# University of Glasgow Medico-Chirurgical Society

The University of Glasgow Medico-Chirurgical Society is a student society at the University of Glasgow which organises social and educational events for medical students at the University. The President for 2024/25 is Ella Williams.

## History

Founded in 1802, Med-Chir is one of the oldest medical societies in Scotland The society was formed twelve years before practising physicians and surgeons in Glasgow began to meet for formal instruction.
It is one of the oldest societies in the University and was instrumental in founding the Glasgow University Union in 1890, along with the Glasgow University Dialectic Society, Comunn Oiseanach Oilthigh Ghlaschu, and Glasgow University Athletic Club. It retains close ties with the Glasgow University Union. In 1936, the society arranged an excursion to Hamburg, Berlin and London.

## Activities

The University of Glasgow Medico-Chirurgical Society, AKA MedChir, is one of Glasgow University’s longest running societies and has been making Thursday nights fun since 1802. MedChir are responsible for organising the biggest and best social nights, educational events and sports for Glasgow University Medical Students. At its 2022 Annual General Meeting, MedChir members approved a constitutional amendment granting the incumbent Treasurer the optional title of "Chancellor of the ExMedchir". The first "Chancellor of the ExMedchir" is Daniel Petrie, the officeholder for the 2022/23 session.
MedChir also raise money for a different charity each year. Our previous year's chosen charity was The Rock Trust, a youth homelessness charity. The chosen charity for 2024-2025 is Street Connect.
MedChir organise major social events, with the highlights being the Annual Medical School Ball, the Revue (all-medic talent competition, won by Emeli Sandé during her time at Glasgow Medical School), Field Trip and Beer Olympics. They also offer talks from the most prestigious speakers in their fields, events for students to practice their clinical skills and hold joint evenings with the Royal College of General Practitioners and Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons. MedChir members participate in the Scottish and Northern Irish Medics Sports tournament (SNIMS) every year, hosting and winning the event in November 2016 and November 2023.
Additionally, 'Surgo' has been MedChir’s in-house publication since 1935 and it provides a light-hearted look at medic life as well as anything else that catches the editorial team’s eyes.
MedChir has its own medics Football, Rugby, Netball, Badminton, Squash, Basketball, Ultimate Frisbee and Hockey clubs. After many years of trialling different sports, members of the society still felt unsatisfied with the ping-pong shaped hole that remained in their hearts. In 2018, it was announced that this hole would be filled thanks to the founding of the MedChir Table Tennis club by Daniel Dolan (Alumni Representative), Conor Beatty (5th Year Representative) and Patrick Hart (Intercalated Year Representative). The Club competed for the first time in the 2018 SNIMS competition held in Dundee. The MedChir rugby team won the West of Scotland cup in December 2018, defeating Birkmyre RFC convincingly.

## Former members

Many illustrious former members maintain a link with the society and the MedChir Life Members Tie has been spotted on more than a few occasions, notably when Sam Galbraith presented the Scottish Cup. During the 2011-12 session the MedChir Life Members Badge was introduced.

