Constitution
As amended at the 2011 AGM in September 2012 at Queen Mary University of London
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1. Society
2. Membership
3. Officers
4. Executive Committee
5. Sub-committees
6. The Society's Journal
7. Other Publications
8. Annual General Meeting
9. Extra-ordinary General Meeting
10. The Constitution
1. Society
(i) The Society shall be known as THE SOCIETY FOR THE SOCIAL HISTORY OF
MEDICINE.
(ii) The objects of the Society shall be to advance the education of the public in the
social history of medicine and as ancillary thereto and in furtherance of the said object to
promote research and disseminate the results.
2. Membership
Membership of the Society is on a personal basis only. There are two grades of
membership:
1. Full membership – full members will receive all the services provided by the Society.
2. Student, unwaged and retired membership – these members will receive all the
services provided by the Society, but at a reduced membership rate.
3. Officers
(i) The Officers of the Society shall be: the Chair, the Treasurer, and the Secretary.
(ii) The Chair of the Executive Committee, the Treasurer, and the Secretary shall be
elected by the Executive Committee from among the elected members of the Committee
and their tenure of office shall be for a period of three years in each instance.
(iii) If for any reason any officer is unable to take up or continue in office the Executive
Committee may fill the vacancy from among the elected members of the Committee, or if
no one is available from the Committee from among the other members of the Society.
(iv) Only one office may be held by a member at any one time.
(v) Office holders may at the end of their term of office complete their elected period of
membership of the Executive Committee. Office holders may complete their term of
office of three years even if their elected period of membership of the Executive
Committee has expired.
(vi) The Executive Committee may re-elect an officer to the same position named in 3.ii
for another term of office of three years.
4. Executive Committee
(i) The Executive Committee shall be elected at the AGM, having been duly proposed and
seconded by members of the Society.
(ii) It shall consist of (a) the Officers, (b) the Co-Editors and Reviews Editor(s) of the
Journal ex officio, (c) the Series Editor(s) (edited volumes) and the Series Editor(s)
(monographs) ex officio, and (d) up to eleven further members of the Society.
(iii) The term of the elected members shall be three years (except in the case of officers,
whose elected period of tenure is suspended).
(iv) Candidates for election to the Executive Committee must have been members of the
Society for at least one year
(v) The Executive Committee shall have the power to co-opt (a) to complete the Office
holders, (b) to complete the membership of the Executive Committee [4 (ii) (d)], and (c)
for specific purposes. Such co-opted members shall serve until the subsequent Annual
General Meeting, where they will stand for election.
(vi) The Executive Committee shall have the power to form such Sub-Committees as may
be appropriate to further the objects of the Society.
(vii) Five members of the Executive Committee shall form a quorum.
(viii) If non-attendance is recorded at more than two successive meetings of the
Executive Committee, membership of the Executive Committee shall lapse unless
adequate explanation is given to the satisfaction of the Executive Committee.
5. Sub-committees
(i) All Sub-Committees are responsible to the Executive Committee and shall report to
the Executive Committee as required by the agenda.
(ii) Membership shall normally be drawn from the membership of the Executive
Committee. The Convenor shall be a member of the Executive Committee.
(iii) The Executive Committee may grant powers of co-option to membership to
individual Sub-Committees.
(iv) Each Sub-Committee shall be subject to review annually by the Executive
Committee.
6. The Society's Journal
(i) The Executive Committee is empowered to publish or to co-operate in the publication
of a journal on behalf of the Society to further the objects of the Society.
(ii) The Editors of the journal shall be elected by the Executive Committee. Normally an
Editor shall serve for a term of up to six years. Any extension (for a maximum of three
years) shall be at the discretion of the Executive Committee. A retiring Editor shall not be
eligible for re-election as an Editor until a period of three years has elapsed. A retiring
Editor shall not be eligible for election in any other category of membership of the
Editorial Board until a period of three years has elapsed.
(iii) The journal shall be supported by an Editorial Board. The Editorial Board shall be
responsible to the Executive Committee and shall report to the Executive Committee and
the AGM as required by the agenda. The Editorial Board shall meet at least once a year.
