Scot. moo. J., 1976, 21: 166
THE SCOTTISH SOCIETY FOR EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE CENTENARY MEETING The Scottish Society for Experimental Medicine was formed 'to promote the study of disease in man and to meet for the purpose of demonstration and discussion'. The first meeting was held in the Clinical Laboratory of the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary on 29th October 1938, under the chairmanship of Dr C. P. Stewart", The plan to form the society had developed on the initiative of C. P. Stewart and W. C. Wilson", keenly supported by John McMichaeP, Noah Morris", Harold Scarborough! and J. W. Mel-lee". From the first, it was agreed that the emphasis should be on experimental enquiries. The Research Society of London was taken as a model, but with variations to suit the situation in Scotland. The most important modifications were that each of the Scottish Medical Schools should be represented on the Council of the Society, and that meetings should be held in the 4 schools in rotation. Membership of the Society was restricted to the number of 30. A committee of the Council would select for presentation suitable papers among those offered. The time allowance was to be 10 minutes for each paper, while individual contributions to the discussions were to be restricted to 5 minutes. The annual subscription was to be 10 shillings (the nominal equivalent of 50 new pence). At first the Society met twice a year. There was a gap from the onset of war in 1939 until September 1941. Then biennial meetings were resumed. Later there emerged the final pattern of a meeting in each of the 3 academic terms, held in each of the 4 medical schools in succession. The recorded Minutes of the Society are commendably succinct. The main problems were those common to all scientific societies. Thus, it soon became apparent that the limitation on numbers was too severe. A proposal to establish an Associate Membership was rejected. A Senior Membership (with no definition of 'seniority') served as an escape hatch. The Ordinary Membership was increased by stages, first to 55, later to 100. A greater problem concerned the selection
of papers from the increasing number of those offered. Strict criteria were formulated, among which, commendable and surely almost unique, was the youthfulness of the contributor. At the first meeting there had been 5 papers, and there is no evidence that more were available. Now, 38 years later, the Selection Committee has to exercise harsh discrimination to hold the number down to 18, the maximum possible for a one-day meeting in single session. On a lighter note, it seems that collection of the lO-shilling subscription proved onerous, and at one stage it was reported that 16 Ordinary Members and 7 Senior Members were more than 3 years in arrears, being, according to the Secretary-Treasurer, 'in the impecunious position of being unable to meet their obligations to the Society'. Attention was then drawn to Rule 8, under which those more than 2 years in arrears must forfeit membership of the Society. This threat brought an impassioned plea for a delay in execution from one respected senior member, who was believed (so it is stated in the Minutes) to be under the misapprehension that he himself was a defaulter. However, this disruption appears to have been happily resolved, and whether because members have become more opulent or merely better disciplined, the much larger annual charges of later years seem to have aroused no comparable protest. A problem common to all scientific societies is the need to secure publication of meritorious contributions. The solution was found in 1960 when, according to the Minutes, the Society expressed a wish to be associated with the Scottish Medical Journal as a Sponsoring Society, with representation of the Board of Management of the Journal. The offer was accepted by the Board, after consultation with the other sponsoring bodies. Later discussions led to an agreement that extended abstracts of a paper, selected from those presented at each of the Society's meetings, would be published in the following issue of the Journal. It has been noted that the Society owed its foundation in part to the example set by the
The Scottish Society for Experimental Medicine
Medical Research Society of London. In 1946 informal moves were made to effect some kind of liaison between the two societies, but 'in view of insuperable difficulties at the London end' the matter was allowed to drop. However, the difficulties if insuperable were capable of being by-passed, and within a couple of years a Joint Meeting was arranged, the first of a number of such occasions. The meeting of 1948, held in Glasgow, included 4 papers by London members, a long interval for lunch and a visit to the Hunter Museum, then an afternoon session of 4 Scottish papers and finally, dinner at the Royal College (then still a 'Faculty') of Physicians and Surgeons. Appropriately, the Chair was occupied by J. W. McNee and the principal speech given by John McMichael, both