British Cardiovascular Society (BCS)

The foundation of British cardiology began with Sir James Mackenzie (1853-1925), a Scot who graduated from the University of Edinburgh and subsequently became a general practitioner in Burnley. Mackenzie developed an interest in the pulse and his work attracted the attention of other physicians interested in heart disease. It was around 1910 that Mackenzie suggested this small group of like-minded physicians should form a club, but the First World War intervened. After the war, the government appointed consultants in all regions of Britain to give advice about pensions for people with war-related cardiac problems. The first meeting of the Cardiac Club was held in Oxford on Saturday, 22 April 1922.