Sydenham Society

The Sydenham Society was a medical society instituted in 1843 in London with the goal of improving the dissemination of medical text by means of translation. The society was considered "defunct" in late 1857.

It was named after the English physician Thomas Sydenham (1624–89).

Prospectus

The prospectus of the Society by the time of its foundation in 1843 stated that:

The Sydenham Society has been founded for the purpose of meeting certain acknowledged deficiencies in the diffusion of medical literature, which are not likely to be supplied by the efforts of individuals. It will carry this object into effect by distributing among its members —

1. Reprints of standard English medical works, which are rare and expensive.

2. Miscellaneous Selections from the ancient and from the earlier modern authors, reprinted or translated.

3. Digests of the most important matters contained in old and voluminous authors, British and foreign, with occasional biographical and bibliographical notices.

4. Translations of the Greek and Latin medical authors, and of works in the Arabic and other Eastern languages, accompanied, when it is thought desirable, by the original text.

5. Translations of recent foreign works of merit.

6. Original works of great merit, which might be very valuable as books of reference, but which would not otherwise be published, from not being likely to have a remunerating sale,—such as classified Bibliographies, and alphabetical Indexes to periodical publications and other valuable voluminous works.

Translations

The members of the Society produced several medical translations. As of 1856, membership in the society costed five dollars. Every year, the members received "three volumes, handsomely bound in a uniform manner in cloth, gilt edged". New members could acquire any previous volume for two dollars and fifty cents, or combinations of 3 volumes for five dollars.

As of 2024, the works translated by the society have already fallen in the public domain and are available from online sources such as the Internet Archive.

The volumes edited by the society included:

Presidents

In the term 1849-1850, the society was presided by Sir James Clark.

References