The Biochemical Society is a learned society in the United Kingdom in the field of biochemistry , including all the cellular and molecular biosciences. It was founded in 1911 and acquired the existing Biochemical Journal the following year. The society additionally publishes the journals Clinical Science and Biochemical Society Transactions via its publishing arm, Portland Press . It awards the Colworth Medal and formerly awarded the CIBA Medal (Novartis Medal). As of 2024, the president is Julia Goodfellow .
43-544: Portland Press Limited is the wholly owned publishing subsidiary of The Biochemical Society . It is a publisher of journals and books in the cellular and molecular life sciences. The surplus from the sales of its publications are returned to the scientific community via the activities of The Biochemical Society. Portland Press publishes books, a magazine, The Biochemist , and several print and online academic journals: Official website The Biochemical Society It currently has over 4,600 members, 80% of which are in
86-657: A "renowned" booklet by V. Booth with advice on how to write a scientific paper. Holborn Holborn ( / ˈ h oʊ b ər n / HOH -bərn or / ˈ h oʊ l b ər n / ), an area in central London , covers the south-eastern part of the London Borough of Camden and a part ( St Andrew Holborn Below the Bars ) of the Ward of Farringdon Without in the City of London . The area has its roots in
129-559: A mile, roughly as far as Southampton Row and Holborn tube station . The station was originally named Holborn (Kingsway) as it was on the junction of those two roads. Most of the area lies north of the eponymous road, rather than to the south. The nearest London Underground stations are Chancery Lane and Holborn . The closest mainline railway station is City Thameslink . Holborn is served by bus routes 1, 8, 19, 25, 38, 55, 59, 68, 76, 91, 98, 133, 168, 171, 188, 243, 341, X68 and night routes N1, N8, N19, N38, N41, N55, N68 and N171. In
172-744: A pub located in a court hidden behind the buildings of the Place and the Garden, was licensed by the Cambridgeshire Magistrates. St Etheldreda's is the oldest Roman Catholic church in Britain, and one of two extant buildings in London dating back to the era of Edward I . Henry VII paid for the road to be paved in 1494 because the thoroughfare "was so deep and miry that many perils and hazards were thereby occasioned, as well to
215-523: A thousand by 1944. Plimmer was the society's first historian; his 1949 history is described by the American science historian Robert E. Kohler as an "important primary document" for the early history of biochemistry in the UK, and in particular for why the society's founding members chose to separate from the older Physiological Society . An updated history was published in 1969 by Richard A. Morton . By
258-510: A well-received report about the relationship between biochemistry and the discipline of molecular biology , stating that all biology was in part molecular, in response to a 1968 report by the Working Group on Molecular Biology, chaired by John C. Kendrew . The report proposes using the term "biochemistry" as a shorthand to include molecular biology as well as biophysics. That year the society celebrated its 500th meeting, at which Kendrew
301-460: Is first mentioned, and described as old , in a charter of 959, but this is before the parish or the landholdings on which it was based took on anything like their settled form. The earliest surviving written record of the area occurs in a charter of AD 959, in which King Edgar the Peaceful granted Westminster Abbey an area of land (much larger than the later parish of Holborn) stretching from
344-458: Is nicknamed the Devil's Own , a name given by George III , not due to ferocity in battle, but rather to his dislike of lawyers. In the 18th century, Holborn was the location of the infamous Mother Clap 's molly house (meeting place for homosexual men). There were 22 inns or taverns recorded in the 1860s. The Holborn Empire , originally Weston's Music Hall , stood between 1857 and 1960, when it
387-631: Is notionally in the very middle of London, being situated between the Westminster and the City , but this Americanisation has been widely criticised and not accepted or used by Londoners. The MPs for the area are: The three ward councillors for Holborn and Covent Garden , representing the London Borough of Camden part of the district are: Holborn is represented in the London Assembly as part of Barnet and Camden by: The following
430-706: The Finsbury Division : Glasshouse Yard and St Sepulchre, Middlesex . The Metropolitan Borough of Holborn was created in 1900, consisting of the former area of the Holborn District and the St Giles District , but the small units previously part of the Finsbury Division were instead included in the Metropolitan Borough of Finsbury . The Metropolitan Borough of Holborn was abolished in 1965 and its area now forms part of
