New York Academy of Medicine

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The New York Academy of Medicine was founded in 1847 by a group of leading New York City metropolitan area physicians as a voice for the medical profession in medical practice and public health reform. The Academy quickly established the Metropolitan Board of Health, the first modern municipal public health authority in the United States.

The Academy moved to its current location in 1926: 1216 Fifth Avenue, near Central Park in Manhattan. In recent years the Academy has functioned as an effective advocate in public health reform, as well as a major center for health education. The Academy Library, on premises, is one of the three largest medical collections in the United States and is open to general public. It is very extensive, including original writings by Sigmund Freud and a prototype of George Washington's dentures, constructed from actual teeth that were donated.

In 1939 the Academy prepared Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia's LaGuardia Commission report, that when released in 1944 infuriated Harry Anslinger and his campaign against marijuana.

Today, the Academy has over three-thousand Fellows, that include doctors, nurses, health care administrators, and professionals in all fields dedicated to maintaining and improving health.