Conference to Congress: from small beginnings come great things

September 2024 marks the centenary of the first IBMS (then the Pathological and Bacteriological Laboratory Assistants Association [PBLAA]) Conference.  As the PBLAA was the first Society with membership predominantly from the non-medical workers in pathology and similar laboratories around the world, this was also the first Conference of its type in the world.

When the PBLAA was founded in 1912 it adopted as its motto Disce ut Proficias (Learn, that you may improve). Initially this was achieved by publication of The Laboratory Journal and by local meetings.  However, the PBLAA always planned to hold national meetings. Indeed, it is reported in the account of the inaugural meeting of the Association that it understood the value of such events. The founders hoped that they would become a normal part of the Association’s activities. Unfortunately, the outbreak of war prevented the holding of such a meeting. Subsequently, the suggestion that the time was then right for a Conference came from Sir German Sims Woodhead in conversation with Albert Norman at the BMA Conference in Cambridge in 1920.  He said: “Norman, the time will come when you’ll be holding conferences and exchanging ideas such as the British Medical Association are doing today”.

Conference planning

It took three years to plan the first Conference, which was held in Edinburgh on 1–5 September 1924. A local conference committee consisting of men from Edinburgh and Glasgow was formed to take this complex and unique task forward. These men had no existing PBLAA model on which to base the meeting. They could, however, use as examples the conferences of the Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland and the BMA.

Although no documents exist of how the arrangements were made, there would have been close contact with the Executive Council through Albert Norman the Honorary Secretary.  It is difficult in these days of rapid and mass communication, to imagine how difficult and often protracted making the arrangements would have been.  In the 1920s, other than in the homes of the very affluent, there were very few private telephones.  Even if telephone calls could be made to other parts of the country, they were expensive and needed to be booked in advance, and were often limited to three minutes.  Public telephone boxes were almost non-existent; the famous red telephone boxes were not introduced until 1921.  There was no direct dialling; all calls, local or long-distance, had to be made via a telephone operator.  Other than face-to-face meetings, the only way to exchange information was by letter or telegram. The Post Office Service was then very efficient often providing six deliveries a day six days a week in major cities. Between cities, letters were transported by steam train and international mail by steam ship. Letters from Edinburgh to London and other cities were transported on the overnight mail trains. Keeping the membership informed would also have been difficult, particularly for those working outside the British Isles. Initial information was disseminated via The Laboratory Journal and subsequent details by letters, and meetings of branches and Divisions.

The venue for the Conference was the Department of Pathology in the University of Edinburgh, by permission of Professor James Lorrain Smith.  This would have had the facilities needed for lectures, demonstrations, and social events. We have no record of where the delegates stayed but it is likely the majority, if not all, used the University Halls of Residence, as the students were on vacation. This was to be the pattern for all Conferences until 1992. How the Conference was funded is not totally clear.  An allocation of £10 (current equivalent £600) was made from PBLAA funds, and at a meeting of members of Division D a total of £20 19s 0p, (£20.95p, £1,200) was promised by those present. A notice in the March issue of The Laboratory Journal asked members who planned to attend to inform the Secretary as soon as possible, as this would greatly assist the Committee in arranging travelling for them and estimating the approximate cost per individual. The records held by the Institute give no indication of a Conference fee or a charge for visitors or accompanying family.  There was, however, a charge for sightseeing tours.

 

Comprehensive programme

Even in modern times finding topics and speakers for conferences is challenging even though organisers have access to a wide range of publications and other meetings. In the 1920s there were very few journals, and even then they were often not readily available. (during the author’s early career, journals were often the personal property of the pathologist and generally not available to laboratory staff).  No doubt the members of the PBLAA were able to draw on their own expertise and on that of those working in the laboratories in which they were employed.

A total of 54 members and 24 visitors attended the Conference.  Some members were also accompanied by their wives and daughters. The majority of those present were from Edinburgh and Glasgow, but one member had travelled from South Africa, and there were two visitors from India.    Only one lady attended in her own right, a Miss J C Muir of Edinburgh. Miss Muir was one of the very few lady members of the PBLAA at that time. Officially women were not admitted to membership until February 1922; however, at a meeting of Division D in May 1921 a motion was passed to admit ladies to membership of the Association.  Five ladies are recorded as visitors to the Conference, which strongly suggests that many more women were already employed in laboratories than officially recognised at the time.

 

The Conference was opened by Mr Thomas D Hamilton, Vice-President of the PBLAA, with a welcoming address part of which was a lantern slide lecture on the history of Edinburgh.  The scientific programme opened with the showing of two films made by the Rockefeller Foundation.  The first on the prevention of malaria and the second, entitled ‘Unhooking the Hook Worm’, illustrated the life-cycle of Ancylostoma species (hookworm).  These had been produced for the ‘man in the street’ with a view to securing his cooperation in preventing them.  The afternoon programme consisted of an exhibition of objects of tropical interest.  This included microscope sides and photographs illustrating the life cycle of malaria parasites and other bloodborne parasites, schistosomes, intestinal protozoa and the bacilli of plague and leprosy – organisms unlikely to be seen outside a specialist tropical diseases laboratory in the UK.  Members of the Scottish Division also exhibited a range of photographs, specimens, equipment, museum technique and technical methods. One exhibit consisted of paraffin sections of whole organs, including breast, kidney and uterus, that had been produced using the large flat-cutting Cambridge microtome.  The first day concluded with a Charabanc (coach) tour of Edinburgh.

