Neonatal Society

The Neonatal society was founded in 1959 to meet a need for a discussion forum for the rising number of paediatricians and physiologists interested in foetal and neonatal research. The first meeting was held in August of that year and an organising committee was elected, with R A McCance as Chairman. McCance's account of the foundation and early years can be found in the Society's handbook. The Society annually holds two winter meetings in London and a summer meeting elsewhere in the country, at which research papers are presented and discussed, and at least one special meeting, usually held jointly with a related society.

The Society confines itself to scientific discussion, such as advising the British Standards Institute on incubators, or representation on the Royal Commission on Civil Liability and Compensation, and declines involvement in any more political activity.

At Wellcome Collection:

The archive of the Physiological Society is held at SA/PHY. GC/97 contains papers of physiologists, including the research notes of R A McCance and Elsie Widdowson.