Information about The Physiological Society

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Creation of The Physiological Society

Physiology, the study of how living organisms function, emerged during the early to middle 1800s as an independent, experimentally-based science. It is distinguished from other biological sciences by its emphasis on animals (unless qualified as ‘plant physiology’), how the tissues and organs interact and how the parts are integrated to make up the whole. Physiology is a core science for medicine and other biomedical disciplines.

To promote the advancement of physiology, and as a result of the 1875 Royal Commission on Vivisection and the subsequent 1876 Cruelty to Animals Act, The Physiological Society was founded in 1876 as a dining society ‘for mutual benefit and protection’ by a group of 19 physiologists, led by John Burdon Sanderson and Michael Foster , meeting at Sanderson’s London home. Charles Darwin and William Sharpey were elected as The Society’s first two Honorary Members. Michael Foster was also founder of The Journal of Physiology in 1878 and was appointed to the first Chair of Physiology at the University of Cambridge in 1883. The First Rules of The Society offered membership to no more than 40, all of whom should be male ‘working’ physiologists (women were first admitted as Members in 1915).

The Physiological Society Today

Membership has now risen to more than 2,200, including 14 Nobel Laureates and over 700 Affiliates (younger scientists) drawn from over 50 countries. The majority of Members are engaged in research, in universities or industry, into how the body works in health and disease and in teaching physiology in schools and universities. The Society also aims to facilitate communication between scientists and with other interested groups.

To achieve its objectives, The Society supports up to five scientific meetings annually, organises international workshops, publishes two journals and awards grants to allow Members to travel to scientific meetings and to carry out research collaborations. Interaction with outside bodies is encouraged through representation on various councils and committees, and active membership of the Biosciences Federation [1] and the Federation of European Physiological Societies [2].

The official web site of The Physiological Society can be found at http://www.physoc.org

Structure of The Society

As detailed in its governance documents, the activities of The Society are overseen by an Executive Committee[3] of seven members and a Council of 23 members. Much of the development and implementation of The Society’s activities is devolved to a number of committees, each of which focuses on a particular area of interest. The Society is supported by an Administrative Office in London and a Publications Office in Cambridge.

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Activities of The Society Scientific Meetings and International activities

Activity at scientific meetings is driven largely by the Special Interest Groups (SIGs), each of which is led by one or two SIG Convenors. The Society supports an Annual Main Meeting in July each year, four or five Focused Meetings, Special Symposia and Non-Society Symposia. Scientific meetings and symposia may be held jointly with other societies, in the UK or internationally. As part of its international activities The Society supports International Workshops that are aimed at physiologists at an early stage in their careers. The Society supports the scientific meetings of the Federation of European Physiological Societies ( [5] ) and International Union of Physiological Sciences ( [6] ). It hosted the annual FEPS meeting in Bristol in 2005 and will co-host it jointly with the Slovakian Society in 2007 in Bratislava and will host the scientific meeting of IUPS in 2013.

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Publications

The Society produces a monthly electronic Newsletter for members and a quarterly magazine Physiology News ([9] which keeps Members and others informed about interesting science and Society news. The Society publishes two peer-reviewed journals, The Journal of Physiology ([10] and Experimental Physiology ([11] and a series of Monographs. The abstracts of work presented at scientific meetings are published electronically as The Proceedings of the Physiological Society.

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Outreach activities

The Society supports workshops for teachers of physiology and participates in UCAS Education Conventions and BSF careers events. Publications of The Society include a number that aim to enthuse undergraduates and schoolchildren about physiology as a subject and to provide information about the use of animals in biomedical research. Please click here for a copy of The Physiological Society's Policy on Animal Research PDF. The Society also lobbies Government and other organisations on issues relevant to its Members and promotes awareness of physiology in the media.

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Funding opportunities

Information about grants available, including the Departmental Seminar Scheme, Network Interaction, Non-Society Symposia, Vacation Studentships and International Centres of Excellence and Junior Fellowships can be found on The Society’s web site. Grants are also available to Members and Affiliates to attend scientific meetings and to collaborate with other laboratories in the UK and abroad.

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