473-607: The Great Fire of London in 1666, though the area of destruction reached its south-eastern boundary. Charles Dickens took up residence in Furnival's Inn (later the site of " Holborn Bars ", the former Prudential building designed by Alfred Waterhouse ). Dickens put his character "Pip", in Great Expectations , in residence at Barnard's Inn opposite, now occupied by Gresham College . Staple Inn , notable as
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#1732787455016516-520: The London Borough of Camden . The westward growth of London beyond the City Wall , and towards the seat of government in Westminster , took place along the banks of the River Thames and along the roads leading from Ludgate ( Fleet Street and The Strand ) and Newgate ( Holborn and High Holborn ). This growth, initially limited to Farringdon Without (which includes a part of Holborn)
559-645: The Society for Experimental Biology , British Ecological Society and the Royal Society of Biology . The society's past presidents are Sir Hans Kornberg (1990–95), Sir Philip Randle (1996–2000), Dame Jean O. Thomas (2001–5), Sir Philip Cohen (2006–8), Sir Tom Blundell (2009–12), Ron Laskey (2012–14), Sir David Baulcombe (2015–17) and Sir Peter Downes (2018–21). The Society has given awards to acknowledge excellence and achievement in biochemistry or in particular subfields since 1958. The earliest
602-515: The ancient parish of Holborn, which lay on the west bank of the now buried River Fleet ; the district takes its name from an alternative name for the river: the Holbourne (or Oldbourne). The area is sometimes described as part of the West End of London or of the wider West London area. The River Fleet also gave its name to the streets Holborn and High Holborn which extend west from
645-520: The 16th-century historian John Stow attributes the name to a different watercourse: the Old Bourne ("old brook"), a small stream which he believed ran into the Fleet at Holborn Bridge. This structure was lost when the river was culverted in 1732. The exact course of the stream is uncertain, but according to Stow it started in one of the many small springs near Holborn Bar, the old City toll gate on
688-671: The Abbey, on Thorney Island , to the River Fleet . The charter mentions "the old wooden church of St Andrew" ( St Andrew, Holborn ). The name Holborn is used in the charter, but it refers to the River Fleet rather than the district. The name "Holborn" may derive from the Middle English hol for "hollow", and bourne , a "brook", referring to the River Fleet as it ran through a steep valley (hollow) in places. However,
731-437: The Bars ). It is not known when the parish of Holborn took on its settled form, but it is likely to have been by the time of the introduction of Canon Law around 1180, with records from the time the hospital of St Giles was established in 1120 indicating that the parish extended further west at that time, presumably to encompass what would become the combined parish of St Giles and Bloomsbury . A charter of around 1000 shows
774-561: The City boundary markers. The area "above Bars" (outside the city's jurisdiction) was organised by the vestry board of the parish of St Andrew . As well as Holborn's two main civil parishes, there were a number of extra-parochial areas, parts of the ecclesiastical parish of Holborn but formed their own (usually tiny) civil parish areas: The St George the Martyr Queen Square area became a separate parish, for both civil and ecclesiastical matters, in 1723; but for civil matters
817-570: The Tudor period onwards new local government were introduced in England, and parish areas were obliged to take on civil as well as ecclesiastical responsibilities for the first time, this started with relief of the poor . The two parts became, for civil but not ecclesiastical purposes, two separate parishes known as St Andrew Holborn Below the Bars and St Andrew Holborn Above the Bars , the Bars being
860-592: The UK. It is affiliated with the European body, Federation of European Biochemical Societies (FEBS). The president has been Julia Goodfellow since 2022. The Society's headquarters are in London. The society was founded in 1911, under the name of the Biochemical Club. An informal preliminary meeting on 21 January 1911 at University College, London was organised by John Addyman Gardner and R. H. A. Plimmer and attended by 32 people. The first meeting
903-450: The Ward of Farringdon had grown too large for effective governance and was formally divided into the separate Wards, (rather than separate named areas within the same Ward) in 1394. The westward growth towards Westminster accelerated in the Tudor period. The westerly ribbon development through the parish was complete before the Great Fire of 1666, with the displacement of people accelerating