(iv) The Editorial Board shall consist of (a) the Chair of the Executive Committee ex
officio, (b) one of the elected members of the Executive Committee chosen by the
Executive Committee to represent the Society and serve as Executive Secretary to the
Editorial Board, (c) the joint Editors and Reviews Editor(s), (d) Series Editors, and (e) up
to twenty-four members.
(v) The membership of the Editorial Board shall be determined by the Editorial Board.
The Executive Committee may recommend candidates for each category of membership
of the Editorial Board to the Editorial Board. Members of the Editorial Board shall
represent a wide range of relevant subject areas. Members of the Editorial Board shall
serve for a term of four years and may be re-elected by the Editorial Board for an
additional term of four years.
(vi) The Chair of the Editorial Board shall be elected from the membership of the Editorial
Board or, when absent, the Chair of the Executive Committee shall chair the Editorial
Board.
(vii) If non-attendance is recorded at more than two successive meetings of the Editorial
Board, membership of the Editorial Board shall lapse unless adequate explanation is
given to the satisfaction of the Editorial Board.
7. Other Publications
(i) The Executive Committee shall have the power to authorise other publications which
shall further the objects of the Society.
(ii) The Executive Committee may appoint Series Editor(s) to represent the Society and
to be responsible to the Executive Committee.
(iii) The Series Editor(s) shall be Ex-officio member(s) of the Executive Committee. They
shall serve as Series Editor(s) for a term of five years. Any extension shall be at the
discretion of the Executive Committee. A retiring Series Editor shall not be eligible for reelection until a period of three years has elapsed.
8. AGM
((i) The Annual General Meeting shall be held at the Annual Conference following the
end of the calendar year.
(ii) The Secretary shall announce the time and place of the AGM with at least one
month’s notice through the Society’s outlets (e.g. internet, Gazette).
(iii) The Annual General Meeting shall undertake the following business: (a) The
reception of the Reports of the Executive Committee. (b) The reception of the
Treasurer's Report and the Trustees’ Report to be submitted to the Charities
Commission. (c) The reception of the Report of the Editorial Board of the Society's
Journal. (d) The reception of any other reports as are deemed necessary by the
Executive Committee. (e) The election of members of the Executive Committee. (f) The
approval of a qualified person to examine the Society's accounts and Trustees’ Report for
the current year. Such a person shall have experience with accounting and the running
of charitable societies, and be independent of the Executive Committee.
(iv) The Chair shall be taken by the Chair of the Executive Committee or, in the Chair's
absence, by such members of the Society as the meeting shall determine.
(v) Fifteen members of the Society shall form a quorum.
(vi) If the quorum is not reached, a new AGM can be held immediately.
9. Extra-ordinary General Meeting
(i) The Secretary shall summon an Extra-Ordinary General Meeting at the request of the
Executive Committee or upon the written request of at least fifteen members of the
Society. Such request shall state the purpose for which the meeting is to be held.
(ii) The Secretary shall announce time and place of the Extra-Ordinary General Meetings
with at least one month’s notice through one of the Society’s outlets (e.g. internet,
Gazette).
(iii) The Chair shall be taken by the Chair of the Executive Committee or, in the Chair's
absence, by such member of the Society as the meeting shall determine.
(iv) Fifteen members of the Society shall form a quorum.
10. Constitution
(i) Amendments to the Constitution shall be made only at a properly convened Annual
General Meeting or Extra-Ordinary Meeting. Proposals to amend the Constitution shall be
made by either the Executive Committee or by fifteen members of the Society who shall
submit their proposals in writing to the Executive Committee.
(ii) Proposals to amend the Constitution shall be detailed on the Agenda of the Annual
General Meeting or Extra-Ordinary General Meeting.
(iii) Amendments to the Constitution shall be deemed to be carried only if they receive
the votes of two-thirds of members present and voting.
(iv) No alteration shall be made to para. 1 (ii) or to this paragraph without the prior
approval of the Charity Commission and no alteration shall be made which would cause
the Society to cease to be a charity at law.