HISTORY OF THE ASSOCIATION

In response to a letter addressed to them by Dr. Edward L. Keyes, Sr., a number of gentlemen met a 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 disease. 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 an 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

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 this Congress for the purposes of organization held in Philadelphia, on October 5, 1887, the following Associations were represented: American Surgical Association, American Laryngological Association, American Ophthalmological Association, American Laryngological Association, American Neurological Association, American Dermatological Association, and the 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.