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#1732787455016946-446: The ancient parish of Holborn, a course now marked by Farringdon Street , Farringdon Road and other streets. The northern boundary with St Pancras was formed by a tributary of the Fleet later known as Lamb's Conduit . The curving alignment of Roger Street follows part of the course of that lost brook, and marked the northern boundary of the parish and later borough. The area extends west from Farringdon Street, for three-quarters of
989-476: The area is not an administrative unit so contemporary perceptions of its extent can be vague and highly variable. In particular there are overlapping perceptions of the extent of the districts of Holborn, Bloomsbury and St Giles . One of the many factors in this, is a tendency to conflate the Holborn and High Holborn roads with the district. The now buried River Fleet formed the historic eastern boundary of
1032-549: The boundaries of the city being pushed west to their settled historic extent in around 1000, though this extramural area would have been very sparsely settled. The city's wards take shape in the 11th century, before the Norman Conquest. The civil division of the parish is very ancient and predates the establishment of the parish in its settled form. In 1394 the Ward of Farringdon was subdivided into Farringdon Within and Farringdon Without , with south-east Holborn part of
1075-727: The corner of Hatton Garden was the old family department store of Gamages . Until 1992, the London Weather Centre was located in the street. The Prudential insurance company relocated in 2002. The Daily Mirror offices used to be directly opposite it, but the site is now occupied by Sainsbury's head office. Behind the Prudential Building lies the Anglo-Catholic church of St Alban the Martyr. Originally built in 1863 by architect William Butterfield , it
1118-463: The development of the rest of the area. The northern fringe the last area to be developed, with this process finalised in the 18th century. St Etheldreda's Church , in gated Ely Place , was originally the chapel of the Bishop of Ely 's London palace. This ecclesiastical connection allowed the street to remain part of the county of Cambridgeshire until the mid-1930s. This meant that Ye Olde Mitre ,
1161-441: The early 21st century, Holborn has become the site of new offices and hotels. For example, the old neoclassical Pearl Assurance building near the junction with Kingsway was converted into a hotel in 1999. There has been attempts by some commercial organisations to rebrand the southern parts of the London Borough of Camden (Holborn, Bloomsbury and St Giles ; the former Metropolitan Borough of Holborn ) as "Midtown". This area,
1204-471: The end of 1911, there were 132 members. In 1912, it purchased the existing Biochemical Journal from Moore and Edward Whitley for £150, with the new editors being Bayliss and Harden. The name formally changed to the Biochemical Society in 1913, with Hopkins being appointed the first chair. Gardner took over as treasurer, remaining in the post until 1944, and was responsible for steering
1247-502: The king's carriages passing that way, as to those of his subjects". Criminals from the Tower and Newgate passed up Holborn on their way to be hanged at Tyburn or St Giles . Hatton Garden , the centre of the diamond trade, was leased to a favourite of Queen Elizabeth I , Sir Christopher Hatton, at the insistence of the Queen to provide him with an income. The area was not damaged by
1290-411: The late 1960s, according to the American science historian Pnina Abir-Am, the society had established itself as a "well-organized nationwide power base for biochemists", and a "powerful" body whose activities went beyond the usual ones of a learned society to encompass "guarding the professional status, even welfare, of its members". In 1969, a subcommittee of the society chaired by Hans Krebs published
1333-463: The latter. The City Bars mark the boundary of the City of London within Holborn. In 1994 the City boundary shifted slightly to the junction of Chancery Lane and the Bars were moved accordingly. It has been described how the two parts of the parish came under separate civil governance (though without any civil governance at parish level) according to whether the part was in the city or outside. From
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1376-464: The promotional image for Old Holborn tobacco, is nearby. The three of these were Inns of Chancery . The most northerly of the Inns of Court , Gray's Inn , is off Holborn, as is Lincoln's Inn : the area has been associated with the legal professions since mediaeval times, and the name of the local militia (now Territorial Army unit, the Inns of Court & City Yeomanry ) still reflects that. The unit
