The American Academy of Roentgenology.

Abstract

The Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor and the United States was involved in total war. The first Golden Age of Radiology (19201941) had ended, and the eventual cessation of hostilities would see a new orientation for certified specialists in all disciplines. The need of the armed services to categorize physicians’ skills would reinforce the need for documented training and certification. Radiology would eventually emerge from World War II poised for a new and greater Golden Age. The Hodges brothers, Paul C. in Chicago and Fred J. in Ann Arbor, had been active and influential in radiologic education and radiologic organizations for many years. They had already started to consider ways to strengthen radiology to ensure its continued growth toward equality with the senior clinical specialties. In their perception, one of the weaknesses in the radiologic organizational structure was the fragmentation of the specialty: too many societies with overlapping functions and members and too many journals competing for original work. We must recall that most radiology at that time was done by general radiologists, certified as equally skilled in diagnosis, radiation therapy, and the use of radium. The Hodges brothers believed that the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), the American College of Radiology (ACR), the American Roentgen Ray Society (ARRS), and the American Radium Society (ARS) were diluting the potential influence of a single voice for all of radiology by each going its separate way. They envisioned a single monolithic society formed by the merger of the Big Four, somewhat like the AMA, with sections for special situations and the publication of a single journal. In the beginning, there was little interest in the Hodges’ proposal because the war was everyone’s first priority. But as the Allies’ position improved after Midway and El Alamein, more consideration could be given to the nature of the postwar world and postwar radiology in particular. Because of wartime travel and hotel restrictions, the ARRS and RSNA agreed to hold a joint meeting in 1944. The meeting went smoothly and was highlighted by an outstanding combined Caldwell (ARRS)-Carman (RSNA) Lecture by Dr. Lawrence Reynolds, the distinguished bibliophile and Editor of the MR. The Hodges’ proposal resurfaced in the aftermath ofthe successful