[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 59 (Thursday, May 3, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E716-E717]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      HONORING THE ACADEMY OF MEDICINE OF TOLEDO AND LUCAS COUNTY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MARCY KAPTUR

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 3, 2001

  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to recognize the 
sesquicentennial of the Academy of Medicine of Toledo and Lucas County 
in my district. The organization celebrates this anniversary on June 
22, 2001.
  Eight Toledo physicians originally came together in 1851 to form the 
Toledo Medical Association, founded ``for the cultivation of the 
science of medicine and the promotion of public health, the advancement 
of the character and honor of the profession, and the elevation of the 
standards of the medical education.'' From the outset, the organization 
was aggressive in its efforts to raise the standard of medicine. This 
goal was accomplished by fighting quackery, stopping advertising by 
physicians, introducing professional standards and across-the-board 
fees for physicians, sharing knowledge of difficult cases and medicate 
advancements, and improving the quality of medical education by 
promoting a medical school. The Toledo Medical Society played an 
integral role in the development, birth, and growth of the former 
Toledo Medical College which was established in 1882.
  Following the Civil War, the Toledo Medical Association pioneered 
efforts in the new field of public health. The association worked to 
insure a safe milk and water supply, advocated for state-of-the-art 
treatment of tuberculosis, and promoted immunizations against 
devastating contagious disease. During this time the organization also 
helped the establishment of Toledo's hospitals.
  As the Toledo metropolitan area grew by the turn of the century, the 
Toledo Medical Association merged with the Lucas County Medical Society 
to form the current Academy of Medicine of Toledo and Lucas County. 
This combined organization enabled the medical profession to unite in a 
larger, more effective, political force and stronger advocates.
  As physicians in record numbers enlisted in the battle of World War 
I, the Academy supported their families and maintained their practices. 
At the end of the war during the influenza epidemic of 1918, many 
Academy members lost their lives including its first President, Dr. 
Julius Jacobson. In the decades between the two World Wars, the Academy 
continued to expand its outreach, forming a physician answering 
service--the first medical society to do so--and further developing 
effort to address diseases scourging the population like tuberculosis. 
Many society members answered the call during World War II, and in 
response to the Cold War which followed the Academy aided in the area's 
civil defense response. Public health initiatives continued, with the 
Academy focusing on public education in the 1960s and 1970s.
  As the nation reached a critical shortage of physicians in the 1970s, 
the Academy again spearheaded the establishment of a medical school. 
The Medical College of Ohio was established in Toledo in 1976 and 
trains physicians yet today. The Academy provides financial 
scholarships to outstanding students, and more than one-third of the 
school's graduates remain in the Toledo area.
  Meeting the challenges of the times, the Academy has been a driving 
force behind HIV/AIDS education, smoking prevention and cessation 
programs, childhood immunization programs, the battle against 
environmental degradation, and it has sought to find a role in the 
development of HMOs and other government health initiatives. Even while 
serving the Toledo area population, the Academy has also sponsored 
several medical missions promoting international health to the most 
impoverished of our world.
  From its beginning 150 years ago, the Academy of Medicine has been an 
organization at the forefront of quality health care, evolving as the 
times demand so that the organization and its members remain effective. 
I know it will continue to be a viable force for decades to come. I 
join with our community in recognizing the Academy of Medicine's 
achievements in the past 150 years, and look forward with anticipation 
to its future. No community in America could be served by a finer 
organization than ours. Onward.

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