SURGEONS, COLLEGE OF. The present "Royal College of Surgeons of England" dates its origin from the year 1460-61, when Edward IV. "did, at the supplication of the freemen of the mystery of bathers of the city of London using the mystery or faculty of surgery, grant to them that the said mystery, and all the men of the same mystery of the said city, should be one body and perpetual community." In 1500, four masters of surgery were appointed, under the title of " 3Iagistri sive Gubernatores mistere Barbi tonsorum et Sirurgicorum" (sic), and six years after this date the barber-surgeons of : Edinburgh were incorporated by a charter from James IV. Although the original charter granted to the company of barbers of Loudon was confirmed by several succeed ing kings, many persons practiced surgery independently, and apparently in defiance of the company; and in order to check unqualified persons, it was enacted in the 3d year of Henry VIII. (1511) " that no person within the city of London, or within seven miles of the same, shall take upon him to exercise or occupy as a physician or surgeon except he be first examined, approved, and admitted by the bishop of London, or by the dean of St. Paul's, calling to him four doctors of physic, and for surgery other expert persons in that faculty." Hence arose a company called the surgeons of London. In the 32d year of Henry VIII. (1540), the company of barbers of London and the com pany of surgeons of London were united " by name of the masters or governors of the mystery and commonalty of the barbers and surgeons of London." It was not till the 18th year of George II. (1745)- that the surgeons of London were by act of parliament separated from the barbers of London, and made a distinct corporation under the name of "The Master, Governors, and Commonalty of the Art and Science of Sur gery of London." In the 40th year of George III. (1800), this company was dissolved, and replaced with their former and additional privileges by " The Royal College of Sur geons of London." A new charter was granted to the college in the 7th year of Victoria (1843), in it is declared "that it is expedient to create a new class of members, to be called fellows," and "that from henceforth the corporate name or style of the said college shall be TtrE ROYAL COLLEGE OF SURGEONS OF ENGLAND." Power was given to the council to elect not less than 250, nor more than 300, members of the college to be fellows. These "first fellows" were mainly elected from the London and provincial hospital surgeons. Other fellows might subsequently be elected from the members, "after having complied with such rules and regulations as shall be considered expedient, and after having passed a special examination." Those who are admitted to the fellowship by examination are distinguished in the college calendar by the letters Ex being prefixed to their name. By an addition to the charter, obtained in 1852, power was given to the
council, subject to certain regulations, to appoint members of 15 years' standing to the fellowship without examination. The college was likewise empowered to test the fitness of persons to practice midwifery and to grant certificates of such fitness; and in 1859 it was similarly authorized to test the fitness of persons to practice as dentists, and to grant certificates of such fitness.
The government of the college is vested in a council of twenty-four persons, includ ing one president and two vice-presidents; and none but fellows of 14 years' standing are eligible as members of council. Three members of council go out annually by rota tion, and the vacancies are filled up on the first Thursday of July. There is a board and a court of examiners, each consisting of ten members, including a chairman at the former, and a president at the latter; and as the examiners, who receive large emolu ments (the fees to the court of examiners for the professional examination of members for the year ending June 24, 1878, were £10,110 15s.), are elected by the council, whose remuneration is slight, a position in the council is eagerly sought for as a stepping stone to an examinership. Besides the court of examiners, there are special boards of exam iners in midwifery, in dental surgery, and in classics, mathematics, and French for the preliminary membership and fellowship examination. There are four professorships in connection with the college—viz., that of human anatomy and surgery, the Hunterian professorship of comparative anatomy and physiology, the chair of surgery and path ology, and that of dermatology. A Hunterian orator is appointed every second year. The college sends a representative to the general council of education and registration. A candidate for the membership of the college is required to pass a preliminary exam ination in the usual branches of a liberal education. The fee for the anatomical exam ination is £5, 5s., and that for the surgical, or pass-examination, is £16, 15s., making a total of £22. The fell9wship fee is an additional 10 guineas. For details, see the Calendar of the Royal College of E'yurgeons of England.
The museum of the college of surgeons is incomparably the finest museum of its kind in the United Kingdom. The Hunterian collection (see HUNTER, Joinv), which forms its basis, was purchased by a parliamentary vote of £16,000, and presented to the college in 1799. The edifice in Lincoln's Inn Fields (the germ of the present pile of buildings) was completed in 1813. The Hunterian collection was estimated to consist of 13,682 specimens; the total number of specimens was recently reckoned at above 40,000. The library contains 36,000 volumes. Both the museum and library are readily acces sible to visitors.