Harveian Society of London

The Harveian Society of London, named after the physician William Harvey, is a medical society and registered charity, founded in 1831. Doctors assemble regularly at the Medical Society of London, Chandos Street, Cavendish Square 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, 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, D'Arcy Power, Lord Horder, Cecil Wakeley and Sir Zachary Cope.

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
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) Geoffrey Keynes, nobel prize winners for work on penicillin Ernest Chain and Howard Florey, co-discoverer of DNA Francis Crick and heart transplant pioneer Christiaan Barnard.

Buckston Browne Prize
In 1928, following the death of his son, killed in the First World War, 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 and lay flowers at Harvey's statue.

In 1973, in the presence of the society and on behalf of the British Medical Association, 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 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 Royal College of Physicians of London holds an annual lecture established by William Harvey in 1656 called the Harveian Oration.

The Harveian Society of Edinburgh was founded in 1782 by Dr Andrew Duncan. The Society holds an annual Festival in honour of Harvey. The President of the Society delivers the Harveian Oration, followed by a formal dinner. The venue for the Festival alternates between the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.

The Harvey Society, 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 oldest medical club in Canada, is based in the University of Western Ontario