International Medical Congress

{{Short description|Scientific conferences on medicine (1867–1913)}} [[File:Composite group portrait of members of the International Medical Congress, 1881.jpg|thumb|Composite group portrait of members of the International Medical Congress, 1881]]

The '''International Medical Congress''' ({{langx|fr|'''Congrès International de Médecine'''}}) was a series of international [[Academic conference|scientific conferences]] on [[medicine]] that took place, periodically, from 1867 until 1913.

The idea of such a congress came in 1865, during the third annual Medical Congress of France; Professor Henri Giutrac proposed holding an international medical conference in 1867, taking advantage of the fact that physicians and surgeons from all over the world would surely be in Paris to attend that year's [[Exposition Universelle (1867)|International Exhibition]]. The first congress was a great success; it enjoyed the patronage of the [[Government of France|French Government]], having been officially attended by [[Victor Duruy]], [[Ministry of National Education (France)|Minister of Public Instruction]], and had several honorary members selected from foreign diplomatic bodies and learned societies.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Quinlan |first1=F. J. B. |date=December 1884 |title=A Retrospect of the International Medical Congress of 1884 |url=https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF02975762?noAccess=true |journal=The Dublin Journal of Medical Science |volume=78 |issue=7 |pages=499–506 |doi=10.1007/bf02975762 |s2cid=74855932 |access-date=16 February 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1= |first1= |date=20 September 1884 |title=International Medical Congress, Eighth Session, held in Copenhagen, August 1884: The History of International Medical Congresses |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/25270133 |journal=The British Medical Journal |volume=2 |issue=1238 |pages=561–571 |doi=10.1007/bf02975762 |jstor= 25270133|s2cid= 74855932|access-date=16 February 2022}}</ref>

== Congresses ==

{| class="wikitable" style="width: 600" |- ! scope="col" width="50" | Number !! scope="col" width="50" | Year !! scope="col" width="250" | Location !! scope="col" width="350" | Notes |- | 1st || 1867 || [[Paris]], [[France]] || |- | 2nd || 1869 || [[Florence]], [[Italy]] || |- | 3rd || 1873 || [[Vienna]], [[Austria]] || |- | 4th || 1875 || [[Brussels]], [[Belgium]] || |- | 5th || 1877 || [[Geneva]], [[Switzerland]] || |- | 6th || 1879 || [[Amsterdam]], [[The Netherlands]] || |- | 7th || 1881 || [[London]], [[United Kingdom]] ||The President of this Congress was [[James Paget|Sir James Paget]] and the honorary secretary was [[William MacCormac]]. There were 3210 delegates.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=October 1881 |title=The International Medical Congress |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-mental-science/article/abs/international-medical-congress/CF01BFC7A5E505A355C4D18637F6ECA8 |journal=Journal of Mental Science |language=en |volume=27 |issue=119 |pages=403–405 |doi=10.1192/bjp.27.119.403 |issn=0368-315X|url-access=subscription }}</ref> |- | 8th || 1884 || [[Copenhagen]], [[Denmark]] ||The President of this Congress was Prof [[Peter Ludvig Panum]].<ref>{{Cite journal |date=1967-07-17 |url=http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/doi/10.1001/jama.1967.03130030066019 |journal=JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association |language=en |volume=201 |issue=3 |pages=196–197 |doi=10.1001/jama.1967.03130030066019 |issn=0098-7484|title=Peter Ludvig Panum (1820-1885) Danish Epidemiologist and Physiologist |url-access=subscription }}</ref> A nomenclature sounds on Auscultation was agreed in English, German and French.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=August 1884 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(02)27151-2 |journal=The Lancet |volume=124 |issue=3183 |pages=382–384 |doi=10.1016/s0140-6736(02)27151-2 |issn=0140-6736|title=The International Medical Congress at Copenhagen |url-access=subscription }}</ref> |- | 9th || 1887 || [[Washington, D.C.]], [[United States]] || Secretary-General and, later, President: [[Nathan Smith Davis]] |- | 10th || 1890 || [[Berlin]], [[Germany]] ||Held from 4th to the 9th of August, 1890<ref>{{Cite journal |date=1890-02-08 |title=International Medical Congress, Berlin, 1890. |journal=JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association |language=en |volume=XIV |issue=6 |pages=188–196 |doi=10.1001/jama.1890.02410060034013 |pmid=30435298 |pmc=5927906 |issn=0098-7484}}</ref> |- | 11th || 1894 || [[Rome]], [[Italy]] ||Held from 24 September to 1 October at a cost of 25 lire (£1).<ref>{{Cite journal |date=1893 |title=Medical News |journal=Edinburgh Medical Journal |volume=39 |issue=2 |pages=189|pmc=5285837 }}</ref> |- | 12th || 1897 || [[Moscow]], [[Russia]] ||Held 19 -26 of August 1897. Transport from London to Moscow via Berlin and Warsaw and a return journey via St Petersburg [[Helsinki|Helsingfors]], Stockholm, Copenhagen, Hamburg, and [[Vlissingen|Flushing]] was arranged with Thomas Cook and Son for 45 guineas per person.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Blomfield |first=ArthurG. |title=The International Congress of Medicine, Moscow, 1897: A Good Arrangement |date=April 1897 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(01)94774-9 |journal=The Lancet |volume=149 |issue=3842 |pages=1116 |doi=10.1016/s0140-6736(01)94774-9 |issn=0140-6736}}</ref> There is a copy of the conference proceedings in French held by the [[Wellcome Trust]]. Which can be accessed here https://wellcomecollection.org/works/mehvfxh9<ref>{{Cite web |title=Comptes-rendus du XII Congrès international de médecine : Moscou, 7 (19)-14 (26) août 1897 / pub. par le Comité exécutif sous la rédaction du secrétaire général W. Roth. |url=https://wellcomecollection.org/works/jqqdacsf |access-date=2022-06-26 |website=Wellcome Collection |language=en}}</ref> |- | 13th || 1900 || [[Paris]], [[France]] || |- | 14th || 1903 || [[Madrid]], [[Spain]] ||Held from 23 to 30 of April 1903.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=1901 |title=The Fourteenth International Congress Of Medicine, Madrid, 1903 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/20269213 |journal=The British Medical Journal |volume=2 |issue=2119 |pages=366 |jstor=20269213 |issn=0007-1447}}</ref> There was much in the British Medical press about routes to get to the Congress including a detailed explanation in The Lancet of both overland and sea routes.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=March 1903 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(01)84810-8 |journal=The Lancet |volume=161 |issue=4152 |pages=923–924 |doi=10.1016/s0140-6736(01)84810-8 |issn=0140-6736|title=The Fourteenth International Congress of Medicine, Madrid |url-access=subscription }}</ref> The Royal Mail Steam Packet Company offered doctors in Britain a 25% discount on the cost of the fare from Southampton to Lisbon.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Woodley Stocker |first1=W. |last2=Davies |first2=C.E. |title=The Fourteenth International Congress of Medicine, Madrid |date=March 1903 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(01)72286-6 |journal=The Lancet |volume=161 |issue=4151 |pages=838 |doi=10.1016/s0140-6736(01)72286-6 |issn=0140-6736|url-access=subscription }}</ref> The South Eastern and Chatham Railway and the railway service in France also issued reduce price tickets for members wishing to attend the Congress.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=December 1902 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(01)41996-9 |journal=The Lancet |volume=160 |issue=4137 |pages=1642 |doi=10.1016/s0140-6736(01)41996-9 |issn=0140-6736|title=The Fourteenth International Congress of Medicine, Madrid, April, 1903 |url-access=subscription }}</ref>

