Archive of the Manchester and District Society of Anaesthetists

The collection comprises only one item, a minute book of meetings of the Society, covering the whole period of its existence. There is no evidence that other records were produced by the Society.

The Manchester and District Society of Anaesthetists was established in November 1945 to act as a forum for anaesthetists in the local area. A circular letter was issued to local anaesthetists by Edward Ault Marson [1900-1955, later consultant anaesthetist at MRI] and Andrew Rennie Hunter [later professor of anaesthetics at the University of Manchester] and a meeting was held at the MRI on 29 November 1945, under the chairmanship of Edward Falkner Hill (1877-1974), to set up the Society. Hill was the Society's first president, with Marson as secretary and Hunter as treasurer and there was a council comprising H.E. Barlow, H.J. Brennan, J.C. Nicholson, C.E. Sykes and R.E. Williams.

The Society's objects were:

"To spread the knowledge and enhance the practice of anaesthesia;

To offer a medium for the exchange of ideas;

To promote harmony and good fellowship among anaesthetists."

The Society attracted members not only from the Manchester area but also from Staffordshire, West Yorkshire and Derbyshire. In 1948 joint meetings were held annually with the Liverpool Society of Anaesthetists, and these continued after the Society became the Section of Anaesthetists of the MMS in 1950. The Society also co-operated with fellow societies in Leeds and Sheffield. Hill was succeeded by H.J. Brennan as president, who remained in post until the amalgamation in 1950. During its brief existence, the Society persuaded the new Manchester Regional Health Board to establish a regional advisory committee on anaesthesia.

The collection is open to any accredited reader.

The collection includes material which is subject to the Data Protection Act 1998. Under Section 33 of the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA), The University of Manchester Library (UML) holds the right to process personal data for research purposes. The Data Protection (Processing of Sensitive Personal Data) Order 2000 enables the UML to process sensitive personal data for research purposes. In accordance with the DPA, UML has made every attempt to ensure that all personal and sensitive personal data has been processed fairly, lawfully and accurately. Users of the archive are expected to comply with the Data Protection Act 1998, and will be required to sign a form acknowledging that they will abide by the requirements of the Act in any further processing of the material by themselves.

Open parts of this collection, and the catalogue descriptions, may contain personal data about living individuals. Some items in this collection may be closed to public inspection in line with the requirements of the DPA. Restrictions/closures of specific items will be indicated in the catalogue.

None

Photocopies and photographic copies of material in the archive can be supplied for private study purposes only, depending on the condition of the documents.

A number of items within the archive remain within copyright under the terms of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988; it is the responsibility of users to obtain the copyright holder's permission for reproduction of copyright material for purposes other than research or private study.

Prior written permission must be obtained from the Library for publication or reproduction of any material within the archive. Please contact the Head of Special Collections, John Rylands Library, 150 Deansgate, Manchester, M3 3EH.

The archive was maintained by the Society until it amalgamated with the MMS in 1950. The MMS transferred it to JRUL at a later date. The archive is held on deposit on behalf of the MMS.

See the MMS archive (MMS) for the post-1950 records of the Section of Anaesthesia (MMS/2/5). The MMS archive also has a file on the MDSA, (MMS/1/8/23), which includes documents dating from before the amalgamation in 1950.