History of the Association
ORGANIZATION MEETING
In response to a letter addressed to them by Dr. Edward L. Keyes, Sr., a number of gentlemen met at Number One Park Avenue, New York City, on October 16, 1886, for the purpose of organizing a Society to be devoted to the study of genitourinary and venereal diseases. Letters and telegrams of acceptance from others who could not attend the meeting were read.
Dr. Keyes was appointed temporary Chairman, and Dr. R.W. Taylor temporary Secretary. The Chairman then appointed on Organization Committee consisting of Doctors E.L. Keyes, R.W. Taylor, F.R. Sturgis, C.H. Mastin, A.T. Cabot, J.W. White, and J.N. Hyde.
It was decided that those present at the meeting, and those from whom acceptances had been received, should constitute the original members of the Society.
They were:
ORIGINAL MEMBERS
Dr. John R. Brinton, Philadelphia, PA
Dr. John P. Bryson, St. Louis, MO
Dr. Arthur T. Cabot, Boston, MA
Dr. George Chismore, San Francisco, CA
Dr. Algeron S. Garnett, Hot Springs, AR
Dr. Francis B. Greenough, Boston, MA
Dr. Gilbert C. Greenway, Hot Springs, AR
Dr. S.W. Gross, Philadelphia, PA
Dr. Moses Gunn, Chicago, IL
Dr. William H. Hingston, Montreal, Canada
Dr. J. Nevins Hyde, Chicago, IL
Dr. Edward L. Keyes, New York City, NY
Dr. Claudius H. Mastin, Mobile, AL
Dr. Prince A. Morrow, New York City, NY
Dr. Fessenden N. Otis, New York City, NY
Dr. Roswell Park, Buffalo, NY
Dr. Frank W. Rockwell, Brooklyn, NY
Dr. Nicholas Senn, Chicago, IL
Dr. Frederick R. Sturgis, New York City, NY
Dr. Robert W. Taylor, New York City, NY
Dr. J. William White, Philadelphia, PA
FIRST MEETING
After several meetings of the Committee of Organization at which a Constitution and Bylaws were prepared, the Society was called together for its first meeting at Lakewood, New Jersey, on May 17 and 18, 1887, with Dr. Keyes as temporary Chairman. The provisional Constitution and Bylaws were read, and the amendments adopted. A Nominating Committee submitted and approved the following names for officers for 1888: For President, Edward L. Keyes, M.D., of New York City; for Vice-President, George Chismore, M.D., of San Francisco; for Secretary-Treasurer, Robert W. Taylor, M.D., of New York City; for Members of the Council, John H. Brinton, M.D., of Philadelphia, and Francis B. Greenough, M.D. of Boston.
ADMISSION TO CONGRESS OF AMERICAN PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS
It was further voted that the Association should appoint a delegate and an alternate to go to Philadelphia to attend the meeting of the delegates from the various American Associates for the purpose of asking admission of the Association into the proposed Congress of American Physicians and Surgeons. Dr. Bryson was appointed delegate and Dr. Mastin alternate. They reported as follows:
“At a meeting of the Executive Committee of the Congress for the purposes of organization held in Philadelphia, on October 5, 1887, the following Associations were represented: American Surgical Association, American Otological Association, American Ophthalmological Association, American Laryngological Association, American Neurological Association, American Dermatological Association, American Climatological Association, and the American Association of Genitourinary Surgeons. The Committee was organized with Dr. William Pepper as Chairman, and Dr. J. Bryson as Secretary; the date for the first meeting of the Congress was set for September, 1888.”
The American Association of Genitourinary Surgeons thus became one of the original component societies of the Congress.
During the early years of the Association, a large proportion of the papers read at Annual Meetings were on venereal disease, which probably accounted for the fact that in 1890, the name of the Society was changed to “the American Association of Andrology and Syphilology.” In 1892, however, the present name of the Association was readopted. At about this time, the first reports on surgery of the prostate began to appear on the program, and from then on papers on surgery of the genitourinary tract predominated.
TRANSACTIONS
The first publication of Transaction of the Association appeared in 1907, representing the proceedings of the 1906 meeting. Since that time a volume of Transactions appeared yearly until 1979, with the exception of 1917 and 1918.