The founding meeting of the Finnish Medico-Historical Society was held on 18. March 1961; at the time, the society was named Amici Historiae Medicinae. The founding of the society was put forth by the physician Gunnar Soininen, who, alongside his medical career, devoted much of his life’s work to the history of medicine and healthcare. The founding members represented various fields of healthcare and included physicians and nurses as well as pharmacists and veterinarians. The society strove to always make sure that the board had representatives of each field.
The current name was introduced as the statutes were reformed in 1980. Three years later the society decided to begin publishing the yearbook Hippokrates, and the first volume came out in 1984. Today, publishing the yearbook remains one of the most essential functions of the society. Similarly, the scientific presentations that have been a part of our meetings since the very beginning, continue to be a central activity.
For several decades the society worked closely with University of Helsinki medical history institute and museum, and the members actively participated in the work to increase the museum’s collections. Today, the collections are a part of the Helsinki University Museum, with which the society has often collaborated.
In the recent years the society has gained many new members that represent not only medical professionals and the natural sciences, but the humanities as well. As a result, the society’s role as a forum for encounters and dialogue and as a scientific actor has increased. In the latter half of the 2010s the society’s scientific activities were developed in many ways; the yearbook Hippokrates was given the peer-review label and the society began to organise a yearly Autumn seminar. The members of the current board have various backgrounds within the natural sciences and healthcare professions as well as the humanities, and the society continues to make sure that the board has a wide representation of different fields.
