| Description | Minute book of the Aberdeen Medico-Chirurgical Society. [For Session 1951-52 the President was Professor R. D. Lockhart; Secretary: Dr. Alexander Lyall, Treasurer: Dr. R. J. Duthie.] Printed minutes of meetings are pasted into the volume together with notices and agenda's of forthcoming meetings, correspondence to and from the Society, copies of the menu and programme for annual dinners and other information relating to the Society.
1951
Council meeting: 22 November. Notice of £500 received forming the 'Emeritus Professor Low Testimonial Fund'.
Annual Business Meeting: 22 November. Professor R. D. Lockhart elected President.
1952
Society meeting: 7 February. Various members discussed their experiences of the after-result of the operation of partial gastrectomy for peptic ulcer.
Special meeting: 12 June. Reply to be sent to Trustees of the Primrose Trust (enclosed) regarding use of the grants issued by the Trustees. [The letter from the Trust to the Society is enclosed prior to the Council meeting of the 5 June and a further letter dated 19 June is also enclosed following the Council meeting of the 16 October.]
1953
Council meeting: 8 January. Letter regarding memorial plaque to Professor Matthew Hay enclosed.
Society meeting: 5 February. Discussion of prolapsed intervertebral disc.
Society meeting: 5 March. Discussion on diaphragmatic hernia.
Society meeting: 29 October. Presidential Address delivered by Dr. J. F. Fraser: 'India, Its History and Antiquities'. Includes description of medical cases and diseases he encountered.
Council meeting: 3 December. Reference to minute books of the Aberdeen Dispensary and Vaccine Institution and keeping volumes at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary at Foresterhill. [Also see minutes of meetings of 7 January and 4 February 1954.]
1954
Society meeting: 1 April. Announcement that Dr. Mary Esslemont was to receive Honorary Degree of LL.D. from University of Aberdeen. Various speakers included Dr. G. F. Hamilton who described the coronary circulation and other talks relating to coronary thrombosis.
Society meeting: 6 May (held at Woodend Hospital). List of clinical cases demonstrated enclosed. [Also see minutes of 3 November 1955 and 8 January 1959.]
Council meeting: 28 October. Note of suspension of monthly luncheons due to poor attendance.
1955
Society meeting: 7 April. Symposium on vertigo.
Librarian's Report: 24 November. The Librarian, Professor John Craig, notes that little use is made of the Library by the members and that it will soon be of 'antiquarian interest only'. He recommends that a full inspection and cleaning of the books should be carried out and refers to some books stored in the loft since the onset of the war. [Also see Librarian's Reports for 1952, 1954, 1956 and 1957.]
Society meeting: 1 December. Symposium on the menopause where it is noted that Dr. Mary Esslemont, Dr. Joan Burrell, Dr. Annie S. Young and Dr. Helen McLean were the first women to address the Society.
Special meeting: 8 December. Discussion relating to Scottish Medical Journal (with enclosures).
Annual Founders' Commemoration Dinner: 17 December. Copy of toast to founders, proposed by Mr. Alexander M. Rennie, enclosed containing additional information about background of founding members.
1956
Society meeting: 5 April. Sir James Learmonth, Regius Professor of Surgery, University of Edinburgh addressed the Society on 'Peripheral Vascular Disease'.
Council meeting: 3 May. An account of the history of the skeleton of the crocodile (in the possession of the Society since 1822) is enclosed, written by the Librarian, Dr. John Mackenzie. He suggested that the skeleton be gifted to the Department of Anatomy which was unanimously approved. The account records the dispute which arose between the Society and Dr. John Struthers over the skeleton, which led to Struthers resigning from the Society for several years.
Society meeting: 6 December. Professor Duguid, Professor of Pathology, University of Durham, addressed the Society on 'Atherosclerosis'.
1957
Council meeting: 10 January. Noted that Town Council would be willing to purchase buildings at 29 King Street.
Society meeting: 10 January (held in Maternity Hospital). Obituaries of Dr. Donald G. McRobbie and Dr. Herbert Fowlie enclosed.
Society meeting: 7 March. Sir Russell Brain, President of Royal College of Physicians, addressed the Society on 'Disorders of the Cerebral Circulation'.
Council meeting: 2 May. Discussion of memorandum on the future of the books comprising the Library [copy enclosed]. It was agreed that the books should be classified by a student and the bound periodicals of considerable value should be sold. A decision regarding the disposal of the books of historical value was deferred. [This latter decision related to point 3 in the memorandum that the books be handed over to the University Library, either as a gift or a permanent loan.]
