A short account of the Society for Relief of Widows and Orphans of Medical Men : from its foundation in 1788 to its centenary in 1888.

Date:
1888
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A short account of the Society for Relief of Widows and Orphans of Medical Men : from its foundation in 1788 to its centenary in 1888. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

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    receipts and disbursements for this half-year, there- fore, are each augmented by the same three guineas, paid out by the Society in order to their reception again in this curious way. In September, 1807, considerable diflSculty having been found in getting together a sufficient number of Directors to transact the business of the Society (a condition of almost invariable occurrence shortly after the estabhshment of any society), Mr. James Ware, one of the Vice-Presidents, offered £100 Navy Five per Cents, to ensure a regular and punctual attendance of Directors, the idea being that many would attend at the hour named if the fare of a hackney-coach were ensured to them. To this proposal the Society re- sponded, and advanced £99 5s. to purchase another £100 stock; and Dr. Sims gave £10 also. The Society thus became possessed of £200 Navy Five per Cents., producing £10 a year, which was to be equally divided amongst the Directors present at the four quarterly courts from the beginning to the end of the meeting This amount of Stock has been gradually reduced to £210 New Three per Cents., producing only £6 6s. a year, a dimmution of nearly one-half. But it has been regularly distributed, and, though so small, the fact of Its distribution still effects the purpose for which it was formed, and affords a curious instance of the eacacy of feeing Directors for the punctuahty of attendance. In this early period of the Society's history the age at which the children of members should become in- capable of receiving rehef was not specified. This enabled the Society to confer benefit on some adult and even aged ' children' who were in distress : but af^er many years' trial it was found necessary to strike off entirely this drag upon the Society's funds, and with It went also the power of reheving members during their own Hves. .J^l ^^^^ °l 1 1817, made to embrace the entire county of Middlesex.