House Concurrent Resolution 51

(As Adopted by House)

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION COMMENDING THE MISSISSIPPI STATE MEDICAL ASSOCIATION UPON ITS 150TH ANNIVERSARY.

WHEREAS, the Mississippi State Medical Association was founded in 1856 for the purpose of uniting the medical profession in Mississippi to advance medical knowledge, devising a standard of medical education and enacting and enforcing just medical laws in order that the profession could better serve the public; and

WHEREAS, one of the first official acts of the association was to request that the Mississippi Legislature create a State Board of Health, which was subsequently created in 1877; and

WHEREAS, despite losing ten percent of its members to yellow fever, the association took the leadership role in fighting the yellow fever epidemic that devastated the entire state in 1879; and

WHEREAS, at the urging of the association, the Mississippi Legislature, in 1882, enacted the first Medical Practice Act, which was later strengthened in 1899 to require that medical doctors be licensed by the State of Mississippi; and

WHEREAS, the association's efforts in 1895 led to the establishment by the Legislature of the State Department of Public Health; and

WHEREAS, in subsequent years the association's efforts have led to the establishment of Mississippi's only medical school, the Bureau of Vital Statistics in the Mississippi Department of Health, a sanatorium devoted to the treatment of tuberculosis, the eleemosynary board to oversee the state charity hospitals, educational standards for medical licensure and the Office of State Medical Examiner; and

WHEREAS, it is the policy of the Legislature to recognize and commend the work and contributions of such organizations as the Mississippi State Medical Association, which has pioneered growth and the advancement of health care throughout the state:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE SENATE CONCURRING THEREIN, That on the occasion of its 150th year anniversary, the Mississippi State Medical Association be commended for its advancement of high ethical standards among physicians, its insistence on the highest standards in medical education and training, and its leadership in the establishment of numerous state public health institutions, practices and facilities.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to the Mississippi State Medical Association and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.