Royal College of Surgeons of England explained

Royal College of Surgeons of England
Type:Medical royal college
Leader Title:President
Leader Name:Tim Mitchell
Headquarters:Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, England
Affiliations:Academy of Medical Royal Colleges
Members:27,753 (2021)[1]
Staff:228 (2021)

The Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England) is an independent professional body and registered charity that promotes and advances standards of surgical care for patients, and regulates surgery and dentistry in England and Wales. The college is located at Lincoln's Inn Fields in London. It publishes multiple medical journals including the Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, the Faculty Dental Journal, and the Bulletin of the Royal College of Surgeons of England.

History

The origins of the college date to the fourteenth century with the foundation of the "Guild of Surgeons Within the City of London".[2] [3] Certain sources date this as occurring in 1368. There was an ongoing dispute between the surgeons and barber surgeons until an agreement was signed between them in 1493, giving the fellowship of surgeons the power of incorporation.[4] This union was formalised further in 1540 by Henry VIII between the Worshipful Company of Barbers (incorporated 1462) and the Guild of Surgeons to form the Company of Barber-Surgeons. In 1745 the surgeons broke away from the barbers to form the Company of Surgeons. In 1800 the company was granted a royal charter to become the Royal College of Surgeons in London.[5] A further charter in 1843 granted it the present title of the Royal College of Surgeons of England.[5]

Members and Fellows of the College

The correct way to address a member or fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons is to use the title Mr, Miss, Mrs, Ms, or Mx (not Dr). This system (which applies only to surgeons, not physicians) has its origins in the 16th century, when surgeons were barber-surgeons and did not have a medical degree (or indeed any formal qualification), unlike physicians, who, by the 18th century, held a university medical degree and could thus be referred to as "Doctor".

By the time the College of Surgeons received its royal charter in 1800, the Royal College of Physicians were insisting that candidates for membership of the College of Surgeons must first have a medical degree.[6] Therefore, the ensuing years saw aspiring surgeons having to study medicine first and hence receive the title 'doctor'. Thereafter, having obtained the diploma of Member or Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons he would revert to the title "Mr" as a snub to the RCP. Nowadays the title "Mr" is used by Members of the college who have passed the diploma MRCS examination and the college addresses Members as "Mr" or "Ms".[6]

In Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Hound of the Baskervilles, the distinction is made in the following conversation:

Despite Mortimer's correction, he is referred to as "Dr. Mortimer" throughout the story.

A biographical register of fellows is available on Plarr's Lives of the Fellows Online

Buildings

The Company of Surgeons moved from Surgeon's Hall in Old Bailey to a site at 41 Lincoln's Inn Fields in 1797. The British government presented the collection of John Hunter to the surgeons after acquiring it in 1799, and in 1803 the company purchased the adjoining house at 42 Lincoln's Inn Fields to house the collection, which forms the basis of The Hunterian Museum.

Construction of the first College building, to a design by George Dance the Younger, and James Lewis, took place on this site from 1805 to 1813. The company soon outgrew these premises and in 1834 No. 40, Lincoln's Inn Fields was acquired and demolished along with the George Dance building, of which only a portion of the portico was retained. Sir Charles Barry won the public competition to design a replacement, constructing a facade largely of artificial stone composed of cast blocks of concrete and stucco. Barry extended this building southwards following the acquisition of Copeland's Warehouse on Portugal Street, and the enlarged buildings opened in 1855.[7]

The college buildings expanded to their current extent between 1888 & 1889, when additional wings were constructed on the sites of numbers 39 & 43 Lincoln's Inn Fields and two storeys were added to the Charles Barry Building by the architect Stephen Salter (b.1826, d.1896).[8]

In 1941 a German incendiary bomb hit the college[9] causing extensive damage that necessitated major rebuilding during the 1950s and 60s.[10] The surviving portion of the earlier buildings were listed Grade II* on 24 February 1958.[11]

Planning consent for a major rebuilding of the non-listed buildings of the Royal College of Surgeons was granted by Westminster City Council in January 2017.[12] The redevelopment of building has been designed by the architecture practice Hawkins\Brown. Barry's famous north frontage and library will be preserved and restored and The Hunterian Museum will benefit from a new façade and entrance on Portugal Street, to the south of the site. A "topping out" ceremony for the new buildings was celebrated on 24 January 2020,[13] but, as of January 2021, the buildings have not re-opened to the public.