Special meeting: 20 June (held in South Church Hall, Skene Terrace). Discussion of suitability of South Church Hall for Society's purposes in event of purchase of 29 King Street by the Town Council.
Society meeting: 31 October. Obituary of Mr. George Herbert Colt.
Annual Business Meeting: 21 November. Dr. Mary Esslemont elected President. [She was the first female President of the Society.]
Librarian's Report: 1957. Notes Society's decision to retain library rather than hand it over to the University but that efforts should be made to reduce the number of books in the Society's possession. Four students removed all books published after 1880 which senior members then inspected for their historical value, those deemed of particular importance being retained by the Society. 'Some of the books considered of no value to us were accepted by University departments after being offered them by circular letter. The remainder numbering over 500 were discarded as waste paper'. Miss Ann Simpson, daughter of Dr. Douglas Simpson, University Librarian, re-catalogued and rearranged the remaining volumes.
1958
Enclosed: List of guests to be invited to Commemoration Service marking centenary of Sir James McGrigor's death, held at Duthie Park on the 2 April 1958. Copy of laureation speech delivered by Dr. Alexander Lyall and article (with photograph) from the Press and Journal newspaper also enclosed.
Society meeting: 1 May. Sir Stanley Davidson, Regius Professor of Medicine, University of Edinburgh, delivered talk on 'Megaloblastic Anaemia'.
Society meeting: 4 December. Professor Baird and his staff presented a symposium on 'Current Work in the Department of Midwifery and the Obstetric Medicine Research Unit'.
1959
Council meeting: 5 March. Reference to sale of periodicals in library.
Council meeting: 2 April. Decision made to re-apply for Royal Patronage. [Also see minutes of Council meetings held on the 14 January and 4 February 1960. It is reported at the Council meeting of the 6 July 1960 that permission to use the title 'Royal' had not been granted (a copy of this letter from the Scottish Home Department is enclosed).]
Society meeting: 5 November (Surgical Lecture Theatre, ARI). Demonstration of surgical cases by members of the staff of Aberdeen Royal Infirmary including two cases of pelvic appendicitis with abscess formation by Mr. N. J. Logie and a case of ulcerative colitis presenting with acute abdominal distension treated by total colectomy and ileostomy by Mr. Hugh A. F. Dudley.
Librarian's Report, 1959. It was noted that the University had decided not to purchase any of the Society's periodicals but that Messrs. Swets and Zeitlinger, Publishers and Booksellers, Amsterdam, paid £750 for some of these items (a detailed list is enclosed).
1960
Society meeting: 4 February. Obituary of Dr. Douglas Dugan.
Council meeting: 3 March. Discussion regarding consolidation of the Cadenhead, Ashley Mackintosh and Low Funds. It was agreed to try and obtain permission from the Court of Session to amend the conditions attached to these funds, including combining these funds under the title of the 'Aberdeen Medico-Chirurgical Society Charitable Fund'.
Society meeting: 5 May (held at Tor-na-Dee, Milltimber). Various members of staff at Tor-na-Dee addressed the Society including Dr. Bell who began by reviewing the incidence and treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis.
Society meeting: 2 June. Symposium on the Management of Respiratory Infections in General Practice presented by the North-East Scotland Faculty of the College of General Practitioners.
Society meeting: 27 October. Obituary of Dr. J. Alexander Innes. Sir David Campbell delivered his Presidential Address on the subject of the General Medical Council.
1961
Council meeting: 12 January. Discussion regarding amalgamation of Cadenhead and other funds.
Society meeting: 12 January. Mr. Forrest, Consultant Surgeon, Western Infirmary, Glasgow presented paper: 'Endocrine Surgery for Advanced Breast Carcinoma'.
Society meeting: 2 March. Staff from the Pathology Department, University of Aberdeen, addressed the Society including Dr. A. L. Stalker who discussed Hydatidi form Mole and Chorionepithelioma.
Society meeting: 4 May. Obituary of Dr. Hugh Crombie.
Society meeting: 1 June. Obituary of Sir Alexander Greig Anderson.
Council meeting: 26 October. The Librarian asked Council to consider again the future position of the Library including handing it over to the University.
Society meeting: 26 October. Obituaries of Dr. W. J. Raitt and Dr. A. M. Fraser. Strachan Bursary presented to Mr. Ian A. Olson. |