This Day In Founding Fathers History – 7 May 2013

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This Day In Founding Fathers History – 7 May 2013

On this day in 1847, 258 delegates from 28 states attended a national medical convention at the hall of the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. They approved a resolution to establish the American Medical Association, with Dr. Nathaniel Chapman elected its first president. The goals of the association were “scientific advancement, standards for medical education, launching a program of medical ethics, and improved public health.” At this founding meeting, the delegates “adopted the first code of medical ethics, and established the first nationwide standards for preliminary medical education and the degree of MD.” ₁

In 1800 on this day, President John Adams approved the division of the Northwest Territory into two separate governments. The western portion became the Indiana Territory and the eastern portion remained the Northwest Territory. ₂

One notable birthday on this day in 1711, that of David Hume, Scottish philosopher, historian, economist and essayist. Hume had a big influence on the founders, most notably James Madison. Madison studied at Princeton (then the College of New Jersey), which was influenced greatly by the Scottish Enlightenment, of which Hume was a key intellectual. Hume’s works included: A Treatise on Human Nature, Enquiries concerning Human Understanding, and concerning the Principles of Morals. ₃

 

_{1 “The Founding of the AMA,” American Medical Association, www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/about-ama/our-history/the-founding-of-ama.page?
2 “Act Creating Indiana Territory, 1800,” Indiana Historical Bureau, www.in.gov/history/2452.htm
3 “David Hume,” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, plato.stanford.edu/entries/hume/}