[1][2] The Society holds an annual Festival in honour of the life and works of William Harvey, the physician who first correctly described the manner in which blood circulates around the human body.

Pitcairne's own research, based on mathematical reasoning, provided strong support to Harvey's work by showing that all blood reaching the organs and periphery returned to the heart.

[4] The origins of the Harveian Society are closely linked with the Aesculapian Club, which was founded by Andrew Duncan in 1773.

The Aesculapian Club had a very small membership (initially 15 before rising to 22) and the funding of the prize was burdensome to its members.

In 1839 this was amended and became "to commemorate the discovery of the circulation of the blood, to cherish a kindly feeling among members of the Medical profession, and to foster a spirit of experimental enquiry among the students at this School of Medicine".

Present at the first meeting were: Dr. Andrew Duncan, Dr. James Hamilton 'Senior',[6] Mr. Benjamin Bell, Charles Webster,[7] Mr. Alexander Wood, Mr. Andrew Wood,[8] Thomas Hay,[9] Mr Colin Lauder, Mr. William Anderson,[10] William Inglis, James Gibson,[11] Dr. Nathaniel Spens, Andrew Wardrop,[12] Dr. Alexander Hamilton, Mr. Thomas Wood,[13] Dr. Daniel Rutherford, Dr. Alexander Monro "Secundus", William Chalmer,[14] and Dr. Robert Walker.

Apologies for absence were received from: William Grieve, Robert Langlands, Mr. Forrest Dewar and James Hay.

In subsequent years the numerical limit on the size of the membership was removed and although the requirement for Fellowship of one the Edinburgh Colleges remained for those resident in the city ("the town"), membership was opened to medical professionals from neighbouring counties ("the country") and also to medical officers in the military.

The medal was given to the Society by Douglas Guthrie in 1956[17] and is a gold and enamel medallion depicting Harvey's personal coat of arms (or stemma) from his time as a student at the University of Padua.

It is a long-standing tradition that a member of the local clergy is invited to the Festival and is given the honorific title of "Pontifex Maximus".

Invigilations were historically carried out to the strains of Gounod's Funeral March of a Marionette, a tradition that was revived for the 226th Festival.

[1][2] In the past, the formal dinners included light-hearted betting as well as songs, stories and poems composed and performed by Harveians and guests.

[22] Non-medical guests who joined in heartily with the proceedings could be invited on multiple occasions and became honorary or associate members by acclamation.

Senior Harveians who made significant contributions to the joviality of the proceedings were awarded the "Diploma of Doctor of Mirth" or "Merriment".

In the first century of the Society's existence, orations often centred around the life and works of a historical figure, who may or may not have been a member of the medical profession.

In recent years, orations have tended to consider Harvey's work in the context of areas of medical practice related to the individual President.

In North America, the Harvey Society of New York City hosts an annual lecture series on recent advances in biomedical sciences.

The Harvey Club of London, based in Ontario, meets four times a year to present papers on medicine related to sciences, humanities and world events.