original members of each of the 2 societies. Later, Joint Meetings of the 2 societies were held in Oxford (1950), in Edinburgh (1961), in Newcastle (1965) and in Edinburgh (1969). Finally, a Joint Meeting to coincide with the 100th meeting of the Scottish Society was held in Edinburgh in July 1976. If it is permissible for a very senior member to appraise the Society's endeavours in 'promoting the study of disease in man' during these past 38 years, I would say that its achievements have been 3-fold. In the first place, the Society has established a standard in respect of scientific criteria to which any research worker who values the respect of his peers must perforce adhere. At this time, when the increased output of medical printing presses the world over tends inevitably to devalue the currency of the articles they produce, this is no mean achievement. In the second place, the Society has encouraged and indeed demanded a high standard of presentation in respect both of the spoken word and the pictorial illustration. And thirdly, the Society by visiting all the Medical Schools in turn has promoted the
ready interchange of knowledge which cannot fail to encourage greater advances in the future. SIR CHARLES ILLINGWORTH. SECRETARIES W. C. WILSON NOAH MORRIS GEORGE H. BELL THOMAS ANDERSON TOM SYMINGTON A. P. M. FORREST A. STUART DOUGLAS IAN SIMPSON lAIN LEDINGHAM
October 1938 - October 1942 October 1942 -January 1946 January 1946 - January 1949 January 1949 - May 1954 May 1954 - May 1959 May 1959 - January 1962 May 1962 - October 1967 October 1967 - October 1970 October 1970 - 1976
REFERENCES
1. Stewart, C. P., Director of Clinical Laboratory, Royal Infirmary Edinburgh 2. Wilson, W. C., Surgeon, Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Edinburgh. (Later, Regius Professor of Surgery, University of Aberdeen). 3. McMichael (Sir) John, Professor of Medicine, University of London 4. Morris, Noah, Professor of Materia Medica, University of Glasgow 5. Scarborough, Harold, University of Wales.
Professor of Medicine,
6. McNee, (Sir) John William, Regius Professor of Medicine, University of Glasgow.
THE WAY AHEAD The way ahead is dark and drear, But not entirely black, For if you're old and blind, or mad, We'll see you do not lack. We'll do it all by cutting down On things of lesser urgency, Such as care of cancer, and The management of pregnancy. Take heart you young, so fresh and green, And you of sane and limpid mind. Help's on the way, and it will come When you are mad and old and blind. ALAN LYELL
167
THE SCOTTISH SOCIETY FOR EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE CENTENARY MEETING The Scottish Society for Experimental Medicine was formed 'to promote the study of disease in man and to meet for the purpose of demonstration and discussion'. The first meeting was held in the Clinical Laboratory of the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary on 29th October 1938, under the chairmanship of Dr C. P. Stewart", The plan to form the society had developed on the initiative of C. P. Stewart and W. C. Wilson", keenly supported by John McMichaeP, Noah Morris", Harold Scarborough! and J. W. Mel-lee". From the first, it was agreed that the emphasis should be on experimental enquiries. The Research Society of London was taken as a model, but with variations to suit the situation in Scotland. The most important modifications were that each of the Scottish Medical Schools should be represented on the Council of the Society, and that meetings should be held in the 4 schools in rotation. Membership of the Society was restricted to the number of 30. A committee of the Council would select for presentation suitable papers among those offered. The time allowance was to be 10 minutes for each paper, while individual contributions to the discussions were to be restricted to 5 minutes. The annual subscription was to be 10 shillings (the nominal equivalent of 50 new pence). At first the Society met twice a year. There was a gap from the onset of war in 1939 until September 1941. Then biennial meetings were resumed. Later there emerged the final pattern of a meeting in each of the 3 academic terms, held in each of the 4 medical schools in succession. The recorded Minutes of the Society are commendably succinct. The main problems were those common to all scientific societies. Thus, it soon became apparent that the limitation on numbers was too severe. A proposal to establish an Associate Membership was rejected. A Senior Membership (with no definition of 'seniority') served as an escape hatch. The Ordinary Membership was increased by stages, first to 55, later to 100. A greater problem concerned the selection
