Heart Sounds: The Rise of Cardiology in Britain and the Evolving Role of Professional Medical Societies

This lecture explores the historical evolution of cardiovascular medicine in Britain, highlighting its development from early generalist medical practices to the groundbreaking contributions of British pioneers in diagnostics, therapeutics, and surgical innovations that transformed the global management of heart disease. It will examine how professional societies, such as the Cardiac Club (founded in 1922), played a crucial role in fostering specialisation by setting clinical standards, promoting research collaboration, and spreading new knowledge. A key theme will be the value of oral history collections, which capture the personal experiences and contributions of influential figures in the field.

Dr Caroline Coats MBBS BSc MSc PhD FRCP DHMSA is Consultant Cardiologist to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Glasgow and Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer at the University of Glasgow. She is Lead Clinician for the Network of Inherited Cardiac Conditions Scotland. Dr Coats also has a long-standing interest in the history of medicine, completing the DHMSA in 2004 and now lecturing on the course herself. As Archivist to the British Cardiovascular Society (BCS), she has transformed the display of the Society’s unique collection and co-wrote an accompanying volume, A Bundle of History. Heavily involved in the centenary celebrations of the BCS in 2022, she established an ongoing oral history project collecting testimony from those involved in cardiovascular medicine past and present.

Geoffrey Flavell’s career as a thoracic surgeon spanned the development of the discipline from the surgical treatment of tuberculosis to cardiac surgery. He was born in Wellington, New Zealand, and attended Waitaki and Otago schools.