The events surrounding the formation of the
STM have been detailed twice before, in Wicksteed’s
(1948) book, ‘The growth of the profession:
Being the history of the Chartered Society of
Physiotherapy 1894–1945’, and more substantially
in Barclay’s (1994) book, ‘In good hands: The
history of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy,
1894–1994’. Both of these texts present excellent
accounts of the events surrounding the formation of
the STM, but neither undertakes a critical analysis
of the social and political context that influenced the
actions of the Society’s founders.