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West Kent Medico - Chirurgical Society

Rules Of The Society

  1.  The West Kent Medico-Chirurgical Society shall consist of Honorary, Honorary Associate, Ordinary

       Members and Life Members.

  2.  Ordinary Members shall be registered medical practitioners.

  3.  Honorary Members shall be persons distinguished in Medicine, Surgery or who have rendered signal

       services to the Society.

  4.  The Junior Hospital Staff at hospitals where meetings of the Society are held shall be deemed to be

       Honorary Associate Members for the duration of the session.

  5.  The Officers of the Society must be Ordinary Members and shall consist of a President, two

       Vice-Presidents, a Treasurer and Assistant Treasurer, a Secretary and Assistant Secretary, and an

       Archivist and Assistant Archivist.

  6.  The general management of the Society shall be vested in a Council which shall be composed of the

       Officers named in Rule 5, being Ordinary, Honorary or Life Members, and of seven other members

       elected at the meeting in October.

  7.  Ordinary or Honorary Members shall be elected by ballot at any of the meetings. No election shall be

       valid unless at least ten members shall be present. The candidate must receive at least three-fourths

       of the votes of the members present.

  8.  A candidate may attend the meeting at which the ballot for his election shall take place.

  9.  A candidate for membership shall be proposed (either at a meeting of the Society or by

       communication to the Secretary before a meeting) by two or more ordinary members who have

       personal knowledge of him. Due notice of such proposal having been given to each member, the

       election shall take place at the next subsequent meeting of the Society.

10.  A candidate who has been rejected at the ballot may not be proposed for election until the expiry of

       six months from the date of such rejection.

11.  After election, a member shall be formally admitted in person by the President in the chair, according

       to ancient form, and shall then be presented with a copy of these rules. No member shall be

       permitted to enjoy any of the privileges of Membership until so admitted, nor until his first annual

       subscription be paid.

12. The Annual Subscription shall be a sum as the Council shall from time to time recommend; this

      subscription shall be due at the Meeting in October and be payable in advance.

      A member who is planning to retire from medical practice within the next 12 months, or who has

      retired from medical practice due to age or ill-health, may, at the commencement of a session, become

      a Life Member by payment of a sum equal to ten times the Annual Subscription that is payable for

      that session. Should the Council in the future decide that it is not in the interest of the Society, this

      facility may be suspended either on a temporary or permanent basis.
 

13. Any member whose Subscription shall be one Session in arrear shall have notice thereof sent him by

      the treasurer.

      If he be two sessions in arrear he shall be suspended from all the privileges of membership until his

      arrears be paid.

      If he be three sessions in arrear he shall cease to be a Member of the Society.

      Provided always that he shall be permitted to show cause, by communicating with the Treasurer in

      writing, for such non-payment of Subscriptions; and if such cause be deemed satisfactory by the

      Council, the Council shall have power to suspend the operation of his rule at its discretion.

14. (i) The Annual General Meeting of the Society shall be held on the second Friday in October of each

      year.

      (ii) The Ordinary Meetings of the Society shall usually be held on the second Friday in November,

      December, January, February, March, April and May.

      (iii) Normally at the Meeting in December an address shall be delivered to be known as the ‘Purvis   

      Oration’, in commemoration of the services rendered to the Society by Dr. Prior Purvis, in his capacity

      of Treasurer of the Society from its foundation in 1856 to the end of the Session in 1897-98.

      (iv) Biennially, at one of the Ordinary Meetings of the Society, a Lecture called the ‘Hudson Evans

      Lecture’ shall be delivered to commemorate Dr. Frederick Hudson Evans whose services to the

      Society extended over fifty years of active membership; 1906 – 1964, during which time he held the

      post of Treasurer from 1946 – 1964.

15. The Chair shall be taken at a quarter before nine o’clock precisely.

16. The President (or in his absence a Vice-President, the Treasurer, a Past-President or some other

      Officer) having taken the Chair, the minutes of the last Meeting shall be read, submitted for

      confirmation and, if approved, signed by the Chairman.
 

17. It shall be within the power of the President and other officers in consultation with each other to vary

      the date or the hour of any of the Ordinary Meetings, at least seven days notice being given of any

      such alteration.

18. A Special General Meeting may be called by the Council on it own authority; the Secretary, after

      consultation with the President, or in his absence, with one of the Vice-Presidents, shall also call such a

      meeting upon the requisition in writing of twelve Ordinary Members not on the Council.

      Of any Special General Meeting each member of the Society shall have at least seven days notice;

      upon such notice the exact business for which the meeting is called shall be specified; and it shall not

      be lawful to discuss at any such meeting any other business than that so specified on the notice.

19. (i) The Election of Officers (Rule 5) and of the elected Members of the Council (Rule 6) shall take place

      at the Annual General Meeting in October.

      (ii) The Council shall prepare a list of the names of those whom it deems suitable for the various offices

      etc., and a copy of such list shall be sent to each Ordinary Member at least seven days before the date

      of the election.

      Any Ordinary Member may propose a member of not less than three years standing for the vacant

      seat on Council by notifying the Secretary at least four weeks prior to the Annual General Meeting.

      (iii) A member elected to Council should normally progress by seniority to the office of Vice-President,

      President-Elect and then President.

      (iv) No member shall be eligible for any office or for Membership of the Council who has not attended

      at least one-third of the Meetings summoned during his term of office, unless reasons satisfactory to

      the Meeting be forthcoming for such non-attendance.

20. If a vacancy occurs from any cause among the Officers after the election in October, it shall be within

      the power of the Council to fill such vacancy for the remainder of its term of office. Provided that no-

      one shall be co-opted who shall be disqualified by Rule 19 section (iv).