The programme for the second day opened with a lecture on the techniques for diagnosing rabies. This was given by Mr Albert Norman from the Government Agricultural and Fisheries Laboratories at Weybridge.  His talk included a description of the investigation of a recent English outbreak of this infection involving dogs, cattle and pigs.  Next there was a demonstration of ‘Passe Partout’ binding for preserving illustrations.  The last presentation of the day was a description of a rapid method for macerating bone specimens prior to museum mounting. Again, the meeting was followed by a coach tour.

 

(Image: Albert Norman)

The morning of the third day was devoted mainly to bacteriology, with lectures on a method for diagnosing diphtheria using Toluidine Blue, then a description of the chromogenic detection of organisms, and a talk on types of tubercle bacilli.  There were two short papers one on modifications to some staining methods, the other on an investigation into a method of preserving blood for the detection of antibodies.  The last talk of the morning was given by Mr J Galloway, a veterinary surgeon. He described the bacteriophage, or ‘Phenomenon of Twort-d’Herelle’, that was first described in 1917. Part of his talk reported that workers treating both veterinary and human gastrointestinal infections were investigating the use of bacteriophages for treatment of these infections; an approach still being investigated today. Laboratory management was the topic for discussion during the afternoon. It was opened by W A Mitchell of Cambridge with the talk on laboratory economics.  Wednesday concluded with a tour to the Palace of Holyroodhouse and the King’s Park.

The final day of the scientific meeting opened with a talk entitled ‘Some Small Things That Matter’, which discussed some of the problems encountered in identifying organisms isolated in a veterinary setting.  The second paper of the day was on the bacteriology of pyorrhoea alveolaris (gum disease).  Prior to lunch there was a demonstration of the Large Cambridge microtome and of various pieces of paraffin-wax embedding apparatus.  The afternoon was given over to Association business, followed by a tour to the Forth Bridge.

 

Holidays and hospitality

There was no legal entitlement for paid holidays in Britain until 1939, and then only one week.  However, in the 1920s many industries allowed their workers one week’s paid holiday a year and it is assumed that this was also true for those employed in universities and local government, the main employers of PBLAA members.  It is not known whether those attending the Conference had to use this precious time or whether they were granted study leave.  As in all meetings of this type, the social side was regarded as equally important. The membership was small and widely distributed so the opportunities for them to meet and discuss mutual problems or exchange ideas was limited. The opportunity to visit other parts of the UK, for most people, was uncommon and thus the Conference provided the delegates and visitors an opportunity to sightsee.  A London member wrote: “it was a matter for regret the time at our disposal for sightseeing was insufficient for a full appreciation of them [the sights and treasures of Edinburgh], but the business of the Conference naturally came first”. In subsequent conferences the holding of social events not only continued but their range was expanded.

The only event on the programme for Friday was the Conference Dinner at Windsor House, for which it was noted that evening dress was not desirable. The menu for the dinner reflected the warm hospitality of the Scots. It started with ‘Rare Bits’, followed by ‘Clear Kail’ or ‘Cream Kail’, then ‘Fried Sole with Toastit Tatties’, the meat course was ‘Roastit Hen with Tatties (Hale or Champit)’ with ‘Peach Melba’ as desert followed by ‘A wee bit Savoury’ and coffee.  There were Toasts to the King, The President and our Guests.  Following the Toast to the King, the President, Professor A E Boycott, presented Albert Norman with the first Sims Woodhead Medal.  It is a measure of the high regard in which Albert was held that the President returned early from holiday specifically to confer the award. The medal, the Institute’s most prestigious award was instigated as a memorial to the late Sir German, who had been a major supporter of the PBLAA and its second President.  The presentation was made before the end of the proceedings as the President and members from the south had to leave to catch the overnight mail train to London. After the speeches there was musical entertainment, but one correspondent felt that the artists did not get the attention they deserved.  The gathering terminated at midnight with the singing of ‘Old Lang Syne’ – ‘English Fashion’.  

 

(Image: Sir German Sims Woodhead)

(Image: Sir German Sims Woodhead Medal)

In the 1925 edition of The Laboratory Journal an article by a London member was full of praise for the Conference. He wrote that although the crowning of the week was the dinner, he derived great benefit both from the papers and demonstrations and the opportunity to meet fellow members and get to know the officials of the Association and to learn that they have difficulties, hopes and aspirations similar to his own. He was disappointed, however, that this would not be an annual meeting but recognised the immense amount of work that was needed to organise such an event.

Judging by the reports in The Laboratory Journal there is no doubt that this meeting was a great success and laid the foundations for future conferences. These became known as the Triennial conferences. With a gap of 13 years between 1936 and 1952, due to the Second World War and its aftermath, conferences continued to be held until 1992. These were then succeeded by the biennial Biomedical Science Congress, starting in 1995. There is no doubt that the men who devised the first PBLAA Conference would recognise many of the elements of their meeting in our modern Congress, although we no longer go sightseeing!

This article will appear in October's copy of The Biomedical Scientist.

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Dr David Petts is a longstanding member and previous Chairman of the IBMS History Committee. Together with the late Tony Harding, he was responsible for researching and writing the most recent history of the IBMS in Letters of Consequence: A History of the Institute of Biomedical Science.

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