SFMMS 150th: 1868 - Responding to Smallpox Outbreak February 8, 2018 150th 150th 0 Four months after the San Francisco Medical Society was formed in 1868, San Francisco experienced an outbreak of smallpox. The medical society discovered poor medical care for smallpox patients, and a serious lack of facilities to care for the growing epidemic. Medical society members immediately pushed for a vaccination program and for a new isolation hospital to be built, and demanded that humane care be provided to their patients. During this time, the medical society established itself as a strong advocate for patients. The society also helped establish a new hospital which would grow into a nationally- and internationally-recognized institution – Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital. #SFMMS150th Comments are closed.
