Royal College of Surgeons

(See text below for some info of RCS)


300 Fellows of the RCS -

Correct way to address a member is - Mr, Mrs, Miss - NOT Dr - this system which applies only to surgeons not physicians has its origins in the 18th century when surgeons were barber surgeons - and did not have a medical degree or formal qualification
- pysicians held a University Medical degree.

When the RCS recieved it's Royal Charter (1800) the Royal College of Physicians insisted that candidates must have a medical degree first. Therefore, an aspiring surgeon must have a medical degree first and recieve the title of Dr - only then having obtained the diploma of Fellow of the RCS could he rivert to Mr, the title Mr only applied to Fellows not members with a diploma MRCS

John Abernethy FRS (3 April 1764 – 20 April 1831) was an English surgeon

1779 - apprenticed to Sir Charles Blicke (1745-1815) - surgeon at St Bartholomews Hospital

He attended anatomical lectures given by Sir Williamj Blizzard (1743-1835) at London Hospital and was employed to assist as demonstrator

He attended Percivall Potts surgical lectures at ST B's and also those given by John Hunter

1787 Pott's resigned as surgeon at St B's and was succeeded by Sir Charles Blicke and Abernethy was elected as assistant surgeon - post originally taken by Blicke

In his role as assistant surgeon he began to give lectures at his home in Bartholomew Close - they were so well attended that the governors of the hosital decided to build a theatre - 1790-1 - he thus became the founder of the Medical School at St B's

Remained assistant surgeon until 1815 when he became the principal surgeon

1814 he was appointed lecturer on anatomy to the Royal College of Surgeons

1809 - his Surgical Observations on the Constitutional Origin and Treatment of Local Diseases

'My Book' - always refered his patients to it - esp page 72

Taught that local diseases were freguently the result of disordered states of the digestive organs to be treated by purging and attention to diet

Disliked to be opposed in his lectures and was often rude to patients