On 21 October 1959, the establishment of a Faculty of the History of Medicine and Pharmacy was formally announced by the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries. Its founding aim was “to foster and extend more general interest in medical history and to attract the co-operation of general historians, so that work in this field may be co-ordinated with wider historical studies.”
The Faculty’s origins can be traced back to a memo “On a Faculty of Historical Medicine”, written by Master Apothecary and rheumatologist W.S.C.Copeman in November 1953. Copeman later became the Faculty’s first President. In his 1953 memo, he reflected that “the status of any profession rests on its active traditions, the appreciation of which, by its members and by the public, alone raises it above a craft.” On 16 November 1955, surgeon Sir Zachary Cope gave the Apothecaries’ first Eponymous Lecture, named after the Society’s founder, Huguenot apothecary Gideon de Laune (1565-1659). His title was ‘The Influence of the Society of Apothecaries upon Medical Education.’
By the time the Faculty was founded four years later, its aims were set out to run three lectures, including the Gideon de Laune lecture, to support a Research Fellow working on the Society’s Archives, and to attract medical students to encourage their interest in medical history. The inaugural lecture was given on Wednesday 2 December 1959 at 8:30pm by Canon Charles E Raven, previously Vice Chancellor of Cambridge University, on “Medicine – Mother of the Sciences.” The first Annual Report in March 1960 records 175 personal members, 42 corporate members and a panel of 22 lecturers offering around 50 lectures to help medical students’ history societies to run their programmes.
As we know, the rest is history... In the last 60 years, the Faculty has grown to support a thriving events programme, renowned courses, Apothecaries’ Lecturers, outreach visits to encourage medical students to engage actively with their professional history, and partnerships with a wide range of related organisations.
The Lancet
2019 marked our Diamond Anniversary year, due to the pandemic we have extended our special fundraising scheme into 2020-21. This is to enable the Faculty to pilot new initiatives, such as events with different formats and involvement in innovative partnerships. We would also like to invite members’ views on how we develop these initiatives, suggestions for possible future partner organisations, and ideas for activities and topics for exploration.
We invited Faculty members, and interested parties, to donate £60 to the Diamond Patrons’ Fund to reflect the Faculty’s 60 years. All donations are very gratefully received and will enable us to develop our activities.
Diamond Patrons received a thank you letter and specially-designed lapel pin to display their support.
Thank you for your support!
Any queries, contact: Maria Ferran
Thank you for your donations to mark the Faculty’s 60th Anniversary!
Professor Michael Biddiss Dr John Briscoe Mr Peter Burke Dr Nicholas Cambridge Dr John Timothy Carter Dr Timothy Chambers Mr Malcolm Colledge Ms Carolyn Ann Collins Mr Dickinson Cowan Miss Marianne Jennifer Datiles Dr Josu de la Fuente Dr John Ford Dr Christopher George Professor Raanan Gillon Ms Anita Hoffmann Mr Peter Holden Professor Jonathan Holliday Mr Tony Hollingworth Professor Sean Hughes Mr Raj Kapur Dr Tina Matthews Dr Simon Miller Professor David & Ruth Misselbrook Dr Caje Moniz Dr Robert Montgomery Ms Susan Nial Dr Kazimierz Nowak Dr Peadar O’Mordha Dr Jane Orr Dr Roy Palmer Dr Julie Papworth Mrs Janet Payne Mr Robin Price Dr William Reith Dr Paul Simmons Mr Ian Simpson Dr Noel Snell Mr Peter Taffs Professor Tilli Tansey Dr Peter Tooley Ms Rosalind Topping Professor John Walker-Smith Dr Edward Wawrzynczak Ms Sue Weir Dr Patrick Wills Mr Nicholas Wood Mr James Youngs
