History of PAADV
Dr. Henry Hollingsworth Smith is credited with starting the organization.
Among Dr. Smith's many accomplishments, he was an Emeritus professor of
surgery, medical author and President of the Philadelphia County Medical
Society (PCMS). Aware that the New York Medical Society had established a
fund for "the relief of widows and orphans of medical men" in the early 1850s,
and that the Massachusetts Medical Benevolent Association in Boston had
been established for the same purpose in 1857, Dr. Smith was inspired to
create a similar endowment in Philadelphia. In February of 1878, he presented
the idea to other PCMS members and the concept was approved that May. In
September, the Phila. Court of Common Pleas granted a charter to the group and
The Mutual Aid Association of the Philadelphia County Medical Society
(the Association) was incorporated. *
Writing about the history of the Association in 1930, Dr. James Anders described a
dedication to "relieve professional distress wherever found to exist," but
particularly to help "those members of the medical profession who, through
misfortune, failing health or the infirmities of age have fallen into poverty."
To become members of the Association and thereby eligible for financial aid,
physicians were required to join the medical society and make either an annual $5
or a one-time $50 contribution to the Association fund.
The original organization "consisted of a President, Vice-President, Treasurer,
Secretary, a 12-member Board of Directors, and various standing committees, the
chief one of which [being] the Committee on Benevolence" which was composed
of three Directors. Each Director was required to pay into the fund. Dr. Anders noted
that "So carefully are the applicants investigated by the Committee that none of those
who have received financial aid have been found to be unworthy."
In 1902,
the name of the organization was changed to The Aid Association of the
Philadelphia County Medical Society (the Aid Association).
Eligibility for assistance was expanded to include all members
of the PCMS, regardless of whether or not they contributed to the fund.
In 1920,
the Philadelphia Court approved an amendment to the charter allowing the
Aid Association to provide financial assistance to the families of all needy
physicians who had worked in the Philadelphia area, not just PCMS
members.
Of note, the Medical Society of the State of Pennsylvania also has a long-
standing Benevolence Committee with its own Board of Directors, mission
and funds, potential beneficiaries being all physicians in PA.
In 1929,
wanting to avoid conflicts of interest, the Aid Association added a clause to
its by-laws limiting membership on the Board of Directors to physicians not
serving as officers of any other organizations with the same goal of providing
financial assistance to physicians or their families.
Wishing to make clear its lack of affiliations, they also added a clause specifying
that it had always and forever would be independent of all other organizations,
and prohibiting any future mergers or joint activities.
In 1932,
membership dues were increased to an annual $20 or one-time $500 contribution to
the Aid Association fund.
In 2000,
the Board of Directors voted to change the name of the organization to The
Physicians Aid Association of the Delaware Valley (PAADV), and the geographic
area for eligible physicians was expanded to include southeastern PA and
southern NJ. In 2005, those changes were filed with and approved by the state.
In addition, all life members of record were notified that the previous membership
policy was to be dissolved, and the collection of membership dues was discontinued.
In 2011,
A charter amendment was approved to expand the mission of the organization to
include support of charitable activities at The College of Physicians of Philadelphia,
as well as funding of medical school education. Scholarship fund donations are
made annually to medical schools situated within PAADV's area of influence.
During the first few decades of the Association's existence, financial
assets consisted only of membership dues and bequests. Investments
were limited to very safe securities that earned a low rate of interest. For
years, aid was primarily limited to a $400 annuity for widows and a $100
annuity for minor children, and sufficient funds were available under
these restrictions.
However, there have not always been enough resources for the Aid
Association to meet its goals. For instance, in 1912, plans to establish
a home for aging physicians and their spouses were considered but
abandoned due to the costs involved. In the 1920s and 30s, the Aid
Association was "compelled to deny assistance to many applicants for
lack of funds." During WW2, efforts were concentrated on helping to
support spouses and children of doctors who went to war but did not
return, leaving others without this source of relief.
Since the 1980s, prudent financial investment has resulted in substantial
growth of the PAADV endowment, allowing us now to assist all of our
beneficiaries in the amounts recommended by the Benevolence Committee.
Quotes and historical information obtained from the following:
1. University Archives & Records Center: Henry Hollingsworth Smith 1815 - 1890.
https://archives.upenn.edu/exhibits/penn-people/biography/henry-hollingsworth-smith/
2. James M. Anders, M.D., ScD., LL.D., "History of the Aid Association of Philadelphia," in Philadelphia: World's Medical Centre, 1930, Essay #13, pgs. 45-48.
available at https://archive.org/details/PhiladelphiaWorldsMedicalCentre/PhiladelphiaWorldsMedicalCentre
3. John B. Roberts, M.D., "The Necessity of Physicians' Aid Association," JAMA, 28 May 1892. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/469407
4. "Mutual Aid Association of the Philadelphia County Medical Association for the relief of the
indigent widows and orphans of physicians, Addresses delivered at the public meeting held December 16, 1891."
https://collections.nlm.nih.gov/catalog/nlm:nlmuid-101685011-bk
5. "Addresses delivered before the Mutual Aid Association of the Philadelphia County Medical Society for the relief of the widows and orphans of medical men, December 14, 1892." https://collections.nlm.nih.gov/catalog/nlm:nlmuid-101157748-bk
6. "Annual Meeting in the Interest of the Mutual Aid Association," December 13, 1893, from the PAADV files, other published sources not found.
7. Charter and by-laws of the Mutual Aid Association of the Philadelphia County Medical Society: Philadelphia: Collins Printing House, 1884. https://collections.nlm.nih.gov/catalog/nlm:nlmuid-101685012-bk
* Official documents with the PA Department of State Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations indicates the date of incorporation to have been 9/27/1877 rather than 9/27/1878.
However, all other sources suggest the latter date to be accurate.