The Great Britain and Ireland Committee convened a meeting on 13 July 1903 with [[Frederick William Pavy]] as chair. They reported that 150 people attended from Britain and Ireland. The Great Britain and Ireland Committee were unhappy with the radical changes to the Constitution of the congress specifically article 2 "congress shall be composed of Medical Men, Pharmacists, veterinarian and other persons practicing one of the different branches of medical science.... and that anyone who holds a professional or scientific title shall be admitted to take part in the Congress on the same terms as medical men". The opinion of the Great Britain and Ireland Committee was that this made the Congress unwieldy due to the number of people.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=July 1903 |url=https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(01)50658-3 |journal=The Lancet |volume=162 |issue=4169 |pages=249–250 |doi=10.1016/s0140-6736(01)50658-3 |issn=0140-6736|title=The Fourteenth International Congress of Medicine, Madrid, 1903 |url-access=subscription }}</ref> |- | 15th || 1906 || [[Lisbon]], [[Portugal]] || President: [[Manuel da Costa Alemão]]; Secretary-General: [[Miguel Bombarda]] |- | 16th || 1909 || [[Budapest]], [[Hungary]] ||Held from 29 August to 4 September.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=1909-10-09 |title=THE SIXTEENTH INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF MEDICINE. BUDAPEST, AUGUST 29th TO SEPTEMBER 4th: Section of Medicine |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.2.2545.1076 |journal=BMJ |volume=2 |issue=2545 |pages=1076–1077 |doi=10.1136/bmj.2.2545.1076 |s2cid=220221053 |issn=0959-8138|url-access=subscription |pmc=2321231 }}</ref> |- | 17th || 1913 || [[London]], [[United Kingdom]] ||Opened on 6 -12th 1913 by [[Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn|Prince Arthur of Connaught]] and was held at [[Royal Albert Hall]]. [[Sir Thomas Barlow, 1st Baronet|Sir Thomas Barlow]] was the president of this Congress. The Congress was notable for its strong support of [[Vivisection]], calling for the introduction of [[Notifiable disease]] systems, calling for systematic diagnosis and treatment of [[Syphilis]] and acknowledging the role of diet in [[Beriberi]] .<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=SALEEBY |first=C. W. |date=August 1913 |title=The International Medical Congress |journal=Nature |volume=91 |issue=2285 |pages=608–610 |doi=10.1038/091608a0 |issn=0028-0836|doi-access=free }}</ref> All delegates were given a golden medal, the obverse of which showed [[Joseph Lister]] who had died the year before.<ref>{{Cite web |title=1913 International Medical Congress Medal {{!}} The British Association of Urological Surgeons Limited |url=https://www.baus.org.uk/museum/1226/1913_international_medical_congress_medal |access-date=2022-06-24 |website=www.baus.org.uk}}</ref> |}

== Proposed Congress == The 18th Congress was due to be held in [[Munich]] in 1917, as unanimously agreed by the permanent commission of the International Congress at the 17th Congress in 1913. The [[Bavarian government]] and [[LMU Munich]] offered to host it.<ref name=":0" /> In 1914, however, [[World War I]] began and the 18th Congress was cancelled.

==References== {{reflist|2}}

[[Category:Medical conferences]]