SFMMS Turns 150 Today! February 4, 2018 150th 150th, SFMS 0 San Francisco Medical Society Formed on February 4, 1868 As SFMMS begins our 150th Anniversary Celebration, we are excited to share historical highlights about the medical society throughout this year. The history of the San Francisco Marin Medical Society begins a century and a half ago, during a time when the American lifespan was just forty years. ‘Gold fever’ had been spreading throughout the West – turning a sleepy Mexican village of 300 into a bustling urban center of 35,000, including an estimated 1,500 doctors, mostly adventurous young men who turned away from the medical profession hoping to strike it rich. When that golden wealth went unrealized, many left California, but those who stayed returned to medical practice. However, they felt isolated in the Far West and the need to unite as a profession. After a few attempts at organizing as a medical society, on February 4, 1868, 57 physicians came together to form the San Francisco Medical Society, the first permanent local medical society in the West. They adopted bylaws to express their unity and purpose, established membership dues, and elected the first society president – Dr. James Whitney. Their goal was to separate themselves from the quack medicine trade and prove their commitment to high-quality practice standards. James P. Whitney, MD President San Francisco Medical Society 1868 Comments are closed.
