‘For more than 140 years, the Bristol Medico-Chirurgical (Med Chi) Society has set up a series of forums on contemporary issues of importance to the medical fraternity in Bristol. The programme for the forthcoming year will cover several general areas which are accessible at the Programme page. The messages for each session are expected to be applicable and generaliseable to other areas of medicine and are hoped to be thought provoking.
The society was founded around 1874 and the session 2019-2020 will be the 146th session. From 1874 to 1882 the society published their transactions and the Bristol Medico-Chirurgical Journal was established in 1883. The journal was published until 1994, latterly as the West of England Medical Journal. The society is now publishing this as an online e-journal, archived by the British Library.
Each Med Chi evenings is planned to be a pleasant mix of a social event followed by an informative lecture. The sessions this year will be run at the Engineer’s House, Clifton which is an excellent venue. There will be first class catering and, in the long tradition of the Bristol Med Chi, the speakers are of high calibre who are known locally, nationally and internationally. We hope that you will be able to attend many of these evenings and will enrich each these meetings with your participation’
The society was created in 1874 to further medical education by promoting the exchange of views between health professionals on local health matters and to contribute to informed debate within the professions. It has continued ot carry this out for almost 150 years and is now registered as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation [Charity No: 1181791].
There is a monthly lecture programme which, as part of our charitable function, is free to all. Please do come. We ask that you let our administrator know you are coming purely so we have an idea of numbers attending.
The Bristol Medico Chirurgical Society has a wide membership of health care professionals in Bristol. It is independent of any other organisations.
The society aims to promote the exchange of views between health professionals on local health matters and to contribute to informed debate within the professions.
This illustrious Society is both ancient and up-to-date, informative and fun. It successfully crosses the divide between specialist and generalist, scientist and clinician and helps keep each abreast of innovation. Its meetings serve as an excellent introduction to topics and individuals outside the narrow spheres of daily practice, frequently uniting names with faces, new arrivals with ‘old timers’.
Meetings are generally held on the second Wednesday of each month from October to May inclusive, commencing with a glass of wine at 6.45 p.m. followed by a buffet meal at 7.15 with opportunity to chat in convivial surroundings. The lecture then starts at approximately 8.15. Most meetings are held in the excellent setting of Engineer's House, Clifton. This has superb hi-tech facilities, comfortable seating and easy parking. Some sessions will be held in the Education Centre, Bristol Royal Infirmary, or at St Michaels Hospital as a slight break in tradition.
Each year a different President of the Society is elected, usually alternating between specialities and primary care. Each President chooses a theme for the year and arranges prestigious speakers from near and far. The diet is varied but never dull! CPD or PGEA approval is generally applicable adding an additional incentive for attending.
The Society is open to all Medical Practitioners and Medical Students as well as welcoming others with allied interests. The membership runs to approximately 300, whilst meetings attract 50 to 100 people. Meetings are open to non-members to attend, whilst the benefits of membership (for a very modest annual subscription) include monthly notification of meetings. If you need it, access to the University library is a further ‘perk’ of membership, as is publication of material in the WEMJ at no charge. Non-members will have to pay a small fee to support the cost of website maintenence.