The Physiological Society: additional deposited papers

The papers consist mostly of memoirs and miscellaneous correspondence of members of the Society or material of general interest to physiological history.

1828-1993

5 boxes

A number of small collections were deposited with the Physiological Society prior to 1990 and transferred with the Society's archive to the Contemporary Medical Archive Centre in 1990.

The Physiological Society was formed in March 1876 after John Burdon Sanderson invited 19 scientists interested in physiology to his house for informal discussions over how they should react to impending legislation on the use of animals in experiments. For the first four years the meetings were fairly informal and intimate affairs, with membership formally limited to forty, and business taking place over dinner in a hotel. In December 1880 the first afternoon meeting for the demonstration of experiments and presentation of results took place, a precedent which has continued, and now the demonstrations and presentations are at the core of the Society's meetings, although dinner still plays an important part.

At Wellcome Collection: Further papers of the Physiological Society (SA/PHY), Research Defence Society (SA/RDS), Sir Edward Sharpey-Schafer (PP/ESS), and papers relating to International Physiological Congresses 1889-1939 (GC/71). Other relevant collections are listed in sources leaflet no. 9 "Physiology".

Permission to publish from these papers will require the agreement of an Officer of the Physiological Society.