The Harvey Society
2024/25
This year marked the 30th anniversary of the Harvey Society. In September 2024, we hosted a reunion event for current and past Merton medical students and tutors at Merton College. The evening began with a talk by Sir Peter Ratcliffe FRS FMedSci on the topic of human oxygen homeostasis. After paying tribute to the Society’s namesake, William Harvey, who discovered the circulatory system that delivers oxygen to tissues, Sir Peter explored the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying oxygen sensing. His pivotal role in the discovery of the hypoxia inducible factor (HIF) pathway earned him the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2019, shared with William Kaelin Jr and Gregg Semenza. It was an honour to be in the presence of such a distinguished scientist and to gain insights into the implications and future directions of his work.
The lecture was followed by a prosecco reception in Fellows’ Garden and a commemorative photo. As the sun set, guests moved indoors to enjoy a fantastic dinner catered by Merton’s dining hall team. It was lovely to see alumni mingling with current students and catching up with their old tutors – truly a night to remember!
As Michaelmas term rolled around, we welcomed the incoming medical students with the annual Freshers’ Tea, offering the new cohort an informal opportunity to meet second and third years over tea, coffee and biscuits. Later in the term, we brought together medical students from all six years, along with tutors, for the annual Harvey Society dinner. Our guest speaker, Professor Ana Domingos from the Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, delivered a fascinating talk on sympathetic signalling in obesity which sparked lively discussion about the broader public health implications of her work. We were also pleased to meet Justin Wormald MBBS PGDip MRes MRCS DPhil, the new Stipendiary Lecturer in Clinical Surgery at Merton College.
We concluded the academic year with the traditional garden party in Fellows’ Garden. Over Pimms and nibbles, second-and third-year students took the opportunity to unwind after their exams, while the first years enjoyed a well-deserved break from revising for their preliminary examinations.
The garden party also marked the conclusion of my term as president of the Harvey Society. I am pleased to announce that Daisy Rogers and Edward Kingsbury (both 2023) will serve as co-presidents in the upcoming academic year. I am confident that they will lead the society with enthusiasm and dedication.
Lilli Ganzer (2022) Harvey Society President 2024–25
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