PHYSICIANS, ROYAL COLLEGE OF, was founded through the instrumen tality of Linacre, who obtained, by his interest with Cardinal Wolbey, letters pa tent from Henry VIII., dated in the year 1518. This charter granted to John Chambre, Thomas Linacre, Ferdinand de Victoria, Nicholas Halsewell, John Fran cis and Robert Yaxley, that they, and all men of the same faculty of and in the city of London, should be in fact and name one body and perpetual community or college ; and that the same community or college might yearly and for ever elect and make some prudent man of that com munity expert in the faculty of medicine, president of the same college or commu nity, to supervise, observe, and govern for that year the said college or commu nity, and all men of the same faculty, and their affairs, and also that the president and college of the same community might elect four every year, who should have the supervision and scrutiny, &c. of all physicians within the precinct of London. The statute (14 Henry VIII.) confirmed this charter, and further ordained, that the six persons above named, choosing to themselves two more of the said common alty, should from henceforth be called and °leaped elects ; and that the same elects should yearly choose one of them to be president of the said commonalty ; and then provided for the election of others to supply the rooms and places of such elects as should in future be void by death or otherwise, which was to be made by the survivors of the same elects. The statute (32 Henry VIII.) provides that from thenceforth the President, Com mons, and Fellows might yearly, at such time as they should think fit, elect and choose four persons of the said Commons and Fellows, of the best learned, wisest, and n.ost discreet, such as they should think convenient, and have experience in the faculty of physic, to search and ex amine apothecaries' wares, &c. This last appointment is independent of the con stitution of the body, the persoi.s so ap pointed being officers for a special pur pose ; and it has been usual to select for this office the same four persons in whom the government of the physicians is re posed by the charter and statute of the 14th of that king.
The constituted officers then of this corporation are the eight elects, of whom one is to be president, and four gover nors, who have generally borne the name of censors. There is nothing to be ga thered from the charter or statutes in any way tending to exclude any of the elects, except the president, from the office of censor; and as no duties are assigned to the elects, except those of filling up their own number, electing one of themselves to be president, and granting testimonials to country practitioners, they may be ra ther regarded as candidates for the office of president than as active officers of the corporation. The college is bound to
choose four censors, for the purpose of discharging the duties confided in it which are to be executed by these offi cers. It is also incumbent on the elects to preserve their number, so that there may at no time be less than five, includ ing the president, as they would not, after a further redaction, be capable either of electing a president or choosing others to fill the vacancies in their own body.
On the Laws of the Medical Profession, p. 32.) It is evident that the charter so far incorporated all persons of the same faculty, of and near London, that every person on the 23rd of Septem ber in the 10th year of the reign of Henry VIII. falling within that description, was entitled to be admitted into the asso ciation. Such of them as had availed themselves of this privilege, and others subsequently admitted, are the persons de scribed by statute 32 Henry VIII. as ' Commons and Fellows' (quoted in Will cock, p. 131. But as to the persons who should afterwards enjoy that distinction, the original charter and all subsequent statutes are silent. James I. and Chalks II. granted charters to this body. The first is silent as to the mode of continuing it; but the charter of Charles, after limiting the number of Fellows to forty, directed that when a vacancy should occur in that number, the remainder should elect one of the most learned and able persons skilled and experienced in physic, then of the commonalty of members of the college. Each of these charters seems to have been granted with a view to the enactment of a bill to the same effect, as the kings re spectively pledged themselves to give it the royal assent. No statute has been at any time passed in pursuance of this pur pose and it is very doubtful how far and m what manner the charters have been accepted by the college, though they have certainly been several times acted upon. (Willcock, p. 34.) The licentiates of the college who may practise within the precincts of London and seven miles round it were (until 1836) of three orders, viz. Fellows, Can didates, and mere Licentiates. The last of these classes, generally denominated licentiates, are those who have only a licence to practise physic within the pre cincts above described. The second class was abolished in 1836. The first class are those who have received that licence, but whose licence also shows that they are admitted to the order of fellows. This licence has often been called a di ploma, but as it confers no degrees, the word is not properly applied, according to its more strict signification.