| Description | On 10th October 1936 a meeting of the British Institute of Radiology was held in the Western Infirmary, Glasgow. In 1946, in anticipation of the forthcoming National Health Service Insurance Act, it was agreed to ballot all the radiologists in Scotland on three proposals. These were that future meetings of radiologists resident in Scotland should be held 1. As a Scottish Branch of the Faculty of Radiologists; 2. As a Scottish Branch of the British Institute of Radiology; 3. As a Scottish Radiological Society without affiliation to any other society. The first proposal was carried by a large majority. However, following an account of the attitude of the Faculty of Radiologists to a Scottish section and after considerable discussion, it was agreed unanimously that future meetings should be informal and unaffiliated to any other society.
The first meeting of an unaffiliated Scottish Radiological Society was held on 21st September 1946 with 15 members present. In 1947 with the National Health Service imminent, the members discussed again the advisability of affiliation to the Faculty of Radiologists or the British Institute of Radiology but decided to remain independent and to indicate to the Chief Medical Officer of the Department of Health for Scotland that the Society was constituted and prepared to enter into consultation with the department on matters affecting radiology and radiologists in Scotland.
In 1950 the question was raised as to whether the Society should have a politico-advisory role in addition to its scientific and social activities. Despite a dislike for medical politics expressed by some members, it was agreed to implement the original pre-war concept of a society which could represent the views of its members to the Scottish Home and Health Department. An executive council was set up with power to deal directly with matters political or of wide administrative interest to radiologists in Scotland.
An annual lecture in memory of Dr John McGibbon, a greatly admired Edinburgh radiologist and a pioneer of cardiac radiology, was endowed in the early 60s. A grant from the European Association of Radiology following a successful meeting in Edinburgh in 1974 made it possible to re-endow the lecture in 1974 as a continuing academic memorial.
In 1970 the Society acquired a permanent address at the Royal College of Physicians in Queen Street, Edinburgh with storage for its accumulating records and documents in the library of the college. The membership exceeded 200 in 1972 with approximately 150 diagnostic and 50 therapy members. Following publication of the Zuckerman report in 1971, which affected professional relationships between radiologists and radiographers, the question of a formal association between the Society and the Faculty of Radiologists (which was about to achieve collegiate status) was raised again as it appeared that advice on matters radiological in Scotland was likely to be sought from the Faculty. A Standing Scottish Committee of the Faculty was formed which took over much of the medico-political business of the Society. With its establishment, the early wish of the Society for association with the Faculty was eventually realised. Shortly afterwards the Faculty achieved collegiate status and a royal charter.
[Source: extract from The History of the SRS by Dr J F Calder on http://www.radiology.co.uk/srs/news/history.htm]
Contents: Minutes, 1937-1999; registered administrative files 1963-2000; minutes of the Standing Scottish Committee of the Royal College of Radiologists, 1978-1985; minutes of the Scottish Radiographic Training Schools Committee, 1975-1986; film of members outing, 1957 |