Munk's roll was first compiled by librarian William Munk, and published in 1861. Since then it has sought to record the lives of those many physicians who have contributed to the growth of medicine in this country during nearly five centuries

These biographies contribute not only to our understanding of how individual fellows have contributed, often at local level, to the development of the Health Service or medical teaching but also to the science that lies at the foundation of much that physicians do.