of papers from the increasing number of those offered. Strict criteria were formulated, among which, commendable and surely almost unique, was the youthfulness of the contributor. At the first meeting there had been 5 papers, and there is no evidence that more were available. Now, 38 years later, the Selection Committee has to exercise harsh discrimination to hold the number down to 18, the maximum possible for a one-day meeting in single session. On a lighter note, it seems that collection of the lO-shilling subscription proved onerous, and at one stage it was reported that 16 Ordinary Members and 7 Senior Members were more than 3 years in arrears, being, according to the Secretary-Treasurer, 'in the impecunious position of being unable to meet their obligations to the Society'. Attention was then drawn to Rule 8, under which those more than 2 years in arrears must forfeit membership of the Society. This threat brought an impassioned plea for a delay in execution from one respected senior member, who was believed (so it is stated in the Minutes) to be under the misapprehension that he himself was a defaulter. However, this disruption appears to have been happily resolved, and whether because members have become more opulent or merely better disciplined, the much larger annual charges of later years seem to have aroused no comparable protest. A problem common to all scientific societies is the need to secure publication of meritorious contributions. The solution was found in 1960 when, according to the Minutes, the Society expressed a wish to be associated with the Scottish Medical Journal as a Sponsoring Society, with representation of the Board of Management of the Journal. The offer was accepted by the Board, after consultation with the other sponsoring bodies. Later discussions led to an agreement that extended abstracts of a paper, selected from those presented at each of the Society's meetings, would be published in the following issue of the Journal. It has been noted that the Society owed its foundation in part to the example set by the
The Scottish Society for Experimental Medicine
Medical Research Society of London. In 1946 informal moves were made to effect some kind of liaison between the two societies, but 'in view of insuperable difficulties at the London end' the matter was allowed to drop. However, the difficulties if insuperable were capable of being by-passed, and within a couple of years a Joint Meeting was arranged, the first of a number of such occasions. The meeting of 1948, held in Glasgow, included 4 papers by London members, a long interval for lunch and a visit to the Hunter Museum, then an afternoon session of 4 Scottish papers and finally, dinner at the Royal College (then still a 'Faculty') of Physicians and Surgeons. Appropriately, the Chair was occupied by J. W. McNee and the principal speech given by John McMichael, both original members of each of the 2 societies. Later, Joint Meetings of the 2 societies were held in Oxford (1950), in Edinburgh (1961), in Newcastle (1965) and in Edinburgh (1969). Finally, a Joint Meeting to coincide with the 100th meeting of the Scottish Society was held in Edinburgh in July 1976. If it is permissible for a very senior member to appraise the Society's endeavours in 'promoting the study of disease in man' during these past 38 years, I would say that its achievements have been 3-fold. In the first place, the Society has established a standard in respect of scientific criteria to which any research worker who values the respect of his peers must perforce adhere. At this time, when the increased output of medical printing presses the world over tends inevitably to devalue the currency of the articles they produce, this is no mean achievement. In the second place, the Society has encouraged and indeed demanded a high standard of presentation in respect both of the spoken word and the pictorial illustration. And thirdly, the Society by visiting all the Medical Schools in turn has promoted the
ready interchange of knowledge which cannot fail to encourage greater advances in the future. SIR CHARLES ILLINGWORTH. SECRETARIES W. C. WILSON NOAH MORRIS GEORGE H. BELL THOMAS ANDERSON TOM SYMINGTON A. P. M. FORREST A. STUART DOUGLAS IAN SIMPSON lAIN LEDINGHAM
October 1938 - October 1942 October 1942 -January 1946 January 1946 - January 1949 January 1949 - May 1954 May 1954 - May 1959 May 1959 - January 1962 May 1962 - October 1967 October 1967 - October 1970 October 1970 - 1976
REFERENCES
1. Stewart, C. P., Director of Clinical Laboratory, Royal Infirmary Edinburgh 2. Wilson, W. C., Surgeon, Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Edinburgh. (Later, Regius Professor of Surgery, University of Aberdeen). 3. McMichael (Sir) John, Professor of Medicine, University of London 4. Morris, Noah, Professor of Materia Medica, University of Glasgow 5. Scarborough, Harold, University of Wales.
Professor of Medicine,
6. McNee, (Sir) John William, Regius Professor of Medicine, University of Glasgow.
THE WAY AHEAD The way ahead is dark and drear, But not entirely black, For if you're old and blind, or mad, We'll see you do not lack. We'll do it all by cutting down On things of lesser urgency, Such as care of cancer, and The management of pregnancy. Take heart you young, so fresh and green, And you of sane and limpid mind. Help's on the way, and it will come When you are mad and old and blind. ALAN LYELL
167
