Archives
To mark the 194th anniversary of the British Medical Association, the Library and Archive team is pleased to share the results of a recent digitisation and cataloguing project. In 2025, the team secured a £5,000 grant from Historic Records Ltd, specialists in the digitisation and transcription of historic documents, to digitise the BMA’s membership lists. What do the BMA Membership Lists contain? The membership lists cover the first 100 years of the… Read More
To mark mental health awareness week (11-17 May), BMA library and archive have explored mental health in the late 19th and early 20th century. What we have uncovered includes committees, members and activities that demonstrate the Association’s role in developing mental health law, treatment and advocacy in the UK. Content warning This blog includes references to and images of historical records concerning mental health prior to the 1940s. Some of the records… Read More
2025 marks the 100th anniversary of BMA House. In 1925, the British Medical Association moved from 429 The Strand to its new home in Tavistock Square. The official opening ceremony of BMA House was on 13 July 1925. We have put together an online exhibition featuring an timeline spanning the 100 years of BMA House. Keep on reading this blog for some behind the scenes additions. The BMA archives contain a vast… Read More
Today, to mark International Women’s Day, we would like share the stories of Dame Josephine Barnes, the first female president of the BMA (1979-1980), and Dr Christine Murrell, the first female member elected to council (1924-1933). Dame Josephine Barnes The career of Dame Josphine Barnes: Dame Alice Josephine Mary Taylor Barnes (18 August 1912-28 December 1999) was a leading obstetrician and gynaecologist and played a fundamental role in advocating for better women’s… Read More
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