The Royal Society of Medicine (RSM) is a British charitable organisation whose main purpose is as a provider of medical education, running over 350 meetings and conferences each year.
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The society was originally founded on 22 May 1805 as the Medical and Chirurgical Society of London when leading members of the Medical Society of London split from the society to form a new society that would bring together branches of the medical profession "for the purpose of conversation on professional subjects, for the reception of communications and for the formation of a library". It adopted the current name of Royal Society of Medicine in 1907 when a number of independent societies, including the Epidemiological Society founded in 1850, whose members had included John Snow,[1] merged with the society under a new Royal Charter.
The headquarters of the RSM are in an Edwardian baroque building completed in 1912 by John Belcher at 1 Wimpole Street, London and contain one of the largest postgraduate medical libraries in Europe. The Society publishes an eponymous Journal, the JRSM. For those potentially interested in becoming a doctor and wanting to know what it entails, the society also publishes a comprehensive guide to medical school application, entitled A career in medicine. The society also owns the nearby Chandos House, designed by the 18th century architect Robert Adam, which it runs as a venue facility.
Scientists are elected to the Society following nomination and committee review. It takes members from a wide range of professions including medicine, dentistry, veterinary sciences and allied healthcare specialities. It also welcomes students members of medicine, dentistry and veterinary science to join. An elite group of physicians or scientists are elected annually to fellowship or as Honorary Fellows. Elected fellows correspond to members of the Institute of Medicine in the USA.
On July 20, 2010, Professor Parveen Kumar was appointed as the President of the Society. Prior to this, the President of the Society was Robin C. N. Williamson.[2]
It is not to be confused with the older Royal Medical Society of Edinburgh, Scotland, or the even older Royal Society and Society of Apothecaries of London.
The Society of Authors administers the prize annually for medical books published in Britain. The principal aim of the prize is to encourage authors who work in the UK and write for medical students, medical professionals or the general public.
The 2008 New Authored Book Award went to Professor Michael Wilson [3] for his work Bacteriology of Humans: An Ecological Perspective [4].
The origins of the Society's Honorary Fellowship may be traced back to the first meeting in 1805 of the Medical and Chirurgical Society of London, when the following resolution was passed: 'That Gentlemen who have eminently distinguished themselves in Sciences connected with Medicine, but who are not of the Medical Profession, or do not practise therein, be admissible as Honorary Members'.[5] A further resolution elected the following inaugural Honorary Members:[5]
Later Honorary Follows have included:
The award was founded in 1896 by the Epidemiological Society (1850–1907) to commemorate the centenary of Edward Jenner’s discovery of a means of smallpox vaccination. It is awarded periodically to individuals who have undertaken distinguished work in epidemiological research.
The medal was designed in Bronze by Allan Wyon. It features Jenner’s face on one aspect and the symbol of the Epidemiological Society, the Earth, on the reverse. The medal was re-cast following the evolution of the Society into the Section of Epidemiology at the RSM in 1907. Photographs of the medal may be found in The History of the Royal Society of Medicine[1] published in 2001.
It was first awarded to Sir William Henry Power who was the then Medical Officer for London and had formulated the theory of aerial conveyance of smallpox and chaired the Royal Commission on Tuberculosis.[7]
The Royal Society of Medicine Press is the publishing arm of the RSM. Growing rapidly in recent years it is now recognised as one of the leading medical society publishers. RSM Press publishes books, journals and online resources for health professionals in training and in practice.
As of June 2008, the Royal Society of Medicine launched an online postgraduate exam revision site: examdoctor. This new resource is aimed at helping postgraduates through the Royal College and other professional exams.
The Royal Society of Medicine's headquarters located at 1 Wimpole Street, has long hosted the society's medical training program, but in 2008 the space was rebranded to "One Wimpole Street, the Home of the Royal Society of Medicine".[21] With the aim of attracting new non-medical business to the venue, it has now become a popular choice for event organisers in London.