Professor Stanley Gelbier, the British Dental Association's (BDA's) Honorary Museum Curator since 1988, has been elected President of the Royal Society of Medicine's History of Medicine Society.

Roger Farbey, Head of Library & Knowledge Services at the BDA, reports:

'The Section of the History of Medicine started on 11 October 1912. Sir William Osler, its first President, wanted to encourage research and scholarship and bring together people who felt the study of medical history had a value in education. Many eminent medical and non-medical historians followed as President, including Charles Singer, Sir Zachary Cope and Sir Humphrey Rolleston. This is only the second occasion in the section's history that a dentist has been honoured with the role of President. The first dentist incumbent to this role was Lilian Lindsay in 1950. Dr Lindsay was formerly the first lady President of the BDA in 1946 and the first British woman dentist, qualifying in 1895. The Section embraces the breadth and depth of medical history with members and contributions from every branch of medicine. For the twenty-first century, the section has been re-named as the RSM History of Medicine Society.'