This Society was originally founded in 1909 to foster an interest in the history of medicine, and was renamed in 2005 to emphasize a broadening of interest to other aspects of the humanities. At its inception the Society had some 200 members and included many illustrious personalities and pioneers of American Medicine. During most of the 20th century the Society has remained active, sponsoring meetings and lectures on a variety of interesting subjects. The final meeting of the year has been traditionally dedicated to the memory of Doctor Morris Fishbein, the Society’s past president and an influential physician and editor of modern American Medicine. This Annual Fishbein Dinner meeting has been made possible by the generous support of the family of the late Barbara Fishbein Friedell.
Each year we hold educational lectures, usually on the first Tuesday of the month. Each lecture is preceded by a cocktail reception, which allows the members of the audience to exchange ideas and engage in lively discussion. The lectures have covered a wide range of topics, some related to the history of medicine in Chicago and others exploring the interface between medicine and the humanities. Such topics in the past have included:
More recent topics have included:
Our Current Executive Board consists of:
There is a nominal cost for the lectures and the cocktail reception of $15. For information about membership or making a presentation, please contact Phyllis A. Wheeler at Phyllis.wheeler@hektoen.org or 312.948.2520.
To view the Spring 2006 newsletter please click here (pdf file. If you don't have the free Adobe pdf reader please click here to download).
Click here to view a book review by Dr. James L. Franklin, President of the Society of Medical History & Humanities: "Doctors: The History of Scientific Medicine Revealed Through Biography." By Sherwin B. Nuland, M.D., FACS, The Teaching Company, Chantilly Virginia, 2005. This review will be published in the next issue of Chicago Medicine, Journal of the Chicago Medical Society.
