This year marks the 125th anniversary of organized medicine in Dallas County. In celebration, DCMS takes you back to that day in April 1876, when the medical society was chartered, through the 20th century and into the 21st. Membership has grown from five or six physicians to almost 6000. DCMS is the fourth-largest county medical society in the country, and a leader and an example to other physician organizations nationwide. Physician members have included TMA and AMA presidents, Nobel Prize winners, public health officers, and world-renown leaders of medical technology and procedures. Whether by making house calls on a horse and buggy then, or fighting managed care battles now, physicians' motives remain the same: putting patients first. The oath has not changed, and looking back on the years and progress should instill or renew your pride in the profession of medicine, and of your medical society.

Wayne T. Robinson, MD, was an active DCMS member and a frequent contributor to the DMJ. Wayne T. Robinson, MD, (1885-1973) delivered thousands of babies and was noted for his pioneering work in helping develop new medical techniques in obstetrics. He earned his medical degree from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in 1908 and set up his practice in his hometown of Shelbyville, Tenn, before moving to Dallas in 1924. He served for several years as an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Baylor College of Medicine before its move to Houston, as obstetrician-in-chief at Parkland Hospital, and chairman of the staff at Methodist Hospital. Dr Robinson retired in 1967.

1876
On April 1, 1876, seventeen physicians met in the office of Thomas W. Wiley, MD, for the organization of a "Medical Society for the City and County (of) Dallas, Texas." Albert A. Johnston, MD, was elected president at that meeting. The Society met at 4 PM Tuesdays in Dr Wiley's office, where case discussions followed the business meetings. Physicians not in attendance were fined $1 unless they could show good cause for their absence. This society held only a few meetings until it disbanded.

1877
A new Society was formed known as the Dallas Medical and Surgical Association, comprising members of the former Society. This Society conducted meetings for several years before dying out.

1884
The present Dallas County Medical Society was organized in Dr Chilton's office in a building opposite the old Grand Windsor Hotel on Main Street. The meetings were later held in the basement of City Hall, a four-story building located on the present site of the Adolphus Hotel. At each meeting, a member read a paper, which was followed by a general discussion. There were 30 members in this Society.

1886
Grace Danforth, MD, moved to Dallas and became the first woman elected to DCMS membership.

1901
Several proprietary medical schools existed in Dallas at the beginning of the 20th century. They merged into the Medical Department of the University of Dallas under the leadership of Drs C.M. Rosser (right) , E.H. Cary (left), and other physicians.

1903
The Medical Department of the University of Dallas became part of Baylor University, which then sponsored medical education in Dallas.

1917
The Dallas County Medical Society Auxiliary was formed.

1919
DCMS launched the Dallas County Medical Society Bulletin. The name Dallas Medical Journal was adopted at a meeting of the Society on March 27, 1919. DCMS meetings were conducted at various sites, including the Oriental Hotel, Baylor Medical College, the Nurses' Home at the Baptist Sanitarium, and physician residences.

1920
The Baptist Sanitarium became affiliated with the Baylor College and limited physician staff to its teaching staff. A hospital committee was set up to investigate the hospital facilities for DCMS members. In response, DCMS unanimously adopted the following resolution:
Resolved, That the Dallas County Medical Society, recognizing that every reputable member of the local medical profession should have hospital provision for his patients and the right of the public to have opportunities for institutional treatment by physicians and surgeons of its own selection, hereby offers encouragement to any logical plan for the relief of the situation now existing and commits itself to the support of any creditable organization or group of men that may become interested in the promotion of another general hospital to be located in Dallas.

1922
Ground was broken for the $1 million Medical Arts Building on Pacific Avenue.

1923
The Medical Arts Building opened in March 20. The 18-story building supplied office space for more than 300 doctors and dentists.

1924
The first Directory of Members was mailed in April. DCMS had just over 200 members.

1935
The first DCMS Annual Dinner was sponsored by Skillern's Drug Co. There were approximately 400 DCMS members.

1938
AMA held its meeting in Dallas.

1939
The Southwestern Medical Foundation was chartered.

1940
The Dallas County Medical Plan was established in response to "the constant threat of socialized medicine and the great hue and cry for adequate medical care at prices they can afford to pay."