## Past Presidents

| Year | President |
| 1814 | Robert Watt |
| 1815 | James Monteath |
| 1816 | William Couper |
| 1817 | T. Brown |
| 1818 | Robert Graham |
| 1819 | George Macleod |
| 1820 | James Watson |
| 1821 | G. C. Monteath |
| 1822 | John Baird |
| 1823 | Thomas Thomson |
| 1824 | William Cumin |
| 1825 | Robert Perry |
| 1826 | Thomas Thomson |
| 1827 | Thomas Thomson |
| 1828 | Thomas Thomson |
| 1829 | Thomas Thomson |
| 1830 | William Young |
| 1831 | William Young |
| 1832 | James Wilson |
| 1833 | James Wilson |
| 1834 | John Macfarlane |
| 1835 | John Macfarlane |
| 1836 | John Macfarlane |
| 1837 | Andrew Buchanan |
| 1838 | Andrew Buchanan |
| 1839 | Robert Cowan |
| 1840 | William Weir |
| 1841 | William Weir |
| 1842 | A.J. Hannay |
| 1843 | A.J. Hannay |
| 1844 | Robert Perry & Thomas Thomson |
| 1845 | J. Wilson |
| 1846 | William Lyon & Harry Rainy |
| 1847 | George Watson |
| 1848 | George Watson & A.D. Anderson |
| 1849 | J.A. Easton |
| 1850 | R.G. Macwell & James Watson |
| 1851 | James Wilson |
| 1852 | James Wilson & Andrew Buchanan |
| 1853 | James Wilson |
| 1854 | James Wilson |
| 1855 | William Lyon |
| 1856 | James A. Lawrie & Joseph Bell |
| 1857 | James A. Lawrie & J. G. Fleming |
| 1858 | William Weir & George Watt |
| 1859 | William Weir & William Brown |
| 1860 | John M. Pagan & James Fraser |
| 1861 | John M. Pagan & John Reid |
| 1862 | William Lyon & James Adams |
| 1863 | William Lyon & James Stewart |
| 1864 | Charles Ritchie & James Morton |
| 1865 | Charles Ritchie & G.H.B. Macleod |
| 1866 | Allen Thomson |
| 1867 | Allen Thomson |
| 1868 | J.G. Fleming |
| 1869 | J.G. Fleming |
| 1870 | James Adams |
| 1871 | James Adams |
| 1872 | Robert Scott Orr |
| 1873 | Robert Scott Orr & W.T. Gairdner |
| 1874 | James Morton |
| 1875 | James Morton |
| 1876 | Ebenezer Watson & Joseph Coats |
| 1877 | Donald McPhail |
| 1878 | L.A. Waddell & Alexander Robertson |
| 1879 | Angus MacPhee |
| 1880 | James Lindsay Steven & Hector C. Cameron |
| 1881 | J.M. Young |
| 1882 | Robert Beith & T. M'Call Anderson |
| 1883 | W.A. Forsyth |
| 1884 | Henry Rutherford & George Buchanan |
| 1885 | I.N. McPhail |
| 1886 | Basil Adam & James Finlayson |
| 1887 | Hugh Dickie & H.J. Younger |
| 1888 | T.K. Monro & W.T. Gairdner |
| 1889 | Alexander C. Farquaharson |
| 1890 | Donald Murray & David Newman |
| 1891 | P.O.W. Brown |
| 1892 | John Lindsay & Samson Gemmil |
| 1893 | A.A. Warden |
| 1894 | James F. Gemmil & Alexander McPhail |
| 1895 | Joshua Ferguson & D.N. Knox |
| 1896 | T. Hunter & Donald Fraser |
| 1897 | William Duncan & James Rankine |
| 1898 | D.S. Harvey & W. Webster |
| 1899 | Edward Provan Cathcart & W.J. Fleming |
| 1900 | W.B.I. Pollock & Henry E. Clark |
| 1901 | John Muir |
| 1902 | Joseph White & John Morrison |
| 1903 | R.T. Leiper & A.E. Maylard |
| 1904 | W. Blair & M. Martin |
| 1905 | John Shaw-Dunn & Robert Muir |
| 1906 | M.J. Stewart& J. Lindsay Steven |
| 1907 | R.M.F. Pickem & Walker Downie |
| 1908 | W. Rutherford |
| 1909 | James Dunlop |
| 1910 | Malcolm Manson |
