“M” is for Medical Society of South Carolina

“M” is for Medical Society of South Carolina. The fourth oldest medical society in the United States, the Medical Society of South Carolina was founded in 1789. The organization quickly acquired a leading role in medical and public health issues. In 1801—at the request of Charleston officials--the society appointed individuals to form a board of health. In 1817 the General Assembly entrusted the society to serve as an examining committee to license physicians and apothecaries. The Medical College of South Carolina was founded by the society in 1823, with society members constituting six of the original seven faculty members. The organization opened Roper Hospital in Charleston in 1856. The Medical Society of South Carolina provided leadership in the founding of the American Medical Association (1847) and the South Carolina Medical Association (1848).