Association of Certifying Factory Surgeons Archive
Date range: 1892-1969
Medium: Archive
Certifying surgeons were first appointed under the Factory Act of 1833, to certify that children between the ages of nine and eleven were eligible to work in factories and mills.
Later Acts extended the role of certifying surgeons in regulating child employment, and empowered them to investigate factory accidents and industrial diseases.
The Association of Certifying Factory Surgeons was probably founded in 1888. It was based in Manchester, with branches in other major cities. The Association acted as a campaigning body for industrial health issues and professional matters.
Its role changed over the years, as industrial medicine moved from regulating the employment of children and preventing infectious diseases to the control of industrial diseases. The Association was still meeting in 1969, but its subsequent history is not known.
The archive comprises minute books (1892-1969), two annual reports, a pamphlet and a small amount of photographic material. The minute books are a useful source of information about the development of industrial health and the role of certifying factory surgeons.
Further information:
Catalogue available online via ELGAR.
Location:
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