The Harvey Society
2023-24
We held a variety of events for our community of tutors, pre-clinical and clinical students. The year began with our welcome tea for the freshers in early Michaelmas. As always, this was a lovely opportunity for the new cohort to meet and ask questions of those in the years above.
Later in Michaelmas we hosted our ever-exciting annual black-tie dinner. The event started with a prosecco reception in the SCR. Here, we welcomed Professor Mariam Knight MBE, who gave an engaging talk about her research in perinatal epidemiology. This included details of the impact she has had with the use of population-based approaches through programmes such as the UK Obstetric Surveillance System (UKOSS) and the International Network of Obstetric Survey Systems (INOSS).
The date 8 June 2024 marked the centenary of the disappearance of Sandy Irvine (Merton undergraduate) and George Mallory during their 1924 expedition, which would have been the first ascent of Mount Everest. Irvine was honoured by the Harvey Society with a commemorative event.
The day commenced with an exhibition of Sandy’s life in the Upper Mob Library, kindly opened by Dr Julia Walworth to members of the Harvey Society. This exhibition showcased a rich collection of artifacts from Irvine’s life. Irvine was well liked at Merton and rowed in the Oxford–Cambridge boat race twice. Highlights of the exhibition included his college battels, a photograph of Irvine rowing with Merton’s 1st VIII, a replica of his mountaineering attire, and letters exchanged between Sandy and his family which revealed poignant insights into his character and aspirations.
The exhibition was followed by a wonderful lecture from Dr Sundeep Dhillon MBE, open to all members of the College. For four years Dr Dhillon was the youngest person in the world to have climbed the Seven Summits (the highest mountain on each continent), as well as practising as a military GP and being part of an Xtreme Everest research expedition. His lecture masterfully blended science, history and personal narrative. He delved into the physiology of high-altitude climbing, recounting his own Everest experiences, and shedding light on the details of Irvine’s ill-fated expedition.
The day concluded with a garden party held in Fellows’ Garden. Over snacks and refreshments, we were free to ask Dr Dhillon our many questions about his expeditions, reflecting on the day's insights and commemorating Irvine’s adventurous spirit.
It has been a pleasure to serve as the Harvey Society president this year and I am grateful to Ella McLoughlin (2022) for her help. I am delighted to hand the presidency over to Lilli Ganzer (2022) for the next year and look forward to seeing the further development of the society.
Romilly Gosling (2021)
Harvey Society President 2023–24