James Atkinson West Spence

Licentiate

Other Information

Became a Licentiate in either 1862 or 1863.

Type (i.e. single, double, triple)

Double Qualification, with Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh

Date of Licentiateship

1860s

Licentiate
An individual who is granted a licence by the College (or Colleges).

Double Qualification
In 1858 the Medical Act established the Medical Register, which listed all approved to practice in Great Britain and Ireland. The issue that then arose was a matter of standardisation; while the College was recognised by the Medical Register, the College’s exam only qualified physicians, not surgeons or pharmacists. In order to not be overshadowed by the other organisations around Britain, the College collaborated with the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh to introduce the Double Qualification in 1859. From then on, Licentiateship meant an individual had passed an examination set by two or more medical colleges in partnership—it did not indicate any relationship between a single College and a Licentiate.