The exterior of the building was one of the filming locations of Agatha Christie's Poirot episode The Mystery of the Spanish Chest.[14]

Hunterian Museum

See main article: Hunterian Museum, London.

In 1799 the government purchased the collection of John Hunter which they presented to the college. This formed the basis of the Hunterian Collection, which has since been supplemented by others including an Odontological Collection (curated by A. E. W. Miles until the early 1990s) and the natural history collections of Richard Owen.

The Hunterian Museum is a member of The London Museums of Health & Medicine group, and displays thousands of anatomical specimens, including the Evelyn tables, surgical instruments, paintings and sculptures about medical individuals and medicine.[15] [16]

Faculties

Medals, awards and lectures

The Cheselden Medal was instituted in 2009 in honour of William Cheselden "to recognise unique achievements in, and exceptional contributions to, the advancement of surgery". The award is made at irregular intervals to reflect the outstanding qualities required of recipients and is deemed one of the college's highest professional honours.[17]

The Royal Colleges' Bronze Medal was instituted in 1957 and is awarded jointly with the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. It is awarded annually "on the nomination of the Medical Group of the Royal Photographic Society for the outstanding example of photography in the service of medicine and surgery".

The Wood Jones Medal was instituted in 1975 to commemorate Frederic Wood Jones (Sir William Collins Professor of Human and Comparative Anatomy and Conservator of the Anatomy Museum 1945–52). It is awarded occasionally (triennially until 1994) by a Committee "for contributions to anatomical knowledge or the teaching of anatomy in the tradition of Frederic Wood Jones".

The Clement-Price Award was founded in 1958 with a gift of 1,000 guineas from members of the staff of the Westminster Hospital in honour of Sir Clement Price Thomas. It is awarded triennially, or at such other interval as the President may decide, by the council on the recommendation of the Fellowship Election and Prize Committee, "in recognition of meritorious contributions to surgery in its widest sense, without restriction of candidature".

The Lister Medal has been awarded since 1924 (mostly on a triennial basis), after the college was entrusted in 1920 with administrating the Lister Memorial Fund, in memory of pioneering British surgeon Joseph Lister. The award is decided in conjunction with the Royal Society, the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, the University of Edinburgh, and the University of Glasgow. In addition to being presented with a medal, the recipient delivers the Lister Oration at the college.

The Honorary Gold Medal was instituted in 1802 and is awarded at irregular intervals "for liberal acts or distinguished labours, researches and discoveries eminently conducive to the improvement of natural knowledge and of the healing art". Recipients to date include Sir Victor Negus, Sir Geoffrey Keynes, Sir Stanford Cade (all three in 1969), Professor Harold Ellis (1998), Professor Sir Alec Jeffreys (2002) and Dr Barry J. Marshall (2005).

The Bradshaw Lecture was founded in 1875 under the will of Mrs Sally Hall Bradshaw in memory of her husband, Dr William Wood Bradshaw. It is a biennial (annual until 1993) lecture on surgery, customarily given by a senior member of the council on or about the day preceding the second Thursday of December. (Given in alternate years, with the Hunterian Oration given in the intervening years). Not to be confused with the corresponding Bradshaw Lectures delivered to the Royal College of Physicians. See Bradshaw Lecture for list of past lectures and lecturers.

The Hunterian Oration was founded in 1853 when a bequest was made by the executors of John Hunter's will, to provide for an annual dinner and oration in memory of the famous surgeon. It is now delivered biennially.

Educational history

Prior to 1820, to meet the requirements of London's College of Surgeons, students would spend time in London and select courses of instruction in surgery by teachers at Guy's Hospital, St Thomas' – together known as London's Borough Hospitals[18] – and as well as attend anatomy classes at private institutions such as William Hunter's anatomy school, attached for a time to Middlesex Hospital.[19] Although at this time some students of surgery had already acquired the M.D. (or its equivalent) qualification, it was not until the 1830s that students of surgery were required to have obtained a medical degree at a university before commencing studies for membership of the Royal College of Surgeons.[6] By the 1830s, medical schools in London at the University of London, St George's Hospital and King's College, London had been established and the influence of the private schools was diminished.[20]

Today, the RCS offers a range of both on-line e-learning modules and hands-on practical workshops to facilitate the CPD for trainee and consultant surgeons across varies specialties.

