MEDICAL KIN and how to research them
Official registration records dating back centuries can be used to trace your medical forebear’s life and career. Michelle Higgs explains
From the early 1500s physicians and surgeons could only practise their professions after being examined by medical practitioners and receiving a medical licence
Today the medical profession is valued and respected, but this was not always the case. In the 18th century only physicians held the qualification of MD, the title of ‘ doctor’ and the status of gentlemen in society. They were universityeducated and charged fees for their advice and remedies, but they did not dispense medication.
However, surgeons and apothecaries were trained through apprenticeships, rather than an academic education. Surgeons were originally known as barber-surgeons and were not allowed to give internal medicines to patients. They undertook manual work such as pulling teeth, lancing boils, blood-letting and occasional amputations. The dispensing and sale of medicines was carried out by apothecaries, usually from a shop. They could not charge for their advice, only for the drugs they provided.
Medical apprenticeships were advertised in newspapers and could also be arranged privately through family or local connections. Applicants had to be literate, numerate and have a rudimentary knowledge of Latin. The premium paid by the apprentice’s family was higher if the master was an honorary surgeon in a hospital, rather than just being in private practice.
From the early 1500s physicians and surgeons could only practise their professions after being examined by medical practitioners and receiving a medical licence from the diocesan bishop. Physicians could also be licensed by the Royal College of Physicians of London if they held a medical degree. This ecclesiastical licensing system died out in the middle of the 18th century.
From the early 19th century the status of surgeons and apothecaries rose significantly, and they sought professional recognition of this. The Company of Surgeons was originally part of the Barber-Surgeons’ Company of London, but they split from the barbers in 1745. Afterwards