The D.M.S.C. was founded in London in 1973, with the blessing of the late Dr. K.F. Meyer, World Health Organization authority on plague, and editor of an incomplete pioneering work, Disinfected Mail, published in Kansas in 1962.

It was Dr. Meyer’s wish that research into the topic should continue, which led to the publication by D.M.S.C. of authoritative articles and monographs on the practice of disinfection and quarantine in all parts of the world. Many countries, like Portugal, Spain, Egypt, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand had not even been considered in his seminal work.

Since then, many specialists, including medical and social historians as well as postal history collectors, have been researching and publishing accounts of quarantine and the treatment of mail, from the 15 th Century to date, in our journal, Pratique.  

Almost every country in the world has been the topic of one or more articles; and for many of these, including Russia, Egypt, Gibraltar, Hawaii, New Orleans, Australia, Canada, Spain, Portugal, Hannover, Mecklenburg and Serbia; the result has been the equivalent of a monograph. Pratique is now published three times a year. Each volume comprises around 100 pages of mostly original research. It has won several awards at International exhibitions.

The scope of the journal has been steadily extended to cover other related topics, including health passports, bills of health and ships’ documents of pratique, and public health proclamations restricting or restoring the freedom of trade with ports or regions considered to be a threat to public health.

We also occasionally cover maps, prints, post cards or descriptions of lazarettos ; and vaccination ephemera, including the rare Anti-compulsory Vaccination envelopes and postcards. More recently there have been articles on measures to treat mail against anthrax and other diseases assumed to be disseminated by terrorist organizations.

Back numbers of Pratique are mostly still available to members, @ £5 each.

Each journal is usually accompanied by a postal auction of several dozen lots of members’ relevant material for sale, at sensible reserves. As material of this kind becomes more widely appreciated, the important and unusual items seldom come onto the market singly, except in specialist auctions such as ours.

We have members in more than 25 countries, and arrange social get-togethers at one or more International Exhibitions most years. Thanks to Study Circle successes, the disinfection of mail is recognized as a major topic within Postal History, and at least eight international Gold Medals have been won by displays in this class. Our topic is increasingly being acclaimed as important Social History also.

Almost any query from members on our chosen topics can be answered by another member. So specialist collectors of a country or region, with only limited interest in disinfection, can join in confidence that their understanding of their specialty can be enlarged painlessly, cheaply and often remarkably quickly.

Membership fees are currently £15 p.a. within the UK, £ 18 elsewhere in Europe and £ 23 in the rest of the world.

Enquiries and applications for membership should be sent to V. Denis Vandervelde, 25 Sinclair Grove, London NW11 9JH, U.K.

Email: vdvpratique@aol.com

Why not join now? Fill in the form below with your special interests and mail it with a check for either one or two years’ subscription, payable to the D.M.S.C. Send it to Denis : you should receive the current year’s issues of Pratique within twenty days.