Since May 2017, the RCS started to offer a Postgraduate Certificate in Surgery to junior surgical trainees. This qualification combined e-learning modules and practical causes "offer surgical trainees a high-quality, flexible and interactive way to build their surgical knowledge and skills"[21] across different surgical specialties.

Current and past Presidents

Name Presidential term
Tim Mitchell2023–present[22]
Professor Sir Neil Mortensen2020–2023 [23]
Professor Derek Alderson2017–2020 [24]
2014–2017 [25] -Sir Norman Stanley Williams2011–2014[26] -John Black 2008–11[27]
2005–08[28]
2004–05[29]
2001–04[30]
1998–2001 [31]
1995–98
1992–95
1989–92
1986–89
1982–86
1980–82
1977–80
1973–77
1972
1969–72
1966–69
1963–66
1960–63[32]
1957–60
1954–57
1949–54
1941–48
1938–40
1935–37
1932–34
1926–31
1923–23
1920–22
1917–19
1914–16
1911–1913
1909–11
1906–08
1903–05
1901–02
1896–1900
1895
1893–94
Thomas Bryant 1890–92
1889
Sir William Scovell Savory1885–88
1884
John Marshall 1883
1882
1881
1880
1879
John Simon 1878
1877
1876
1875
1874
1873
Henry Hancock 1872
George Busk 1871
1870
1869
1868
1867
1866
1865
1864
1863
James Luke 1862
1861
1860
1859
1858
1857
1856
1855
1854
James Luke 1853
1852
John Flint South 1851
James Moncrieff Arnott 1850
Joseph Henry Green 1849
Edward Stanley 1848
Benjamin Travers 1847
1846
Samuel Cooper 1845
1844
John Goldwyer Andrews 1843
Anthony White 1842
1841
John Painter Vincent 1840
Robert Keate 1839
1838
1837
1836
John Goldwyer Andrews 1835
Anthony White 1834
1833
1832
Robert Keate 1831
Richard Clement Headington 1830
Honoratus Leigh Thomas 1829
1828
1827
John Abernethy1826
William Lynn 1825
William Norris 1824
1823
1822
1821–22

Past Masters - Royal College of Surgeons

Name Magisterial term
Thompson Foster 1820
Sir David Dundas 1819
1818
George Chandler 1817
Sir James Earle 1817
William Norris 1816
1815
1814
1813
Thompson Foster 1812
David Dundas 1811
Sir Charles Blicke 1810
1809
George Chandler 1808
Sir James Earle 1807
Charles Hawkins 1806
Thompson Forster 1805
David Dundas 1804
Sir Charles Blicke 1803
1802
George Chandler 1801
William Long 1800

Past Masters - Company of Surgeons

Name Magisterial term
Charles Hawkins 1799–1800
James Earle 1798
John Gunning 1797
Isaac Minors 1796
William Cooper 1795
William Walker 1794
John Wyatt 1793
1792
William Lucas 1791
Charles Hawkins 1790
John Gunning 1789
Henry Watson 1788
Edmund Pitts 1787
Isaac Minors 1786
Henry Watson 1785
1784
Richard Grindall 1782–3
Peter Triquet 1781
Joseph Warner 1780
Fleming Pinkstan 1779
Pennell Hawkins 1778
Robert Young 1776–77
Richard Grindall 1775
Matthew Spray 1774
Joseph Warner 1773
John Pyle 1772
Wentworth Gregory 1770–71
William Bromfield 1769
Benjamin Cowell 1768
1767
Stafford Crane 1766
1765
Robert Young 1764
John Blagden 1763
John Townsend 1762
David Middleton 1761
Edward Nourse 1760
Christopher Fullagar 1759
Mark Hawkins 1758
William Singleton 1757
John Westbrook 1756
Noah Roul 1755
James Hickes 1754
Legard Sparham 1753
1751–52
Peter Sainthill 1749–50
Caesar Hawkins 1748
John Freke 1747
1746
John Ranby 1745

