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Although the BGS was constituted in 1948, it was not until 1960 that BGS Scotland, as it has come to be known, was founded.

The forming of the branch with a separate constitution probably has its roots in the creation of separate Secretary of State for Scotland in 1926. Separate from the other Ministers of State in Westminster, this individual had control over Scottish policy on health, social welfare and housing (now devolved to the Scottish Parliament) and thus the Scottish Geriatricians at the time did not heed the instruction to create a regional group without a constitution and no right to contact National Bodies or engage in local negotiations.

The instigator of the branch was Oswald (Ozzie) Taylor Brown from the Mayfield Hospital in Dundee who had been appointed as the first geriatrician in Scotland and was the Scottish representative on the BGS Executive in London. He gathered together like minded colleagues at Bridge of Earn Hospital, near Perth, on the 16th September 1960. A clinical and business meeting took place and the case for a Scottish Branch was agreed and a small subgroup was detailed to draw up a constitution, which was agreed the following year. Ozzie Taylor Brown was appointed the first President (later renamed Chairman) and Leslie Wilson, from Aberdeen, the Secretary. It took some considerable diplomacy from the then President of BGS, Lord Amulree, to ensure no break with the main Society.

The BGS Scottish branch meets for the first time at Bridge of Earn Hospital on 16th September 1960. Future BGS presidents can be picked out, Ferguson Anderson (back row 3rd from left) and Jimmy Williamson (front row extreme left). In the middle row, 5th from the left is the debonair Bernard Isaacs who went on to be the first Professor of Geriatric Medicine in Birmingham. All three individuals chaired the Scottish Branch, Jimmy Williamson on two separate occasions.

Those of us training and practicing geriatric medicine now would find it hard to believe the stringencies that hampered proper comprehensive geriatric assessment in those days. Most consultants were single handed and operated out of facilities that nobody else wanted. Not for them the luxury of multidisciplinary teams, beds on the acute site, outreach rehabilitation from day hospital and community based teams. Thus we should be grateful for the vision of these pioneers who managed in the early years to more than double the number of higher specialty trainees (senior registrars), have regular meetings with the CMO Scotland and obtain membership of the National Panel of Specialists. The latter was the group of external specialists who sat on consultant appointments committees.

BGS Scotland quickly got in to a pattern of holding clinical meetings twice yearly in various parts of the country and over the last 20 years have also had joint meetings with neighbouring branches in Northern Ireland and Northern England on a regular basis. In 2009 for the first time we met with colleagues from the Irish republic near Dublin.

The branch is governed by an elected executive that has geographical representation from all over Scotland, doctors in training, non-career grade doctors and a co-opted representative from the Scottish Government Health Department. The group continues to negotiate directly with officials and ministers in the Scottish Government over a wide range of issues.

The training ground of Scottish medical politics has proved a fruitful source of clinicians who have gone on to serve the BGS nationally. With regards to its population, Scotland has been the most successful part of the United Kingdom in providing Presidents to the BGS, namely Ferguson Anderson, Jimmy Williamson, John Dall and Brian Williams. Long may it continue! We hope to see you all in Edinburgh in 2010 to join in our celebrations.

Paul Knight
Chair, BGS Scotland

Acknowledgement: In writing this article I have relied heavily on the publication “A Short History of the Scottish Branch of the British Geriatrics Society 1960-1989”, written by Dr C Joan McAlpine who was the first female chair of the branch between 1986 and 1989. I would also like to record my thanks to Joan for providing me with the original photographs for replication here.

BGS Newsletter, February 2010
Issue 25 ISSN 1748-634000 25