Tail Lights - History of MedChir, a conversation with Cindy Chew and William Heeley
Authors: Bradford Anna , Chew Cindy , Heeley William 
Published: August 2024

Welcome to your brand new iteration of theamazing Surgo! Well done to Eddie and Annafor bringing our journal into the 21stcentury. The name of this column is courtesy of Prof.Sir. Graham Teasdale (Medchir honorarypresident 1981). Thanks GT! "By providing a bright red light at the backend of the car, tail lights ensure that alldrivers are aware of the cars’ presence andthey protect the car from being slammedfrom behind by other cars" - Google. Expect interviews with interesting folk andmaybe an opinionated rant or two!My first piece is a chat with Billy Heeley (Medchir alumni rep 23/24) who spent a yearpiecing together the missing history ofMedchir. Enjoy!

History of MedChir, aconversation withCindy Chew and WilliamHeeley Founded in 1802, our MedChir Society is oneof the oldest Medical Societies in the UK [wewere pipped just a wee bit to the post inScotland by Royal Medical Society,Edinburgh (1739) and Aberdeen MedicoChirurgical Society (1789)].William “Billy” Heeley is former VicePresident of MedChir. He successfullydischarged his duties in organising theinfamous MedChir Ball at the magicallytransformed setting of The Engine Works.It is perhaps inevitable, given our 220 yearhistory, that some details might be lost tothe sands of time. With the advent of“modern technology”, the Society’s recordshifted from the physical form of a “minutebook” to a digital format. As a result,information between 1980 and 2018 istragically missing. Billy set himself the taskof piecing back some of the missing historyfor us. Let’s find out more…..

Billy, tell us a bit about your associationwith MedChir?I have been a member of MedChir sincePatrick Nicholas advertised it duringFresher’s Week. I think MedChir – with itsmyriad social, sporting and educationalevents – is integral to being a medicalstudent in Glasgow. I have loved everyminute of it! I was the 1st year Rep, PublicityRep, then Secretary, before being voted in asVice-President last year.What inspired you to “fill in the blanks” ofMedChir records?While holding the office of Secretary, itstruck me that Glasgow Union’s plaque ofprevious GU Presidents is on prominentdisplay at the entrance. It got me thinking:What about MedChir? Where is our list ofPresidents? In fact, where are our recordspre-2019?How did you go about it?I spent an afternoon reading the old minutebooks held in the University’s Archive; crosschecked names from those minute bookswith published President’s addresses fromold copies of Surgo. Armed with a patchy listof past presidents, I then spent the next yearand a bit Googling, searching social media,sending cold DM’s and emails to every nameon the list - asking for their help filling thosegaps from their memories and knowledge.What did you manage to find?Wow! That is Impressive! Can you sharesome of the highlights? Were there anydifficulties?It was frustrating when I hit a wall and thetrail turned cold when folk didn’t respond tomy request for assistance. It was, by equalmeasure, really fun when people DO replyand I get another line filled! I rememberspending hours just reading up what pastMedChir members went on to achieve in thedecades after Medical School. People such asProf Sir Ken Calman (who changed the faceof post graduate medical training in UK andex-CMO of Scotland) or another whooperates an aesthetic clinic in Australia. Therange was incredible and really inspiring.Can you share any funny stories?A few records that stood out for me include:MedChir Ball was held for many years in theQMU – on account of GU’s stance in (not!)admitting women. The MedChir Ball itselfwas cancelled for a couple of years onaccount of “apathy” and debates were heldon whether the serving of alcohol should bediscontinued on account of the general“rowdiness” that ensured.True story: I was at a GP placement with adoctor whose name I thought soundedfamiliar. It took me a while but I finallytwigged : the name was on the President’slist! That was a really funny “6 degrees ofseparation” moment for me. It wasfascinating hearing him recount his days inMedChir and even better when he was ableto help me fill a few more lines on the list! I found 214 (out of 220) names
What is the point of all this work?I think it is important to try and have ascomplete a record as possible of our history.If nothing else, it serves to show of how thecultural mores of medical students changeover time. It is ironic and a real shame thatwe have records from over a hundred yearsago but have somehow managed to lose themost recent decades. We have aresponsibility to try and find that history andpreserve it for those who come after us.How do you feel about all this work you’vedone?I am really proud of what I managed toachieve in what is really a drop in the oceanof time as far as MedChir’s history isconcerned. I feel very much that I too amnow woven into the fabric of the history ofour society.What else do you think needs done?It would be good if the missing history couldbe found and put together with the rest ofthe tapestry forming the history of MedChir.Does the minute book post-1980 exist? Trulymagic if it could be found and returned to theUniversity’s Archives for safe keeping