1419-529: The site of the former Newgate in the London Wall , over the Fleet, through Holborn and towards Westminster . The district benefits from a central location which helps provide a strong mixed economy. The area is particularly noted for its links to the legal profession, for the diamond centre at Hatton Garden and for Great Ormond Street Hospital . Holborn emerged from the ancient parish of St Andrew Holborn and its later sub-divisions. The parish church
1462-529: The society's finances through the First World War. The three earliest women members, elected in 1913, were Ida Smedley , who became the first female chair of the society, Harriette Chick and Muriel Wheldale . In the early years eight annual meetings were generally held, predominantly in London, but also in Oxford, Cambridge, Rothamsted , Glasgow, Edinburgh and elsewhere. Membership had risen to over
1505-573: The summit of Holborn Hill. Other historians, however, find the theory implausible, in view of the slope of the land. The Parish of St Andrew, Holborn , was divided by a civil boundary, with part within the Farringdon Without ward of the City of London (later known as St Andrew Holborn Below the Bars ) – which includes the parish church and the part within the Ossulstone Hundred of Middlesex (later known as St Andrew Above
1548-437: The west of the circus, but originally sited in the middle, is a large equestrian statue of Prince Albert by Charles Bacon, erected in 1874 as the city's official monument to him. It was presented by Charles Oppenheim, of the diamond trading company De Beers , whose headquarters is in nearby Charterhouse Street. The district can best be described in reference to the ancient parish and the sub-divisions that succeeded it, however
1591-598: Was among the speakers. According to former CEO Chris Kirk (in 2011), membership peaked in the mid-1990s at around nine thousand, and had since fallen. The society's first permanent headquarters were at 7 Warwick Court in Holborn , purchased in 1966. In 1990, the headquarters of the society moved to Portland Place , and in 2005, to modern offices in Procter Street, Holborn. In 2009, the headquarters moved again to Charles Darwin House, Roger Street, sharing premises with
1634-514: Was gutted during the Blitz but later reconstructed, retaining Butterfield's west front. On Holborn Circus lies the Church of St Andrew , an ancient Guild Church that survived the Great Fire of London . However, the parochial authority decided to commission Sir Christopher Wren to rebuild it. Although the nave was destroyed in the Blitz, the reconstruction was faithful to Wren's original. Just to
1677-462: Was on 4 March 1911, with 38 members present; an initial decision to exclude women was rescinded the following year. The first committee consisted of Plimmer (honorary treasurer and secretary), Gardner, H. E. Armstrong , W. M. Bayliss , A. J. Brown , H. H. Dale , A. E. Garrod , W. D. Halliburton , Arthur Harden , F. G. Hopkins , F. Keeble , Benjamin Moore , Walter Ramsden and E. J. Russell . By
1720-674: Was pulled down after structural damage sustained in the Blitz . The theatre premièred one of the first full-length feature films in 1914, The World, the Flesh and the Devil , a 50-minute melodrama filmed in Kinemacolor . Subsequently, the area diversified and become recognisable as the modern street. A plaque stands at number 120 commemorating Thomas Earnshaw 's invention of the Marine chronometer , which facilitated long-distance travel. At
1763-462: Was reunited with the part of St Andrew outside the city ( Above the Bars ) of London in 1767, to form St Andrew Holborn Above the Bars with St George the Martyr . The Holborn District was created in 1855, consisting of the civil parishes and extra-parochial places of Holborn outside the city; St Andrew Holborn Above the Bars with St George the Martyr, Saffron Hill, Hatton Garden, Ely Rents and Ely Place , as well as two tiny units that were added from
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1806-902: Was the Hopkins Memorial Lecture, in memory of Frederick Gowland Hopkins (1958–2008). Later awards include the Colworth Medal (1963), the CIBA Medal/Novartis Medal (1965–2023) and the Morton Lecture, in honour of Richard Alan Morton (1978). The society's wholly owned publishing subsidiary, Portland Press (established in 1989 ), publishes a magazine, The Biochemist , and several academic journals: The society holds archives of material from some prominent biochemists, and had recorded oral history interviews on video with around twenty scientists in 1988. The society published several editions of
1849-420: Was well underway in the 12th century, leading to the Ward being retrospectively described as the capital's original West End . In the 12th century St Andrew's was noted in local title deeds as lying on "Holburnestrate"—Holborn Street, but as the street leads from Roman Newgate , and the church was sited on it by the 10th century, it is probably considerably older. In 1394 the population had grown so large that
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