Medical ancestors
the growing number of private anatomy schools and the beginnings of an academic basis for surgical practice helped to increase the surgeons’ prestige. In 1800 the Company of Surgeons became the Royal College of Surgeons in London (later England).
Formal recognition
Apothecaries were increasingly undertaking work that could be called ‘general practice’, so they campaigned for reform to allow them to charge fees for attending patients, instead of surcharging on medicines. The resulting 1815 Apothecaries Act allowed this change and recognised the Society of Apothecaries as a medical-licensing body.
It was important for medical professionals to raise standards further in order to differentiate themselves from the unqualified quacks who peddled their wares in person and by post. The landmark Medical Act was finally passed in 1858. In order to practise medicine, all qualified medical professionals now had to be licensed by one of 19 licensing bodies and to be listed in the newly established Medical Register. The Act also set up the General Medical Council (GMC) to oversee all aspects of licensing and education, and from 1886 it became compulsory for all qualified medical professionals to be examined in medicine, surgery and midwifery.
In the 1860s apprenticeships were gradually replaced with more formal medical training consisting of a defined syllabus, lectures and written examinations. At this time the standard qualifications for medical professionals were the Licentiate of the Society of Apothecaries (LSA) and the Member of the Royal College of Surgeons (MRCS). The Licence of the Royal College of Physicians (LRCP) was less common; it was replaced in 1860 by the Member of the Royal College of Physicians (MRCP). There were various medical university degrees including Bachelor of Medicine (MB), Bachelor of Surgery ( ChB), Master of Surgery (CM) and of course Doctor of Medicine (MD).
Career options
Once qualified, a surgeon, apothecary or physician could follow a number of different paths to start his new career. He could become a salaried assistant to an established practitioner, set up his own practice or go into partnership with another. If he wanted more experience in surgery or medicine, he might work as a house surgeon or physician in a hospital or join the British Army or Royal Navy as an assistant surgeon. If he only wanted to practise as an apothecary, he could set up his own shop or work as a salaried dispenser in a hospital.
The most important sources for family historians are the Medical Register (from 1859) and Medical Directory (from
1846) which will help you to trace your ancestor’s career. These annual publications list medical practitioners qualified to practise in Britain and the Colonies, even if they were working overseas. The Medical Register was published by the GMC and all practising medical professionals had to be registered in it, while the Medical Directory was a non-compulsory commercial enterprise. Ideally you should check both sources for the period in which your forebear was working, because they provide different information.
Both publications give full name, address and the date qualifications were attained; the Medical Register also states when each individual registered, if this was later. This can be useful for differentiating between people with the same name if you’re unsure of the correct address. The Medical Directory provides extra details including additional posts held such as vaccinator, Poor Law medical officer and factory surgeon; lists of previous posts; and papers written for medical journals.
Before 1877 only two women appeared in the Medical Register as a result of loopholes: Elizabeth Garrett Anderson and Elizabeth Blackwell. At that time British women had to study abroad for their medical degrees; but from 1877 they were
entitled to medical training and qualification in Britain. By 1891 there were 101 female doctors on the Medical Register; this increased to 477 by 1911.
Tracing your medical ancestor
If your forebear is listed in the Medical Register and/or the Medical Directory, his or her entry will provide numerous leads for further research. For example, the Medical Register records that John McNab Ballenden became a Licentiate of the Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow in 1847. He obtained his MD from the University of St Andrews in 1850 and became a Licentiate of the Society of Apothecaries in London in the same year. The census reveals that John was born in Stromness, Orkney, in 1813, but it was in Sedgley, Staffordshire, that he set up in general practice.
The Medical Directory states he had various additional posts to supplement his income. He was a member of the Hunterian Society, a Poor Law medical officer, a police surgeon, a certifying factory surgeon and a medical referee for the London & Liverpool Assurance Company. John’s long association with the Dudley Poor Law Union began in 1859 when he was appointed medical officer for one of the Sedgley districts. He had to visit paupers in their homes across a wide geographical area to administer medical relief, at the same time as attending his own patients.
It was often difficult to meet the demand, and there were frequent complaints about the non-attendance or neglect of district medical officers. An online search of newspapers shows that John’s working practices were investigated a number of times regarding patients who died, but each time he was exonerated. He continued as a district medical officer until 1894 when he resigned for health reasons, dying the following year. John’s obituary in the Dudley Herald noted that he was “a familiar figure in the neighbourhood and will be greatly missed”.
You can usually look at the Medical Register and the Medical Directory in large city libraries or specialist medical archives such as the Wellcome Library in London; selected records can also be viewed online. Ancestry ( ancestry.co.uk) has digitised the Medical Register from 1859 to 1959 at four-year intervals, ie 1859, 1863, 1867 and so on; the website also has the Medical Directory from 1845 to 1942. TheGenealogist ( thegenealogist.co.uk) and Family Relatives ( family relatives.com) have a selection of both publications online, while some editions can also be seen for free on the Internet Archive ( archive.org).
From 1877 women were entitled to medical training and qualification in Britain. By 1891 there were 101 female doctors on the Register
Michelle Higgs is the author
of Tracing Your Medical Ancestors (Pen & Sword) and Life in the Victorian Hospital (The History Press)