Berliner Medizinische Gesellschaft

The Berliner Medizinische Gesellschaft is a scientific medical society based in Berlin. According to its website, it was one of the first scientific physicians' associations in Germany and its history reaches back to 1844. It contributed significantly to making Berlin the centre of modern medicine in the late 19th century, and today it offers a platform for the exchange and dissemination of research results in medicine. Its events take place regularly at the Langenbeck-Virchow-Haus in Berlin-Mitte, the society's headquarters.

The history of the Berliner Medizinische Gesellschaft begins with the founding of the Gesellschaft für wissenschaftliche Medizin on 5 December 1844 by 18 younger Berlin physicians. They met regularly under a strict set of rules, and according to the association's statutes medical questions could be treated only on a scientific basis — a deliberate rejection of the natural-philosophical and other non-scientific theories that still largely dominated medicine at the time. Many of Berlin's leading physicians soon belonged to the society; around 1857 it had about 100 members, and Rudolf Virchow (1821–1902), who had just returned from Würzburg, took over the chairmanship. In March 1858 another medical society, the Verein Berliner Ärzte, was founded; it immediately had 115 members and elected the ophthalmologist Albrecht v. Graefe (1828–1870) as its chairman. Because many physicians were members of both societies, the two associations merged on 31 October 1860 to form the Berliner Medizinische Gesellschaft. The new society had 204 members, and its first chairman was Albrecht v. Graefe. At that time Berlin was preparing to replace Paris and Vienna as the centre of medicine, and by the turn of the century the city had developed into the world metropolis of medicine; the Berliner Medizinische Gesellschaft made an important contribution to this and became a central institution in medical Berlin. Around 1900 it had over 1,200 members, among them the leading representatives of Berlin medicine as well as many physicians in private practice. Members attended about 30 sessions a year.

A scientific medical society and platform for the exchange and dissemination of medical research.

1. 1Home - Berliner Medizinische Gesellschaftberliner-medizinische-gesellschaft.de
2. 2GESCHICHTE - Berliner Medizinische Gesellschaftberliner-medizinische-gesellschaft.de
3. 3Geschichte der Berliner Medizinischen Gesellschaft - Berliner Medizinische Gesellschaftberliner-medizinische-gesellschaft.de
4. 4Vorsitzende seit 1844 - Berliner Medizinische Gesellschaftberliner-medizinische-gesellschaft.de
5. 5Berliner Medizinische Gesellschaftwikidata.org