The Geoffrey Parr Memorial Lecture
In 1964, the Society instituted a biennial Memorial Lecture in honour of one its founders, Geoffrey Parr, to be given by invitation at one of the scientific meetings.
The Memorial Lecture has been given by the following speakers:
1964 Professor GD Dawson
1966 Dr W Grey Walter
1968 Dr A Remond
1970 Professor MAB Brazier
1972 Professor Sir Martin Roth
1974 Professor F Buchtal
1976 Professor Sir Denis Hill
1978 Professor RG Bickford
1980 Professor D Whitteridge
1982 Dr R Naquet
1984 Dr JAV Bates
1986 Professor R Galambos
1988 Professor R Gilliatt
1990 Prof E Stahlberg
1992 Dr Ray Cooper
1994 Professor Dr FH Lopes da Silva
1996 Professor J Kimura
2000 Professor HE Torebjork
2002 Professor CD Binnie
2004 Professor M Hallett
2006 Professor A Barker
2008 Professor GE Holder
2010 Professor P Furlong
2012 Professor KR Mills
2014 Professor F Mauguiere
2017 Professor D Holder
2021 Dr Matthew Pitt
Geoffrey Parr (1900 - 1961)
Founder member and the first Secretary of the EEG Society (now BSCN), senior technologist at Maida Vale Hospital in London, co-editor of Electroencephalography (Macdonald, 1950).
The history of EEG in Britain is closely connected with Geoffrey Parr. He undertook pioneering work in the discipline, and was instrumental in turning an informal discussion group into the EEG Society. Before the Second World War, he was technical consultant to the first clinical EEG department at Maida Vale Hospital in London, and together with Dr Grey Walter, he designed and built the first commercial EEG machines. He was also a steadfast supporter of television in its earliest days, and was for many years the Secretary of the Television Society.
The eponymous memorial lecture honours the technical and scientific foundation of the specialty in recognition of the manifold contributions made by Geoffrey Parr to development of EEG technology.