Minutes of the British Medical Association, Birmingham and Midland Counties Branch

Minutes of ordinary or general meetings of the branch, and of annual meetings from December 1854 to March 1873, including printed material and correspondence inserted in the volume.

The British Medical Association (BMA) was founded, as the Provincial Medical and Surgical Association, by Dr (later Sir) Charles Hastings (1794-1866) at a meeting in the Board Room of Worcester Infirmary on 19th July 1832. Its objectives were to promote the medical and allied sciences and to maintain the honour and interests of the medical profession. There was no regulation of the profession at this time and anyone, whether qualified or not, could practise as a doctor. The Association lobbied for a regulatory body and this led to the setting up of the General Medical Council in 1858. The Association also campaigned on behalf of doctors providing medical care under the Poor Laws and on other issues.
Membership of the Association grew rapidly, and in 1853 it extended its membership to London doctors. It became the British Medical Association in 1856. The Association was registered as a company limited by guarantee in 1874 and became listed as a Trade Union under the Trade Union and Labour Relations Act 1974.

The first Branch of the Association was the Eastern Medical Association formed in September 1835. Branches were established by members of the PMSA in their own locality in order to fulfill more effectively the several purposes for which the Provincial Association was formed. The Birmingham and Midland Counties branch of the Association was formed in December 1854 by a group of members living in Birmingham and the surrounding area. Those members selected to form the Council of the branch were: J. Buckwill, E. F. Dehane, Dr Elkington, Dr Bell Fletcher, G. Hornton, J. J. Hadley, G. Jones, O. Pemberton, Dr J. Russell, Dr T. Thomson, Dr P. Thomson, T. Thursfield, W. Underhill, T. W. Williams, G. Yates. Dr Jeafferson was the first president elect of the branch.

In 1903 following a reorganisation of the BMA's constitution a further unit, the division, was established below the branches. In 1973/74, following another reorganisation, the Branches were abolished and replaced by Regional Councils.

Source: http://www.bma.org.uk/ap.nsf/Content/About+the+BMA+-+An+outline+history+of+the+BMA. Accessed May 2003

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Purchased at the auction of the library of the late Dr Benjamin Tillett Davis, at Phillips, 16 Jun 1999

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