| 1911 | Thomas Martin |
| 1912 | Richard A. Barlow |
| 1913 | J. Crawford Knox & Fritz Von Daeblitz |
| 1914 | Ronald T. Grant |
| 1915 | David Campbell |
| 1916 | John Marshall |
| 1917 | A.S. Strachan |
| 1918 | John Kirk |
| 1919 | Thomas S. Sargent |
| 1920 | Daniel F. Cappell |
| 1921 | William D. Hood |
| 1922 | G.H. Edgecombe |
| 1923 | Gavin McCallum |
| 1924 | W.R.M Stevenson |
| 1925 | William Scobie |
| 1926 | John B. Gaylor |
| 1927 | George L. Montgomery |
| 1928 | Robert Kirk |
| 1929 | T.M.M. McNie |
| 1930 | A.S. MacFarlane |
| 1931 | W. Frame Flint |
| 1932 | William J. Moffat |
| 1933 | John B.M. Runciman |
| 1934 | James Leckie |
| 1935 | David A. Cannon |
| 1936 | Norman J McQueen |
| 1937 | Alexander R. Harper |
| 1938 | Andrew Allison |
| 1939 | Ian Munro |
| 1940 | A. Bruce MacLean |
| 1941 | James B. McBean |
| 1942 | George Will |
| 1943 | Archibald C. Pickles |
| 1944 | Richard M. Massey |
| 1945 | John H.E. Primrose |
| 1946 | David Turnbull |
| 1947 | R.J. Cruikshank |
| 1948 | Grant Honeyman |
| 1949 | A. Douglas Hally |
| 1950 | David A. Primrose |
| 1951 | Kenneth B. Scott |
| 1952 | Martin McNicol |
| 1953 | D.J.W. Taylor |
| 1954 | A.P. McDonald |
| 1955 | G.D. Burnet |
| 1956 | R.C.B Aitken |
| 1957 | J.E.N. Dickie |
| 1958 | D. McKay Hart |
| 1959 | A.R.G. Handscombe |
| 1960 | W.D.S. McLay |
| 1961 | W.J.A Patrick |
| 1962 | J. Alistair Graham |
| 1963 | R.A.L. Low |
| 1964 | R.M. Lindsay |
| 1965 | D.A. Martin |
| 1966 | Kenneth C. Calman |
| 1967 | David L. Blair |
| 1968 | James Morrison |
| 1969 | Alan K. Burnett |
| 1970 | Neil Browning |
| 1971 | Lachlan McIntosh |
| 1972 | Ronald J. Smith |
| 1973 | Kenneth B. Mitchell |
| 1974 | Colin B. Reid |
| 1975 | David R. Houston |
| 1976 | Charles R.J. Singer |
| 1977 | Douglas Gentleman |
| 1978 | Andrew M. Wood |
| 1979 | Christine Corbett |
| 1980 | Anne P. Harrison |
| 1981 | Stephen Hunter |
| 1982 | Linda Cuthbertson |
| 1983 | Stephen Hickey |
| 1984 | Mike McKirdy |
| 1985 | CK Foo |
| 1986 | Andrew Morris |
| 1987 | |
| 1988 | |
| 1989 | John Davidson |
| 1990 | Johnny Fraser |
| 1991 | |
| 1992 | Michael Downs |
| 1993 | |
| 1994 | John Graham |
| 1995 | Stever Turner |
| 1996 | David Clarke |
| 1997 | Shouren Datta |
| 1998 | Paul Glen |
| 1999 | Roddy O'Kane |
| 2000 | Simon Gibson |
| 2001 | Oona-Mary Duffy |
| 2002 | Emily Fraser |
| 2003 | Mark McCleerey |
| 2004 | Steve Borland |
| 2005 | Duncan Renfrew |
| 2006 | Douglas MacKenzie |
| 2007 | Arthur McPhee |
| 2008 | Maeve Ahern |
| 2009 | Andrew Haslett |
| 2010 | Holley Willison |
| 2011 | Rachel Dickinson |
| 2012 | Sophie Hodgson |
| 2013 | Kieran McGivern |
| 2014 | Kris McArdle |
| 2015 | Trung Tong |
| 2016 | Charles Gallagher |
| 2017 | Douglas Young |
| 2018 | Josie Lloyd |
| 2019 | Patrick Nicholas |
| 2020 | James Ansell |
| 2021 | Aimee Russell |
| 2022 | Elliott Shaw |
| 2023 | Jarrar Khan |
| 2024 | Ella Williams |

## Archives

The archives for the University of Glasgow Medico-Chirurgical Society are maintained by the Archives of the University of Glasgow (GUAS).