The purpose of the club is to offer an informal venue in which members can confidentially share their opinion and ideas on different scientific and medical topics.

[1][2] The foundation date of the London Medical Research Club coincides with that of the first recorded meeting on 1 July 1891.

[3] The meeting took place in the Theatre of the Conjoint Laboratories on the Victoria Embankment, and was attended by 15 people: Sims Woodhead (chair), Sidney Martin (provisional secretary), Edward Emanuel Klein, Victor Alexander Haden Horsley, William Dobinson Halliburton, Charles Smart Roy, Marc Amand Ruffer, Samuel George Shattock, Charles Sherrington, John Sutton, Frederick Walker Mott, John Wickenford Washbourn, Almroth Edward Wright, Charles Alfred Ballance, and William Hunter.

[3] The first ordinary meeting of the Medical Research Club was held on Wednesday 18 November 1891, when the first two scientific papers were presented: "The Influence of the Kidney on Tissue Metabolism" by John Rose Bradford; and "Concurrent Infection" by Edward Emanuel Klein.

The objects of the Club are the discussion, and, as far as possible, the demonstration of original work in General and Special Pathological Science, excluding purely clinical observation.

The meetings of the Club shall take place six times annually, in October, November, February, March, May and June.

Nonetheless, the nature and objectives of the club have not changed, and remain clearly stated in the latest fully revised version of the rules (November 2010).

The objectives of the Club shall be primarily social, and include demonstration of original work in General and Special Pathological Science, and the discussion of the same, excluding purely clinical observations.” The maximum number of Ordinary Members has progressively increased, and different types of membership are accepted, as stated in rule 2: “The Club shall consist of Honorary, Senior, Ordinary and Non-resident Members.

Its prime objective was to enable members to bring forward for discussion unpublished work without incurring the risk of having their results prematurely broadcast.

[…]” The Medical Research Club has held regular meetings since it was founded, with the exception of two periods of interruption coinciding with the two World Wars.

The time and location of the meetings have changed over the years, but they have maintained their nature of informal gatherings in which scientific and medical topics are discussed among colleagues and are often accompanied by dinner.

By 1892, the club was already known outside the United Kingdom, and was invited by the Academy of Sciences of the Institute of France to send two representatives to the celebrations for the seventieth birthday of Pasteur, on 27 December 1892.

Two members of the club were also present at the commemoration of the fiftieth year of the founding of the Pasteur Institute in Paris (15 March 1939).

[6] Sir Almroth Wright gave his first presentation to the club in 1892, discussing alterations to the blood in hemophilia.

In 1946 the club sent a congratulatory letter to Sir Almroth Wright on occasion of his 85th birthday and of the 50th anniversary of the publication of his method for prophylactic inoculation against typhoid fever.

Between 1967 and 1969, the club agreed that one meeting each year could be devoted to a specific topic, presented by a distinguished invited speaker in one single lecture lasting 45 minutes.

Peter Medawar gave a lecture entitled “Anti-lymphocyte serum” in May 1967; Henry Harris discussed “The expression of genetic information: a study in a hybrid cell” in 1968; and William Hayes presented 'The bacterial chromosome' in 1969.

Alick Isaacs presented three papers in 1958, 1961 and 1966 describing his work on interferon-alpha, a natural anti-viral molecule that is of major scientific and medical interest.

Several members of the Medical Research Club have received honours and prominent positions for their contributions to science and medicine.

Members only (not guests) have the opportunity to support a candidate by signing the relevant page of the nomination book.