Mission
The mission of the Hartford Medical Society is threefold:
- To further the study of the history of medicine
- To promote the medical profession in the community
- To promote collegiality among its members
The Hartford Medical Society has been in continuous existence for over 160 years. The Society’s rules, adopted September 15th of 1846, state: “The object of this Society, is to maintain the practice of Medicine and Surgery in this city upon a respectable footing; to expose the ignorance and resist the arts of quackery; and to adopt measures for the mutual improvement, pleasant intercourse, and common good of its members.” The rules were specific, not only about how meetings should be conducted, but how to enroll new members and what fees should be charged for services rendered.
History of the HMS Historical Library
1846 – Hartford Medical Society founded. Library acquired from recently disbanded Hopkins Medical Society.
1848 – Library housed in space in Wadsworth Athenaeum. Society meets in members’ homes.
1858 – Library moved to newly built Hartford Hospital. Society meets there as well.
1880 – Society moves meetings to offices of the Hartford Medical Library and Journal Association at 49 Pearl Street, Hartford
1889 – Medical Library and Journal Association disbands; adds their collection to that of HMS.
1898 – HMS builds their first Hunt Memorial building at 38 Prospect Street, Hartford.
1955 – HMS builds their second Hunt Memorial building at 230 Scarborough Street, Hartford.
2009 – HMS Historical Library moved to UConn Health, Farmington, CT.
Policies & Procedures
Price list for reproductions and services
Request for permission to publish form
Contact
Executive Director
Tessa O’Sullivan
The Markens Group
1350 Main St., Suite 1508
Springfield, MA 01103-1670
Phone: (860) 586-7573