FEATURE
THE FALLS CITY MEDICAL SOCIETY Is Still
Very Relevant Today!
Lewis Hargett, MD
T
he Falls City Medical Society (FCMS)
of Louisville, Ky., moves into its sec-
ond century of existence. I wanted to
share with you a brief history of the medical
organization. ness, eliminate health disparities and sustain physician viability.”
Thus, the need for an African-American medical professional orga-
nization was to carry out the NMA mission, because of the exclusion
and segregation of African-American medical professionals joining
the local, state and national medical societies.
The Falls City Medial Society is a chapter
affiliated with the National Medical Associa-
tion (NMA). The NMA is the oldest national
organization representing African-American physicians and people
of color in the United States. It was founded in 1895. In 1899, the third annual convention of the NMA was held in
Louisville. Following that meeting, a medical society for negro
physicians, pharmacies and dentists of Kentucky was formed. It
was named the Bluegrass Medical Society, but the name was later
changed to the Falls City Medical Society (FCMS). FCMS is the
local NMA affiliate in Louisville and the largest NMA chapter in
the Commonwealth of Kentucky. It is a non-profit organization and
is governed by the bylaws of the NMA. FCMS continues to support
the mission of the NMA.
C.V. Roman, MD, was an NMA Founding Member. He was
also the first editor of the Journal of the NMA in 1908. Dr. Roman
stated, “Conceived in no spirit of racial exclusiveness, fostering
no ethnic antagonism, but born of the exigencies of the American
environment, the National Medical Association has for its object
the banding together for mutual cooperation and helpfulness, the
men and women of African descent who are legally and honorably
engaged in the practice of the cognate professions of medicine,
surgery, pharmacy and dentistry.”
He further stated that “the mission of the NMA was to advance
the art and science of medicine for people of African descent through
education, advocacy and health policy to promote health and well-
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LOUISVILLE MEDICINE
FCMS members were instrumental in forming the Red Cross
Hospital, the first African-American owned pharmacy in Louis-
ville, operating the Louisville National Medical College (to educate
physicians and nurses) and electing a past president of the NMA.
However, the 1950s brought change, and we saw many firsts for
the Louisville African-American medical community. The University
of Louisville admitted its first African-American medical student.
Dr. Maurice Rabb was admitted as a member of the Jefferson County