Metadata: Order of Physicians
Collection
- Country:
- Belgium
- Holding institution:
- National Archives of Belgium
- Holding institution (official language):
- Archives Générales du Royaume
- Postal address:
- Ruisbroekstraat 2-6 / Rue de Ruysbroeck 2-6, 1000 Brussel
- Phone number:
- +32 (0)2 513 76 80
- Web address:
- http://www.arch.be/
- Email:
- archives.generales@arch.be
- Reference number:
- NAB-Brussels-510-III.1091
- Title:
- Order of Physicians
- Title (official language):
- Orde der Geneesheren
- Creator/accumulator:
- Orde der Geneesheren; Ordre des Médecins
- Date(s):
- 1940/1950
- Extent:
- 50.4 linear metres
- Scope and content:
- At the time of writing this fonds was still being processed. Apart from the expected documents of a general nature (correspondence, minutes of meetings), it contains an important series of individual files of physicians. We note in particular the separate series titled “Médecins juifs” (Jewish physicians). This series consists of 60 individual files (1 box in total) on doctors of Jewish origin, members of the Francophone Chambre. The doctors in question mainly lived in Greater Brussels (56 files) and Liège (4 files). These files, dated 1942-1943, contain a form with basic information and sometimes correspondence. At the time of writing, no similar series was found for the Dutch-speaking Kamer.
- Administrative/biographical history:
- The creation of the Orde der Geneesheren / Ordre des Médecins (Order of Physicians) was decided on in 1938, but its practical implementation was thwarted by the war. In November 1941, on the initiative of Secretary-General Gerard Romsée, an Order of Physicians was finally set up based on the pre-war draft law, but with a number of controversial amendments (incl. the introduction of the Führerprinzip). The Order, a public law institution under the authority of the Ministry of the Interior and Public Health, was in charge of organising the medical community, of upholding its professional honour and discipline, of handling potential sanctions and of setting up a code of ethics. The Order was subdivided in two Chambers, according to language – resp. the Chambre des médecins d’expression française and the Kamer van geneesheren. These Chambers were notably in charge of establishing and keeping up to date the lists of affiliated physicians, of fixing the dues and membership fees, of publishing the Order’s journal, of organising post-university education etc. Provincial sections of the Order operated on a lower level. In September 1944, the government decided to liquidate this wartime institution. Its possessions were sequestered. The Order of Physicians from the Occupation period should not be confused with today’s Order of Physicians, created by virtue of the aforementioned law of 1938 and active de facto only since 1947. (J.-M. Yante & P.-A. Tallier (dir.), F. Plisnier, S. Carnel, G. Coppieters & V. Pirlot, Gids van de instellingen van openbaar nut in België. Deel II. Band 2. Notities van de parastatalen onderworpen aan de wet van 16 maart 1954 en van diegene die daarvoor afgeschaft werden (notities 160 à 290), Guides/Gidsen no. 70, Brussel, ARA-AGR, 2008, pp. 1009-1011.)
- Yerusha Network member:
- State Archives of Belgium
