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Title
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Royal College of Physicians (Archive, Heritage Library and Museum)
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Alternative Title
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Royal College of Physicians Museum
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short title
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Royal College of Physicians (Archive, Heritage Library and Museum)
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Description
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The Royal College of Physicians was founded over 500 years ago by a Royal Charter from King Henry VIII.
During the early 1500s, medical practise in England lacked formal regulation. Self-proclaimed ‘physicians’ would treat patients without adequate training or medical knowledge. Distinguished scholars and physicians, including Thomas Linacre, the king's physician, saw that these unregulated practitioners were undoubtedly doing more harm than good. By 1518, six leading medical men, including Linacre, persuaded King Henry VIII to establish a College of Physicians. The founding charter allowed these six men to grant licenses to those qualified to practise and to prosecute those that engaged in malpractice. At that time, there were three main branches of medicine: physic, surgery and pharmacy. These men strived to regulate and improve the practise of physick. From that moment, the college has continued to play a pivotal role in raising standards and shaping public health.
On 23 September 1518 the College of Physicians was formally founded, receiving a Royal Charter. This was affirmed by an Act of Parliament in 1523, extending its powers from London to the whole of England.
