I, before becoming a doctor at St Bartholomew's Hospital in London, where h ...

nobel prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...

winners for work on

penicillin Penicillins (P, PCN or PEN) are a group of β-lactam antibiotics originally obtained from '' Penicillium'' moulds, principally '' P. chrysogenum'' and '' P. rubens''. Most penicillins in clinical use are synthesised by P. chrysogenum usin ...

Ernest Chain and

Howard Florey Howard Walter Florey, Baron Florey (24 September 189821 February 1968) was an Australian pharmacologist and pathologist who shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1945 with Sir Ernst Chain and Sir Alexander Fleming for his role ...

, co-discoverer of DNA

Francis Crick Francis Harry Compton Crick (8 June 1916 – 28 July 2004) was an English molecular biologist, biophysicist, and neuroscientist. He, James Watson, Rosalind Franklin, and Maurice Wilkins played crucial roles in deciphering the helical stru ...

and heart transplant pioneer Christian Barnard.

Buckston Browne Prize

In 1928, following the death of his son, killed in the

first world war World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, Sir George Buckston Browne bestowed the ‘Buckston Browne Prize’ for a paper based on original work and 'medal' in memory of his son.

Buckston Browne Gray Hill Dinner

Buckston Brown also endowed an annual dinner for Harveian members, which is also celebrated with the Buckston Browne cup. In 1944, Lt–Colonel Sir Norman Gray Hill was killed in the second world war. In honour of his endowment and memory, the annual dinner was renamed the Buckston Browne Gray Hill Dinner.

Annual tribute

Every year, in June, the president and associates make a particular call to Harvey's birthplace in

Folkestone Folkestone ( ) is a port town on the English Channel, in Kent, south-east England. The town lies on the southern edge of the North Downs at a valley between two cliffs. It was an important harbour and shipping port for most of the 19th and 20t ...

and lay flowers at Harvey's statue. In 1973, in the presence of the society and on behalf of the

British Medical Association The British Medical Association (BMA) is a registered trade union for doctors in the United Kingdom. The association does not regulate or certify doctors, a responsibility which lies with the General Medical Council. The association's headqua ...

, an honorary plaque was added.

William Harvey Memorial Prize

Established in 1954, the William Harvey Memorial prize was initially open only to students from the William Harvey Grammar School.

Harveian Library

A selection of Harvey's works, biographies and portraits are kept in a small library. Some portraits were removed from the

Royal College of Physicians The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of physicians by examination. Founded by royal charter from King Henry VIII in 1 ...

and returned to the society.

Anniversaries

In 1975, the society requested sculptor Nigel Boonham to create a head of William Harvey for his 400th anniversary. A total of fifty were to be cast in a resin bronze limited edition and sold to members.

Other notable medical associations named after William Harvey

The

of London holds an annual lecture established by William Harvey in 1656 called the

Harveian Oration The Harveian Oration is a yearly lecture held at the Royal College of Physicians of London. It was instituted in 1656 by William Harvey, discoverer of the systemic circulation. Harvey made financial provision for the college to hold an annual fea ...

. The

Harvey Society The Harvey Society is a learned society based in New York City, Named after the British scientist William Harvey (1578–1657), its scope is "the diffusion of knowledge of the medical sciences". Since its founding in 1905, the society has sponsor ...

, found in 1905, is based in New York City and hosts an annual lecture series on recent advances in biomedical sciences. The

Harvey Club of London The Harvey Club of London is the oldest currently active medical club in Canada. It was founded by Drs. James W. Crane and C.M. Crawford in 1919 in London, Ontario. The club was initially founded as a way for practicing physicians to stay abreast ...

, the oldest medical club in Canada, is based in the

University of Western Ontario The University of Western Ontario (UWO), also known as Western University or Western, is a public research university in London, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land, surrounded by residential neighbourhoods and the Thames R ...

References

{{authority control Medical associations based in the United Kingdom History of medicine Clubs and societies in London 1831 establishments in England