David Miller
Chair, History & Archives Committee (HAC)

https://doi.org/10.36866/pn.90.13

From the earliest days, The Society has sustained an interest in its own history. This includes how and why The Society was founded, the background to our owning The Journal of Physiology and Experimental Physiology, how we ran and run our scientific meetings, the forging of our international membership and our collaborations. These aspects often entwine with the careers and collaborations of prominent personalities amongst the membership. Furthermore, as with any organisation, there are more formal elements to the archiving of paperwork and records. An abiding interest is to clarify how the intellectual discipline of physiology can be understood better through knowledge of these historical strands.

In 1989, the movement of The Society’s archives from Churchill College in Cambridge to the Wellcome Institute in London prompted The Society to formally task a subcommittee with ensuring that the history and archives of The Society, in all senses, were secured, maintained and promoted to the membership and wider. Tilli Tansey (Queen Mary, University of London) has been The Society’s Honorary Archivist ever since. The function of HAC was substantially reinvigorated in 2006 by Dafydd Walters, my predecessor as Chairman.

One sombre element of HAC’s remit is to ensure that obituaries are produced to record the life and work of recently deceased Members. However we also conduct The Oral History project, which is a series of interviews where distinguished Members provide personal accounts of their own lives in physiology. This comprises a sound recording and transcript of an informal interview, and some contemporary photos to complete the item. These interviews are accessible in The Society’s archive at the Wellcome Library to scholars as well as Society Members for review. The list of interviewees includes: Horace Barlow, Ron Cook, John Gillespie, John Grey, Otto Hutter, Sally Page, Tom Sears, Ann Silver, Hans Ussing, Wilf Widdas, Roger Woledge, and others. A further half dozen are at the ‘final correction’ stage. We also have a strong list of current and projected interviewees – not all those on our list will know of it yet!

Our scientific meetings often feature a stand designed by HAC and Members local to the meeting. This might highlight interesting and significant features of the local department. Historic (or at least old) items of equipment form a popular feature. With much scratching of heads and general befuddlement, Members try to figure out quite what the device on show used to do (in more competent hands) to further physiology.

Our official archive is held at the Wellcome Library. It comprises of the papers and correspondence of the Committee (now Council) of The Society, minute books, Grey Books, etc. There is also a large photographic collection, papers and other items from distinguished former Members. The collection is fully catalogued and available at http://archives.wellcome.ac.uk (use the Reference SA/PHY under the ‘Archives & Manuscripts’ tab for a comprehensive listing).

HAC administers the Paton Prize Fund. A bursary (up to £1000) can be awarded for travel and incidental expenses associated with work on any aspect relating to the history of major ideas and of the people that have shaped modern physiology. An eminent invited speaker is chosen jointly with the board of Experimental Physiology to deliver the bi-annual Paton Lectureship (the 2012 presentation by Jere Mitchell can be seen at www.youtube.com/physoctv).

A perennial question put to HAC concerns items of equipment, some of undoubted historical interest, which have to find a new home when no longer wanted in their ‘department’. We have very few options open to us. The Science Museum (for example) will only accept truly historic items, generally those personally associated with scientists of great distinction, such as Nobel Prize winners. So the glorious kymographs, plethysmographs, tambour blood pressure monitors and the rest can remain homeless. Our generic advice is to check with local museums – often at the host institution. At the very least, this might ensure that a competent historian of science can ‘triage’ the materials on offer. The Society itself has no facilities to store such items. However, we will maintain and refresh a small display in the open areas of The Society’s new home at Hodgkin Huxley House. So acquiring some especially interesting kit will be a priority.