College history and archives

In 1928 British paediatricians met at the first meeting of the British Paediatric Association (BPA).

The BPA was set up with the aims of advancing the study of paediatrics and to promote friendship amongst paediatricians.

Sir George Frederic Still, Professor of Paediatrics at King's College London, became the first President and Dr Donald Paterson, a Canadian paediatrician working in London, was the first Honorary Secretary.

From the humble beginings of being a friendly club with a membership of six, the BPA grew to be an organisation that represented a growing speciality and sought for improvements in child health. This included publishing papers and guidelines on clinical practice, undertaking research and organising conferences.

Throughout the 1970s and 80s BPA members began to feel that paediatrics needed to have its own Royal College. The association received Royal College status in August 1996, and took responsibility for the training and education of paediatricians in the UK. Sir Roy Meadow became its first President and HRH The Princess Royal, its Patron.

The College now has over 13,500 members, mainly hospital and community paediatricians. Most members live in the UK, although, there are some members and fellows who live abroad.

The College's institutional archives

The College archives seek to preserve and ensure access to records of the College and the history of child health. Currently the College's institutional archives are being catalogued, and it is hoped that an online catalogue will be available through the website in 2013.

Our archive includes the following: 

• Records of the BPA/RCPCH Annual General Meeting and other events
• Records of BPA/RCPCH Council and Executive Committee
• Records of BPA/RCPCH Joint Committees and Working Parties
• Records of Awards and Lectureships
• Legal and constitutional records
• Published Policy statements and Research and Clinical Audit reports

Our collection may be of interest to those in researching the history of medicine, health and social policy and medical education.

Access to material is on an appointment only basis, although enquiries are welcome from members of the College as well as members of the public. We also welcome donations of material from members as well as individuals and organisations with an involvement in child health.

Please contact us for further information.

Where can I find out more about the history of paediatrics and child health?

The British Society for the History of Paediatrics and Child Health holds one of its meetings at the annual RCPCH spring meeting.

For information on becoming a member,go to The British Society for the History of Paediatrics and Child Health (BSHPCH) website.

If you're interested in research into the history of medicine, the Royal Medical Colleges have jointly produced a new brochure has been researchers and students to use currently overlooked collections for thesis research on the study of the history of medicine, which can be downloaded here (PDF, 2.8MB).