The Los Angeles County Medical Association (LACMA) collection of prints and ephemera contains over 200 printed items related to the medical profession, including satire, medical curiosities, significant figures in the history of medicine, architectural views of hospitals, and the early years of LACMA itself. Many of the prints are engravings, some are lithographs, and a small selection are reproductions printed during a later period. The collection also includes personal correspondence, medical certificates and photographs of members of LACMA. The materials date from 1644 to 1946, although the bulk of the material dates from the late 18th to early 19th centuries. The collection covers topics including medicine, health, pharmaceuticals, patent medicines, quacks and quackery spanning over five centuries, as well as social perspectives on both the practices and practitioners in these fields.

The Los Angeles County Medical Association was founded on January 31, 1871 by a group of seven physicians, including Dr. Levi Dorr, Dr. William Edgar, Dr. John Griffin, Dr. Henry Orme, Dr. T. H. Rose, and Dr. Joseph Widney. Over the remainder of the 19th century the group contributed to the founding of several medical institutions in Southern California, including the first hospitals and clinics in Los Angeles, and in 1885 the medical school at the University of Southern California, with Joseph Widney serving as dean. In 1891, Joseph Widney became president of USC while remaining dean of the medical school. In addition to curing disease and caring for patients, the organization today emphasizes its commitment to social advocacy for physicians by battling escalating healthcare costs, intervening in malpractice lawsuits, and defending the autonomy of physicians.

18.82 Linear Feet (7 boxes, 1 oversize folder)

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