See also

External links

51.5153°N -0.1158°W

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Annual report and accounts 2020-21 . Royal College of Surgeons of England . 17 April 2022 . 6 July 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220706190351/https://www.rcseng.ac.uk/-/media/files/rcs/about-rcs/corporate-governance/annual-report-2021-3-dec.pdf . live .
  2. Louis Kuo Tai . Fu . February 2000 . The origins of surgery. 2: From barbers to surgeons . Annals of the College of Surgeons of Hong Kong . 4 . 1 . 35–49 . 10.1046/j.1442-2034.2000.00029.x . Wiley . In 1368, a select group of surgeons formed the ‘Guild of Surgeons Within the City of London’, whose aim was to dissociate themselves from the barbers, but without much success..
  3. Book: Bishop, William John . William John Bishop . The Early History of Surgery . New York . Barnes and Noble . 1995 . 978-1-56619-798-4.
  4. Book: The Proceedings of the 12th Annual History of Medicine Days . . March 22, 2003 . . W. A. . Whitelaw . 16 October 2006 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20061016075407/http://www.hom.ucalgary.ca/Dayspapers2003.pdf . 16 October 2006 ., page 118
  5. Web site: History of the RCS . Royal College of Surgeons . 23 January 2023 . 15 October 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191015100115/https://www.rcseng.ac.uk/about-the-rcs/history-of-the-rcs/ . live .
  6. Loudon . I. . Why are (male) surgeons still addressed as Mr? . BMJ (Clinical Research Ed.) . 321 . 7276 . 1589–1591 . the beginning of the 18th century, when physicians were distinguished by the possession of a university medical degree: an MD. Although many had acquired their MDs abroad with minimal effort or bought them for about £20 (about £800 today) from the University of Aberdeen or of St Andrews, the possession of a medical doctorate entitled physicians and no other medical practitioner to be addressed as “doctor.” Eighteenth century surgeons, who were of course addressed as Mr, seldom had any formal qualification except in the case of the few who were Members of the Company of Surgeons. After the founding of the Royal College of Surgeons of London in 1800, however, it was customary for surgeons to take the examination for Membership of the Royal College of Surgeons and put MRCS or MRCSL after their name.. 1119265 . 2000 . 11124190 . 10.1136/bmj.321.7276.1589 .
  7. Web site: Survey of London: Volume 3, St Giles-in-The-Fields, Pt I: Lincoln's Inn Fields, ed. W Edward Riley and Laurence Gomme. 21 January 2021. British History Online. 28 January 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210128103032/https://www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-london/vol3/pt1/pp48-58. live.
  8. 23 September 2009. Drawing - Royal College of Surgeons. 21 January 2021. MIT Libraries Dome. 20 January 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210120161441/https://dome.mit.edu/handle/1721.3/43594. live.
  9. Web site: Ayre. Greg. 16 November 2018. An Architectural History of The Royal College of Surgeons. 2021-01-21. Royal College of Surgeons. en. 17 January 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210117083817/https://www.rcseng.ac.uk/library-and-publications/library/blog/an-architectural-history-of-the-royal-college-of-surgeons/. live.
  10. Web site: The transformation of the College building: past, present and future. 2021-01-21. Royal College of Surgeons. en. 16 January 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210116085442/https://www.rcseng.ac.uk/about-the-rcs/transforming-surgery-for-tomorrow/building-on-our-heritage/transform-digital-exhibition/. live.
  11. Web site: THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF SURGEONS, Non Civil Parish - 1222011 Historic England. 2021-01-21. historicengland.org.uk. en. 13 January 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210113053701/https://www.historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1222011. live.
  12. Web site: Hawkins\Brown's redevelopment of Royal College of Surgeons receives planning permission. 2021-01-21. World Architecture Community. en. 28 January 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210128075610/https://worldarchitecture.org/architecture-news/cgnen/hawkins-brown-s-redevelopment-of-royal-college-of-surgeons-receives-planning-permission.html. live.
  13. Web site: Topping out' ceremony for rebuild of the Hunterian museum and surgeons' HQ. 2021-01-21. Royal College of Surgeons. en. 28 January 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210128111704/https://www.rcseng.ac.uk/news-and-events/media-centre/press-releases/topping-out-rebuild-hunterian-museum-surgeons-hq/. live.
  14. Web site: On Location with Poirot - The Mystery of the Spanish Chest . 14 November 2013 . 19 July 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170719224123/http://www.tvlocations.net/spanishchest.htm . live .
  15. Web site: Medical Museums. medicalmuseums.org. 26 August 2016. 8 December 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221208010841/http://www.medicalmuseums.org/. live.
