II.

Founding and Early History

In the early 1840s most doctors learned through apprenticeships, and many did not attend medical school. Anyone could work as a doctor, with or without a medical license. In 1845 New York physician Nathan Davis introduced a resolution to the New York Medical Society calling for American physicians to establish a nationwide professional association to help regulate the practice of medicine. In May 1847 about 250 delegates from across the country gathered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and created the American Medical Association. The organization’s primary tasks were to raise ethical standards in the medical field, establish ways to disseminate information to members and the public, and create national standards for medical education. In 1858 the AMA created the Committee on Ethics, now called the Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs, to write and implement an ethics code for American medical professionals. Davis served as president of the AMA from 1864 to 1865 and became the first editor of JAMA in 1883. The AMA incorporated in 1897.

In the early decades of the 20th century, the AMA took an influential role in establishing standards for medical schools, medical boards, hospital internship programs, medical specialty training, and other areas of healthcare and the medical profession. In 1942 the AMA established the Liaison Committee on Medical Education to maintain standards for medical undergraduate programs and to accredit medical schools in the United States and Canada. In 1951 the AMA, along with four other associations of medical professionals, formed the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals, which became the leading accreditation body for hospitals and healthcare organizations in the United States. The group changed its name to the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations in 1987.