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Previous Control Number: UA18.The University Act provided for the award of medical degrees, and per a move led by Anthony Brownless, the School of Medicine was established at the University in 1862, less than a decade after the University formerly opened. It was the first medical school established in Australia. In 1862 planning for the medical school at the University of Melbourne was well advanced and lectures to first-year students had begun under John Macadam. Professors James Paget and Richard Owen were invited to select a suitable candidate for the first chair of anatomy, physiology and pathology. Assisted by Sir Redmond Barry, then in London, they chose George Britton Halford. The Professorial Board, in 1873, moved to establish a Faculty of Medicine when the then President of the Board, Professor Halford, wrote to Redmond Barry, the Chancellor, with the following resolutions: "1) That a Faculty of Medicine be established; 2) That the Faculty consist of the Professors and Lecturers lecturing on the subjects for the course for the degree of Bachelor of Medicine; 3) That the Professor of Anatomy be the Dean of the Faculty; 4) Members of the Faculty shall meet together to consider subjects connected with the medical course and the examinations for degrees in Medicine and Surgery, and the recommendations they may agree to shall be laid before the Professorial Board by the Dean for transmission to Council". The Faculty of Medicine was established in 1876 and was the second Faculty at the University of Melbourne. Its function and role was to advise and report to the University Council on all matters relating to the teaching of medicine, replacing the Medical School Committee which since December 1860 had worked on the organisation for the future medical school. The Faculty consisted of all members of the Council who were qualified members of the medical profession, along with medical professors. At its first meeting, held on the 2nd June 1876, George Britton Halford was unanimously elected as the first Dean, serving from 1876-1886 and again from 1890-1896. At its founding, the constitution, role and functions of the Faculty of Medicine were outlined in Council statute Chapter V as follows: "1. The Faculty of Medicine was to consist of all members of Council who were legally qualified Medical Practitioners, and of the Professors and Lecturers in the Medical School of the University; 2. The Faculty of Medicine would annually elect out of their own body a Professor to be Dean of the Faculty who shall hold office for the ensuing academic year; 3. All questions brought before the Faculty were to be decided by a majority of the members present and no question to be decided unless three members of the Faculty were present; 4. The Faculty was to meet for the purpose of considering and reporting to and advising Council upon all questions relating to the studies, lectures and examinations for degrees in Medicine and for selecting persons to be recommended by the Faculty to Council for appointment as Lecturers and Examiners in the School of Medicine; 5. The Faculty could from time to time arrange the days and hours of Lectures and Examinations in Medicine and prescribe the books and subjects; 6. The duties of the Dean were to: convene meetings of the Faculty at his own discretion or upon the written request of the Chancellor or Vice-chancellor or three members of the Faculty- preside at all meetings of the Faculty except when absent, then the members were to elect a Chairman- transmit to Council all resolutions of the Faculty- supervise administrative business connected with the Faculty". In 1880 Halford went on leave to England for a year to inspect and work in departments of physiology. On his return he presented plans to the council for expansion of the physiology laboratories and division of his chair so that he would be responsible only for physiology; the proposals were accepted and in 1882 Halford became professor of physiology and (Sir) Harry Brookes Allen Professor of anatomy. From 3 students in 1862 the school had 180 by 1882 and 240 by 1896. In 1989 the University's Faculty of Dental Science amalgamated with Medicine to become the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry. |
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University faculties, University committee |
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