  16. Web site: Collections. Hunterian Museum. 11 November 2015. 9 November 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151109045426/http://www.rcseng.ac.uk/museums/hunterian/about-us/collections.html. live.
  17. Web site: Terms of reference for Fellowship, Election and Prize Committee. Royal College of Surgeons. 21 August 2010. 15 April 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100415142510/http://www.rcseng.ac.uk/surgical_awards_and_grants/docs/TERMSREF.DOC. live.
  18. A Pupil of the Surgical School of Guy's and St Thomas's Hospital . Divorce Of The Borough Hospitals . London Medical Gazette: Or, Journal of Practical Medicine . 19 . London Medical Gazette . 16 March 2019 . 714 . 1837 . 23 January 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230123170700/https://books.google.com/books?id=UrXJcWbe8kUC&pg=PA714 . live .
  19. Web site: Thompson . H. . Middlesex Hospital School Centenary (1835-1935) . British Medical Journal . 1935 . 16 March 2019 . Hunter's school of anatomy was taken over by Sir Charles Bell in 1812, and became (by 1835) a medical school of Middlesex Hospital . 5 November 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191105080406/http://europepmc.org/backend/ptpmcrender.fcgi?accid=PMC2460737&blobtype=pdf . live .
  20. Book: Aminoff . M. . Sir Charles Bell: His Life, Art, Neurological Concepts, and Controversial Legacy . Oxford University Press . 15 March 2019 . 978-0190614973 . 167 . ..Prior to the 1820s, ...candidates for membership of the Royal College of Surgeons spent time in London selecting courses from (St Thomas' and Guy's Hospitals) and private anatomy schools . 2 September 2016 . 23 January 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230123170700/https://books.google.com/books?id=yVb0DAAAQBAJ&pg=PA165 . live .
  21. Web site: RCS to offer Postgraduate Certificate in Surgery — Royal College of Surgeons . Nicola . Kane . Royal College of Surgeons . 26 January 2018 . 27 January 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180127085945/https://www.rcseng.ac.uk/news-and-events/media-centre/press-releases/launch-pgcert-surgery/ . live .
  22. Web site: Tim Mitchell elected as next President of the Royal College of Surgeons of England . 2024-01-11 . Royal College of Surgeons . en . 11 January 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240111115651/https://www.rcseng.ac.uk/news-and-events/news/archive/new-rcs-england-president-announced/ . live .
  23. Web site: Professor Neil Mortensen elected next President of the Royal College of Surgeons of England . 16 March 2020 . 22 October 2020 . 24 October 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201024142530/https://www.gtc.ox.ac.uk/news-and-events/news/professor-mortensen-royal-college-of-surgeons/ . live .
  24. Web site: Professor Derek Alderson elected as President of the Royal College of Surgeons. 10 August 2017. 10 August 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170810172241/https://www.rcseng.ac.uk/news-and-events/media-centre/press-releases/president-elect-press-statement/. live.
  25. Web site: First Female President Elected at the Royal College of Surgeons . Royal College of Surgeons of England . 10 April 2014 . 16 April 2014 . 19 September 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160919133526/http://www.rcseng.ac.uk/news/first-female-president-elected-at-the-royal-college-of-surgeons/#.U07HK9z1tBw . live .
  26. Web site: New President for Royal College of Surgeons . Royal College of Surgeons of England . 14 April 2011 . 18 April 2012 . 25 April 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110425133346/http://www.rcseng.ac.uk/news/new-president-elected-at-the-royal-college-of-surgeons . live .
  27. Web site: New President for Royal College of Surgeons . Royal College of Surgeons of England . 10 April 2008 . 19 June 2009 . 17 July 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110717060233/http://www.rcseng.ac.uk/news/new-president-for-the-royal-college-of-surgeons . live .
  28. Web site: New President for Royal College of Surgeons . Royal College of Surgeons of England . 14 July 2005 . 19 June 2009 . 24 February 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080224005409/http://www.rcseng.ac.uk/media/medianews/Newpresidentforcollege . live .
  29. News: Hugh Phillips . The Independent . 16 July 2005 . 19 June 2009. London.
  30. Web site: New President for Royal College of Surgeons . Royal College of Surgeons of England . 7 July 2004 . 19 June 2009 . 24 February 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120224052438/http://www.rcseng.ac.uk/media/medianews/president . live .
  31. October 2002. A President in shirtsleeves. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine. 95. 10. 518–519. 0141-0768. 1279186. 10.1177/014107680209501016.
  32. News: Lord Porritt . The Independent . 4 January 1994 . 19 June 2009 . London . H. H. . G . 14 February 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180214150634/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-lord-porritt-1397791.html . live .

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