Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Encyclopedia
The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene was founded in 1907 by Sir James Cantlie
and George Carmichael Low
. Sir Patrick Manson
, the Society's first President (1907-1909) is generally acknowledged as the father of tropical medicine
. He passed the presidency on to the Nobel laureate
Sir Ronald Ross
(1909-1911), discoverer of the role of mosquitoes in the transmission of malaria. Since that time, many of the most distinguished practitioners and researchers in the field of tropical medicine have been fellows of the Society.
The objectives of the Society are "to promote and advance the study, control and prevention of diseases in man and other animals in warm climates, facilitate discussion and the exchange of information among those who are interested in tropical diseases, and generally to promote the work of those interested in these objectives". Today the society is multi-disciplinary and deals with international health as well as classic tropical diseases.
In 1920, King George V
gave his permission for the society to use the Royal prefix. Queen Elizabeth II
is patron
of the society and the Princess Royal
is an Honorary Fellow.
Fellows of The Society are not entitled to use the post-nominal letters. Fellowship of the Society has no status as a diploma or academic credential. Biannually, individuals who have made outstanding contributions towards the objectives of the Society become eligible for election as Honorary Fellows.
In 2011 they moved to their current premises in Northumberland House, High Holborn, London.
Five special Centenary Medals were awarded in 1907, two for lifetime achievement and three for special achievement by an under-45 year old.
James Cantlie
Sir James Cantlie was a Scottish physician. He was a pioneer of First Aid, which in 1875 was unknown: even the police had no knowledge of basic techniques such as how to stop serious bleeding and applying splints...
and George Carmichael Low
George Carmichael Low
George Carmichael Low was a Scottish parasitologist.He was born in Monifieth, Forfarshire, Scotland, the son of Samuel Miller Low, a manufacturer of flax machinery and educated at the University of St Andrews. Having gradusted MA from St Andrews he then studied for a medical degree at Edinburgh...
. Sir Patrick Manson
Patrick Manson
Sir Patrick Manson was a Scottish physician who made important discoveries in parasitology and was the founder of the tropical medicine field....
, the Society's first President (1907-1909) is generally acknowledged as the father of tropical medicine
Tropical medicine
Tropical medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with health problems that occur uniquely, are more widespread, or prove more difficult to control in tropical and subtropical regions....
. He passed the presidency on to the Nobel laureate
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
Sir Ronald Ross
Ronald Ross
Sir Ronald Ross KCB FRS was a British doctor who received the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1902 for his work on malaria. He was the first Indian-born person to win a Nobel Prize...
(1909-1911), discoverer of the role of mosquitoes in the transmission of malaria. Since that time, many of the most distinguished practitioners and researchers in the field of tropical medicine have been fellows of the Society.
The objectives of the Society are "to promote and advance the study, control and prevention of diseases in man and other animals in warm climates, facilitate discussion and the exchange of information among those who are interested in tropical diseases, and generally to promote the work of those interested in these objectives". Today the society is multi-disciplinary and deals with international health as well as classic tropical diseases.
In 1920, King George V
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
gave his permission for the society to use the Royal prefix. Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
is patron
Patronage
Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows to another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings or popes have provided to musicians, painters, and sculptors...
of the society and the Princess Royal
Princess Royal
Princess Royal is a style customarily awarded by a British monarch to his or her eldest daughter. The style is held for life, so a princess cannot be given the style during the lifetime of another Princess Royal...
is an Honorary Fellow.
Fellows of The Society are not entitled to use the post-nominal letters. Fellowship of the Society has no status as a diploma or academic credential. Biannually, individuals who have made outstanding contributions towards the objectives of the Society become eligible for election as Honorary Fellows.
In 2011 they moved to their current premises in Northumberland House, High Holborn, London.
Awards and medals
The society awards the Chalmers Medal and Donald Mackay Medal annually and the Manson Medal, the George MacDonald Medal and the Sir Rickard Christophers Medal triennially.Five special Centenary Medals were awarded in 1907, two for lifetime achievement and three for special achievement by an under-45 year old.