Activities of the American College of Radiology

Abstract

At the Meeting of the Southern Medical Association in 1951, Dr. John S. Bouslog presented a résumé of the activities of the American College of Radiology. Dr. Bouslog has kindly given Radiology permission to use this material editorially and we present it here in somewhat abbreviated form. * * * * * What are the functions of the American College of Radiology? Some idea of the history of the organization may help to give an answer to this question. The idea of creating a national organization in the United States to promote high ideals in the practice of radiology and to recognize achievement in the profession originated in the mind of the late Dr. Albert Soiland, of Los Angeles, in 1922. The first assembly and convocation of the College was held in Chicago on June 11, 1924, and in that year a charter was received from the State of California, whereby the College became a regularly incorporated not-for-profit association. Its object, as stated in the Constitution and Bylaws adopted at the organization meeting, was “to create a fellowship among medical men who have distinguished themselves in the science of Radiology.” Conceived as an honorary society, the College originally limited its Fellowship to one hundred (100), but in 1930 the By-laws were amended to provide for the election of not more than five new Fellows each year. By 1935, the entire medical profession in the United States was becoming acutely aware of powerful social and economic forces affecting the practice of medicine, and at the annual conferences of the College there was considerable discussion concerning these matters as they affected the practice of radiology. Already the College had extended the scope of its functions and was no longer merely an honorary society. It had proposed and accomplished the organization of a Section on Radiology in the Scientific Assembly of the American Medical Association. Later it instigated a movement that culminated in the creation of the American Board of Radiology for the certification of specialists in this field. It had created a Commission on Medical Economics, with Dr. A. C. Christie, of Washington, D. C., as chairman, for the purpose of studying and making recommendations concerning the economic aspects of radiology. A Commission on Education had been appointed to evaluate facilities and establish standards for graduate training in radiology, and in 1936, under the direction of this Commission, the first Conference of Teachers of Clinical Radiology was held for the purpose of discussing teaching problems and educational standards. In 1937, the Board of Chancellors of the College suggested to the American Roentgen Ray Society, the Radiological Society of North America, and the American Radium Society, the creation of an Inter-Society Committee for Radiology to be supported by the funds of all four societies. This suggestion was adopted, an executive secretary was employed, and an ambitious and effective program was set in motion.