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Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists

Records of the British Congresses of Obstetrics and Gynaecology

IDENTITY STATEMENT

Reference code(s): GB 1538 RCOG/E6

Held at: Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists

Title: Records of the British Congresses of Obstetrics and Gynaecology

Date(s): 1923-2005

Level of description: Collection

Extent: 12 boxes

Name of creator(s): Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists

CONTEXT

Administrative/Biographical history:

A congress to discuss obstetrics and gynaecology was held in London in 1920; unfortunately no record has survived of its terms of reference or proceedings. The first official British Congress of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (BCOG) was held at Birmingham in 1921 (see note on p. 4 of Central Congress Committee minute book, ref: E6M/1), but records of proceedings do not begin until 1923. The congresses were organised by Congress secretaries of local obstetrical societies; an Executive was appointed at the 1923 Edinburgh Congress, with the power to appoint a Treasurer (see correspondence of William Blair Bell, 1923, concerning British congresses in S10/59). From 1923 to 1965 British congresses were organised by local committees under the aegis of a Central Congress Committee, which was composed of representatives of different British and Irish obstetrical and gynaecological societies. The central committee was disbanded in 1965, and replaced by a new Congress Committee of the RCOG. The different societies continued to send representatives to serve on the new committee. In 1968 the Congress Committee was renamed the Scientific Programme and Central Congress Committee, and became responsible for the College's expanded programme of scientific meetings. In 1973 responsibility for scientific meetings passed to the Postgraduate Committee and Scientific Programme was dropped from its title. In 1976 the Central Congress Committee discussed the frequency of its meetings and recommended greater local influence; it restricted future meetings to the year of each Congress. By the 1980s the local obstetrical and gynaecological societies were responsible for running the annual Congress. The RCOG held a central Congress fund to enable organisers to plan ahead and any profits of the Congress were returned to the central fund. The President of the RCOG was also President of the Congress but otherwise the College had little input into the organisation of the Congress. In 1984 a new College Congress Committee was established to: allow the College to have a greater input to the scientific and social content; decide future venues; appoint the organising committee and advise on financial arrangements; liaise with College arrangements for other scientific meetings during the year of the Congress; arrange courses near the Congress for overseas delegates. However, it's existence was short-lived, on 22 July 1989 the RCOG Council disbanded the Congress Committee, and agreed that its responsibilities should pass to the Finance and Executive Committee (with one exception: the Postgraduate Committee became responsible for arranging educational courses at the time of the Congress).

In January 2002 a new Congress Committee was re-established, reporting to the Education Board. Its remit was:

- To be responsible for the scientific and social programme of the annual Congress
- To consider the inclusion of College eponymous lectures and of specilist societies in programme selection
- To decide on future venues for Congresses
- To monitor the performance of the Professional Congress Organiser
- To monitor the budget, income and expenditure for the Congress

A Scientific Programme Sub-Group was established at the first meeting to report to Congress Committee with its recommendations. 2007 marked the 30th British Congress of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, which was held in London. It is notable that in the new millennium, a major feature of the 'British' congress is collaboration with specialist societies and International Colleges which include America, Australia, Canada, South Africa and India, and others. Internally, organisation of congresses was always overseen by the Deputy College Secretary, later known as the Head of Corporate Affairs. From 1974-2002, Ms Caroline Roney served as Congress Organising Secretary/Congress Organiser.

CONTENT

Scope and content/abstract:

Records of the British Congresses of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 1923-2005, comprising papers, programmes and material relating to annual British congresses (1924-2004); minute books of the Central Congress Committee (1923-1959); papers and minutes of the Central Congress Committee maintained by officers of the Committee (1949-1980); files from the College Secretary on the Central Congress Committee (1963-1974); papers and correspondence regarding the Scientific Programme and Central Congress Committee (1968-1974); agenda, minutes and papers from the Congress Committee (2002-2005). There is very little information extant concerning the congresses held from 1920-1922, and papers and proceedings of several congresses have not survived.

ACCESS AND USE

Language/scripts of material: English

System of arrangement:

As set out above in Scope and Content.

Conditions governing access:

Open, although restrictions apply for items containing personal information.

Conditions governing reproduction:

Physical characteristics:

Finding aids:

RCOG/B3/2 have been indexed and the names of successful candidates will be found in the Index to the Guide to the College Archives.

ARCHIVAL INFORMATION

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information:

3 filing-cabinet drawers of material were appraised by the College Archivist in consultation with the CPD Administrator in February 2006. A few files were retained by the Department for current use. Routine and ephemeral material was assigned for destruction. Only those files documenting the origins and development of the College's policy and programme in this area were selected for permanent preservation. A full set of CME/CPD documentation was transferred at the same time.

Accruals:

Records formerly placed in these subject categories are now catalogued according to their correct administrative context.

Archival history:

The majority of this series is an artificial assemblage of records from various sources relating to different congresses. The material was produced by various bodies and officials, including: the Central Congress Committee; local organising committees and their officers (including ladies' committees, later known as associated members' committees); College committees and officers; Caroline Roney, employed as a conference organiser. Papers in E6A/1 and E6A/4-8 relating to the 5th and 12th-16th Congresses (except the printed programmes and extracts), were presented to the College by Sir John Stallworthy (see report dated March 1986, ref. A10/1). Some related material was later found in the College Secretary's papers and was removed to E6/1/2 [correspondence concerning the gift is in A10/3]. Records in E6/4 were transferred from the Deputy College Secretary's Office.

Immediate source of acquisition:

These records were passed from the Postgraduate Education Department to the Clinical Governance and Standards Department, when the former was disbanded and the latter took over the CPD function. These records were transferred from the Clinical Governance and Standards Department in February 2006.

ALLIED MATERIALS

Existence and location of originals:

Existence and location of copies:

A microfilm copy of the minute book at C7/1M is at MR/17.

Related material:

Publication note:

DESCRIPTION NOTES

Note:

Archivist's note: Imported from the RCOG catalogue and edited by Sarah Drewery.