The archives of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow date from the early 17th Century. The first minute book starts in 1602 and the minutes run with just one gap (from 1688-1733 when a minute book was lost in a fire) up until the present day. The majority of the material dates from the 19th and 20th Centuries and includes examination registers, papers relating to College committees and records relating to property including plans of College Hall designed by J. Burnet in 1892. There is a large collection of photographs containing portraits of many 19th Century Members and Fellows as well as covering more recent events. The archive is not a static entity and is being added to regularly so that the history and events of the College are preserved for future generations.
Apart from the main College archive there are also deposited archive collections relating to former (and present) Members and Fellows of the College. These include the papers of Sir William Macewen and Joseph Lister. There are also several collections relating to Glasgow and West of Scotland medical societies.
Descriptions of the archives held by the College can be found in the Archive Collections section.
Details of other archives and museums relating to medical history can be found in the Archive Links section.