Corporate Body
Medical Society of Victoria (1855 - 1907)
- From
- 19 July 1855
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia - To
- 1907
- Functions
- Medicine and Professional Association
- Alternative Names
- British Medical Association (Victorian Branch) and the Medical Society of Victoria (Subsequent name, 1907 - 1962)
- Medical Chirurgical Society of Victoria (Former name, 6 June 1854 - 18 July 1855)
- Port Phillip Medical Association (Former name, 16 May 1846 - 20 November 1851)
- Victorian Medical Association (Former name, 7 May 1852 - 18 July 1855)
Summary
The Medical Society of Victoria (MSV) was established in 1855. However it had several predecessors. The Port Phillip Medical Association ran from 1846 to 1851 and was reconstituted as the Victorian Medical Association in May 1852. This amalgamated with the Medical Chirurgical Society of Victoria, which was based at the Melbourne Hospital, to become the Medical Society of Victoria in July 1855. The MSV's main function was the discussion of medical theory and practice, with medico-political and economic issues being secondary. It did, however, lobby the government for the registration of medical practitioners. Until the 1880s the MSV was the primary medical organisation in the colony. The rival Victorian Branch of the British Medical Association started in 1879, early members being some who had left the MSV following disputes with their fellows. Such disputes, which affected both organisations, often involved allegations over advertising, overcharging, and unprofessional conduct. During the 1890s the MSV suffered declining membership and financial problems. Moves towards amalgamation of the two organisations started in 1887, but did not come to fruition until 1907 under the name British Medical Association (Victorian Branch) and the Medical Society of Victoria.
Details
The Society published: Australian medical journal v.1-23 (1856 - 1878); ns v.1-17 (1879 - 1895). This amalgamated with the Intercolonial quarterly journal of medicine and surgery to become: Intercolonial medical journal of Australasia v.1-16 (1896 - 1911), ns v.1-3 (1911 - 1914).
Related entries
Published resources
Books
- Pensabene, Tony S., The Rise of the Medical Practitioner in Victoria (Canberra: Australian National University, 1980), 219 pp. Details
Journal Articles
- Farrer, Keith Thomas Henry, 'The Rev Dr J. I. Bleasdale and the Medical Society of Victoria', Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 86 (1993), 166-198. Details
- Graham, H. B., 'Happenings of the Now Long Past: the Centenary of the Medical Society of Victoria', Medical Journal of Australia, 2 (7 (16 August)) (1952), 213-247. Details
See also
- Dyason, D., 'The medical profession in colonial Victoria, 1834 - 1901' in Disease, Medicine and Empire: Perspectives on Western Medicine and the Experience of European Expansion, Macleod, Roy and Lewis, Milton, eds (London: Routledge, 1988), pp. 194-216. Details
Helen Cohn
Created: 11 November 2025, Last modified: 2 December 2025