1942
DCMS had about 500 members, of whom 60 were in the military service.

1943
Baylor University announced the move of Baylor Medical College to Houston. All of the approximately 200 clinical teachers, all but five of the pre-clinical teachers, and more than 90 percent of the students asked the Southwestern Medical Foundation to preserve medical education in North Texas by establishing a Class A medical college in Dallas. In May, SMF announced the founding of a nondenominational medical school. On July 1, Southwestern Medical College enrolled its first class.

1944
In March, 61 medical school seniors received their medical degrees at Alex Spence Junior High School. Of that class, 38 men simultaneously were commissioned first lieutenants in the medical corps of the US Army and 15 took the oath of office as medical officers in the US Navy.

1945
A committee was formed to conduct extensive infantile paralysis research in case polio became an epidemic in Dallas. Members were J.M. Dowis, S. Edward Sulkin, Brandon Carrell, John G. Young, Ramsay Moore, Gladys Fashena, and J.M. Pickard.

1946
Millard J. Heath was hired as executive secretary of the Dallas County Medical Society. (see photo right)

1950
There were approximately 700 DCMS members. The Dallas Medical Journal established an editorial board and editorial consultants. Dallas became a center for field tests of the Salk polio vaccine, health and hospitalization insurance was a growing trend, and the Veterans Administration's regional office advertised for a physician for $8810 a year.

1955
DCMS members unanimously voted to delete the word "white" from its membership statement. The first African-American members were elected into the society.

1965
Medicare and Medicaid programs were passed by the federal government. DCMS had about 1500 members.

1966
The weekly "Ask the Doctor" radio program produced by DCMS won the TMA Anson Jones Award.

1970
DCMS cosponsored a countywide rubella immunization program to combat the 112 percent increase in reported cases in Texas in 1970 over 1969 (more than 7500 in August-highest in the nation). Some 250 physicians volunteered to immunize 140,000 children.

1973
The DCMSA accepted donation of the Swiss Avenue Aldredge House from George N. Aldredge, MD, and his family for its headquarters.

1975
DCMS moved its headquarters to 3630 Noble Ave-also headquarters for the Dallas Southern Clinical Society and the Dallas Academy of Medicine. Robert L. Heath (see photo right), the former assistant executive officer and son of Millard J. Heath, became DCMS' executive officer.

1976
DCMS elected its first female president, Gladys Fashena, MD. The society's membership was approximately 1700. (see photo left)

1977
Dallas had grown and medical offices cropped up closer to hospitals, such as St Paul and Presbyterian. The Medical Arts Building (see photo below right) had been losing occupants and was not exclusively occupied by physicians. The building's owner, Republic Bank, began to tear down the building, but because it was so well-built, the demolition took 18 months and cost $1.8 million more than it cost to build.

1979
DCMS members were hosts to the freshman class of Southwestern Medical School at the first "fellowship banquet," now known as the Annual Student Dinner.

1985
DCMS moved to its newly constructed headquarters in Oak Cliff at 140 E. Twelfth St. DCMS cosponsored the first Health Check with the DCMS Alliance. Together, the two organizations sponsored the new Health and Medical Exhibit at The Science Place as their Sesquicentennial project. DCMS had approximately 2500 members.

DCMS members Michael Stuart Brown, MD, and Joseph Leonard Goldsein, MD, were awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine for their research at UT Southwestern Medical Center of low-density lipoprotein receptors.

1990
Membership approaches 5000.

1995
DCMS elected its first African-American president, James L. Sweatt III, MD. (see photo right)

1997
DCMS MedExplore, an information technology expo for physicians, was held. In October DCMS launched its Web site, www.dallas-cms.org.

Michael J. Darrouzet was named executive officer upon the retirement of Robert Heath. (see photo left)

2000
Membership approached 6000 at the turn of the 21st century. Physicians learn to cope with the growing use of Internet technology in their practices. Privacy is a chief concern.

2001
DCMS' second female and African-American president, Carolyn Evans, MD, takes office. Approximately 80 percent of membership is online.