Minutes of Medical Committees

Minutes of the Medical (Advisory) Board and committees supervising medical missionary work.


Date(s) of creation: 1903-c1952
Level: Sub-series
Format: Archive           

collection SOAS Archive
id MMS.01.01.11
recordtype archive
scb_item_location Archive & Special Collections
item_location Archive & Special Collections
scb_loan_type Reference only
callnumber MMS/01/01/11
callnumber_txt MMS/01/01/11
callnumber-sort MMS/01/01/11
prefix_number 11
title Minutes of Medical Committees
scb_date_creation 1903-c1952
scb_level Sub-series
level_sort 7/Collection/Sub-Collection/Sub-Sub-Collection/Sub-Sub-Sub-Collection/Series/Sub-Series/Sub-Sub-Series/File
scb_extent 5 volumes
format Archive
scb_admin_history The Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society realised at the start of the twentieth century that its medical missionary work was behind that of other missionary organisations and that it was its duty to improve such work. Therefore in 1902 it established a Medical Fund, with the slogan 'Save Life', to raise funds to improve upon its medical missionary work. At the same time it realised that it needed to manage existing medical missions better and to spend newly raised funds effectively and so it created, in 1903, the Medical Sub-committee to oversee this work. Said sub-committee then recommended the establishment of a Medical Advisory Board to provide professional medical advice with regard to medical missions and to evaluate the health of its employees and prospective employees (as well as their partners or intended partners) more systematically. The Board first met on 9th March 1904. By 1912 there was a strong desire from those involved in the medical committees that there should be a Medical Secretary whose duties should be organising medical mission work including arranging meetings and raising funds for the Medical Fund. The post was approved and it was agreed that it was 'absolutely necessary' that the Medical Secretary be a 'qualified member of the medical profession'. Additionally, in 1913 a Medical Department was created to support the secretary, committee and board. In 1915 the Medical Secretary's duties were clarified as: convening the meetings of the Medical Advisory Board and Medical Missionary Committee; responsibility for correspondence relating to professional medical matters; responsibility, in conjunction with the relevant secretary, for correspondence on medical matters in missions; to organise all administrative and promotional paperwork relating to medical missions.
description Minutes of the Medical (Advisory) Board and committees supervising medical missionary work.
scb_access_status Restrictions
scb_conditions_gov_access See individual entries
scb_copyright Copyright held by Trustees for Methodist Church Purposes
scb_use_restrictions For permission to publish, please contact Archives & Special Collections, SOAS Library in the first instance
language English
language_search English
hierarchy_top_id_raw MMS
hierarchy_sequence MMS.0001.0001.0011