A History of the Royal College of General Practitioners : The First 25 Years

John P. Horder, President, 1980-82 The first 30 years of the College have been an exciting experience for those most closely involved. Some have already passed on, but this account has been written soon enough for many of the actors to be historians. Future members of the College will be grateful to them for what they have written, as well as for what they did as a remarkably determined and harmonious team. Students of twentieth century medicine in this country will also be grateful for a first-hand account of the development of an institution which has been closely associated with, and partly responsible for, important changes in medical care and education. Those who read these pages may wonder how the builders of this young College could have found time to do much general practice. They did. The three editors of this history, which covers 25 years, and the general practitioner members of the Steering Committee all ran large practices, in which they worked very hard throughout that time. Most of their work for the College was done during off-duty hours, weekends and holidays. The College could not have developed as it did, had they not been personally concerned with the practical problems and needs of clinical medicine. This is also true of many of the contributors. It is impossible to mention everyone who deserves credit. The editors hope that they may be forgiven for any serious omissions. Front Matter....Pages i-xiii Past Attempts to Found a ‘College of General Practitioners’ One and a Half Centuries Ago....Pages 1-5 Events Leading up to the Formation of the Steering Committee....Pages 7-16 The Work of the Steering Committee, and the Birth of the College....Pages 17-29 The College’s First Year and the Work of the Foundation Council....Pages 31-36 Presidents and Chairmen of Council of the College During its First Twenty Five Years....Pages 37-57 Regional Faculties and Regional Councils in the United Kingdom....Pages 59-73 Undergraduate Education....Pages 75-83 Postgraduate Education and Vocational Training....Pages 85-102 The Medical Recording Service and the Medical Audiovisual Library....Pages 103-109 Standards....Pages 111-129 The College and Research....Pages 131-147 Practice Organization, Equipment and Premises....Pages 149-158 College Publications....Pages 159-172 The Library, Museum and Archives....Pages 173-179 Headquarters, Staff and Administration....Pages 181-192 College Finance and Appeal....Pages 193-198 Awards and Ethical Committees....Pages 199-203 Incorporation, Royal Prefix and the Royal Charter....Pages 205-213 Insignia and the College Grace....Pages 215-222 Relations with Other Bodies....Pages 223-229 The College Overseas....Pages 231-241 The Future....Pages 243-254 Back Matter....Pages 255-270