Society for Relief of Widows and Orphans of Medical Men

The collection comprises volumes and papers of the Society for Relief of Widows and Orphans of Medical Men including constitutional, administrative, financial and membership details. The collection also includes manuscripts and publications relating to the history of the Society.

The Society was founded in 1788 in the Grays Inn Coffee House, with the aim of aiding medical men living in London and its immediate vicinity. In 1964 the by-law was altered to permit doctors resident within 60 miles of Charing Cross to become members. Nowadays membership is open to doctors living in any part of the British Isles. In 1983 women members were admitted.

The original fund was started in 1788 by the seven founder members contributing three guineas each. By 1805 the membership had grown to 300 and the fund to £13,300. The membership numbers fluctuated, reaching a peak in 1870 of 454.

In the past many doctors looked upon membership of the Society as the provision they made for their families after their death, but with the advent of state benefits, and the members making better provision privately for their families, the call on the Society’s funds by the members reduced. Today the Society aims to encourage members to assist their less fortunate colleagues, and in the late 1980s changes were made which enabled the Society to assist those medical families in need who had not been members.