21. (i) The Council shall regulate the general business of the Society.

      (ii) The Council shall meet to arrange the agenda for the ensuing session; and at such other times as

      may be necessary. At any meeting of the Council, eight members shall constitute a quorum.

      (iii) A Meeting of the Council may be called by the Secretary with the concurrence of the President

      (or, in his absence, one of the Vice-Presidents) or on the written requisition of any three of its

      Members. Of such Meeting at least three days notice shall be given, and the object of the Meeting 

      specified on such notice.

      (iv) All moneys and other property of the Society shall be held in trust by the Council on behalf of the

      Members generally.

      (v) The effects of the Society shall be insured against injury by fire and theft by and in the name of the

      Treasurer, for such sum as the Council, or the Treasurer by its authority, may from time to time

      direct.

      (vi) Communications, written or otherwise delivered to the Society, may with the sanction of the

      author, be published in any record of its ‘Transactions’ which the Council may from time to time deem 

      it advisable to publish. It shall be within the power of the Council to delegate the preparation of any

      such ‘Transactions’ to the Secretary.

22. The President shall be entitled to preside at all Meetings of the Society or its Council or any

       Committee there of during his year of office; and to represent the interests of the Society so far as his

       influence may extend. He shall deliver a Presidential Address during his year of office.

      At the expiry of his year, he shall not be eligible for re-election.

23. The Vice-Presidents shall assist the President in the performance of his duties and, in order of

      seniority, shall be entitled to preside at any meeting during his absence. The Senior Vice-President

      shall be known as the President-Elect.

24. (i) It shall be the duty of the Treasurer to receive and give receipts for all moneys due to the Society.

      (ii) He shall pay all ordinary current expenses of the Society, but shall bring to the notice of the

      Council any proposal for extraordinary expenditure.

      (iii) He shall insure the property of the Society against damage by fire and theft

      (see Rule 21, section v).

      (iv) He shall keep correct accounts of the income and expenditure of the Society; for which purpose he

      shall be provided with proper books at the expense of the Society.

      (v) He shall submit his accounts, with proper vouchers and a balance sheet, to the Society’s Auditors

      and submit a signed copy of such balance sheet to the Annual General Meeting in October.

      (vi) He shall inform candidates for membership of their election, and, if they be Ordinary Members,

      invite the appropriate subscription.

      (vii) He shall inform any member in arrears of the amount of the subscription due.

      (viii) The Assistant Treasurer will assist the Treasurer in carrying out the duties in Rule 24 (i) to (vii).

25. The duties of the Secretary shall be as follows:

      (i) To attend all meetings of the Society, its Council or Committees; to take correct minutes of the

      proceedings thereof, and enter the same in books to be provided by the Society.

      (ii) To prepare and distribute the notices of any such Meetings, and in the case of each Ordinary

      Meeting to enter thereon:-

      (a) The names, qualifications and addresses of candidates for membership, together with the names of

      their respective proposers and seconders.

      (b) Notices of the Business for the evening.

      (c) Such other matters as the Council shall direct.

      (iii) To distribute to each member at least seven days before the Annual General Meeting in October a

      list of nominees as required under Rule 19, section (ii).

      (iv) To conduct the correspondence of the Society.

      (v) Under the authority of the Council, if so instructed:-

      (a) To prepare the agenda for each Ordinary Meeting.

      (b) To superintend the printing and publication of any ‘Transactions’ the Council may determine to

      publish

      (vi) To cause to be inserted in such of the Medical Periodicals as he (or the Council) may determine,

      due notice of forthcoming Meetings of the Society, and an abstract of the proceedings at the Meetings

      so far as may be desirable.

      (vii) The Assistant Secretary will assist the Secretary in carrying out his duties as detailed in

      Rule 25 (i) to (vi).

26. (i) The Archivist shall be responsible for the care of the Society’s Archives.

      (ii) He shall lay upon the table all books or effects acquired by purchase or gift since the last Ordinary

      Meeting and draw the attention of all those present to the same.

      (iii) He shall be provided with a book in which to enter the titles and other particulars of such

      acquirements, together with then name of the donor.

      (iv) If so directed by the Council, he shall assist the Secretary in supervising and printing and

      publication of the ‘Transactions’.

      (v) He shall direct the attention of the Council to any matters he may deem it desirable to consider in

      the interests of the Society, or which may be recommended by Members; also to any rebinding or

      repairs to books or other effects which he may think necessary from time to time.

      (vi) He shall keep a biographical record of Presidents and Past Presidents of the Society, and any

      other member of the Society as may from time to time be thought desirable.

      (vii) The Assistant Archivist shall assist the Archivist in carrying out his duties detailed in

      Rule 26 (i) to (vi).

27. A book shall be provided in which each Member and Visitor is to sign his name at each meeting.

28. It shall be in the power of the Council after due consideration and inquiry (at least eight members of

      the Council being present) to remove from the list the name of any member. If the said Member be

      dissatisfied with the decision of the Council, he shall have power to call upon the Secretary to summon,

      within one calendar month, a Special General Meeting at which he may appeal to the Members,

      stating the facts and the grounds of his appeal. At such Meeting ten shall form a quorum, and the

      removal of the Members name shall not take effect unless at least three-fourths of those voting

      support the action of the Council.

29. No alteration of these Rules, either by addition, by amendment or by rescission, shall be made except

      at the Annual General Meeting in October, due notice of any proposed alteration having been sent to

      the Secretary at least fourteen days before the said Meeting.