To guide, serve and support Delaware Physicians, promoting the practice and profession of medicine. It is the third oldest society of its kind in the US.
Uniting Delaware's healthcare leaders for excellence in medicine. ๐ฉบ MSD was founded in 1776 and incorporated on February 3, 1789, only 12 days after President Washington took his oath of office.
08/12/2025
๐ฆบ It's ! From August 11-17, join the Medical Society of Delaware in celebrating ๐๐๐๐โ๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐ + ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ ๐๐๐๐ค. This yearโs focus: emergency preparedness and responseโbecause preparedness is your superpower!
Every workplace can be safer. Whether youโre in healthcare or any other field, developing effective emergency action plans and increasing safety training can save lives, prevent injuries, and foster a culture of safety. Together, we can ensure Delawareโs workers are ready for anything.
Get involved: review your safety & health programs, host training sessions, and share resources throughout the week. Letโs build safer, healthier workplaces for everyone!
๐๐๐ฉ๐ ๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ง๐๐๐ค๐๐ซ๐ฌ? ๐๐ก๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ญ๐ก! ๐ ๐ฆธ
Join us on October 18, 2025, for the Superhero for Hope 5K Run! Dress as your favorite superhero, run for a cause, and make a difference! ๐
Happy Friday! Looking for some fun adventures this weekend... whether it's a peaceful Kayak Tour in Felton, a family friendly AFRAM Festival in Seaford, exciting Skimboarding Championship in Dewey Beach or Irish Dancing competition at the Wilmington Riverfront... Delaware has got you covered! Have a great weekend and tag MSD with your weekend pics!
08/07/2025
๐ Flashback to last yearโs epic start! ๐ฆธโ๏ธ๐ฆธโ๏ธ
Our ๐๐ญ๐ก ๐๐ง๐ง๐ฎ๐๐ฅ ๐๐ฎ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ก๐๐ซ๐จ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ง/๐๐๐ฅ๐ค & ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ญ๐ก ๐ ๐๐ข๐ซ is almost hereโSaturday, October 18th at Rockford Park!
Feel the energy, see the smiles, and join us this year as we come together for a heroic morning of fitness, fun, and community spirit. Whether you run, walk, or cheer, every superhero makes a difference!
๐๏ธ Mark your calendars!
๐ฆธ Register today & bring your friends and family!
๐ญ Costumes encouraged, positive vibes required!
MSDโs mission is to guide, serve, and support Delawareโs medical community. In the image below are some of the many ways we care for Delawareโcan you spot them all? ๐
Comment below with the first item you see and share how it helps keep you or your community healthy.
08/04/2025
Mark your calendars! National Health Center Week (NHCW) 2025 will be held from August 3-9, 2025. Join us in celebrating and recognizing the vital work of health centers across the nation.
Recommendations for Treatment Based on Disease Severity
๐ Arboviral diseases like dengue, chikungunya, Zika, and yellow fever arenโt just tropical issues anymoreโtheyโre spreading across the globe, including areas that haven't seen them before.
๐ก๏ธ Why? Climate change, urbanization, growing populations, and more travel mean these illnessesโand the mosquitoes that spread themโare reaching new places.
๐จโ๏ธ The World Health Organization (WHO) just released new global guidelines to help clinicians diagnose and treat these infections, especially in areas without advanced lab testing or healthcare resources.
๐ฌ The focus: clear, easy-to-follow recommendations to improve patient care and help stop the spread. Over 5.6 billion people are now at risk, so awareness and preparedness are more important than ever!
๐ WEEKENDER ALERT! ๐ Looking for family-friendly fun in Delaware this weekend? Check out these must-see events happening right here in the First State! ๐๐จ๐๏ธ๐
โจ Wyoming Peach Festival
โจ 52nd Annual Outdoor Fine Arts & Fine Craft Show
โจ Historic New Castle Saturday Market
โจ The Wizard of Oz show
Plan your weekend with our Weekender flyer! Enjoy fresh peaches, handmade art, local shopping, and a magical trip to Ozโsomething for everyone!
Today, we pause to reflect on the incredible dedication and compassion that define our medical community here in Delaware. Every day, our healthcare heroes show up with strength, empathy, and unwavering commitment to improving lives.
As we navigate challenges and celebrate victories, let us take a moment to be grateful โ not just for the advancements in medicine, but for the human connections that heal and inspire us all.
To every physician, nurse, staff member, and patient who makes our community stronger โ thank you for your resilience, your care, and your heart. Letโs continue to uplift one another and move forward with hope.
What are you thankful for this Thursday? Share your thoughts below! ๐
07/30/2025
๐จ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐๐ซ๐จ๐๐ฌ! ๐๐จ๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ก๐๐ซ๐จ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ ๐๐ญ๐ก ๐๐ง๐ง๐ฎ๐๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ง/๐๐๐ฅ๐ค & ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ญ๐ก ๐ ๐๐ข๐ซ! ๐ฆธโโ๏ธ๐ฆธโโ๏ธ
Do you have what it takes to be a hero for Delawareโs youth? Suit up in your favorite capeโreal or imaginedโand unite with us for the Superhero for Hope 5K Run/Walk and Health Fair!
๐ October 18th, 2025 โ Saturday
๐ Wilmington, DE
Take action for a healthier, safer, and smarter Delaware! Your stride supports the MSD Campaign for Kids, tackling seven urgent issues facing our young peopleโObesity, Bullying, Violence, Intelligent decision-making, Opioid misuse, Underage drinking, and Su***de. Together, we can make a difference and show that making safe, healthy, and OBVIOUS choices is the true superpower! ๐ฅ
This isnโt your ordinary 5K!
Hero-themed fun for families and all ages
Inspiring speakers and health resources
Fresh air, community spirit, and positive vibes!
๐ฆธโโ๏ธ Be more than a bystanderโbe OBVIOUSLY heroic! Register today, lace up those sneakers, and help us shine a spotlight on the issues that matter for Delawareโs youth future!
Weโre gearing up for the 7th Annual Superhero for Hope 5K Run/Walk & Health Fairโand this is your chance to power REAL change!
As Delawareโs Campaign for Kids continues its mission to fight issues like Obesity, Bullying, Violence, Opioid Abuse, Underage Drinking, Su***de, and empower Intelligent Decisions, weโre calling on our communityโs heroesโYOU and your organizationโto help us make a massive impact.
๐๐ก๐ฒ ๐๐ฉ๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐จ๐ซ?
๐ฆธโโ๏ธSupport the Campaign for Kids through the Medical Society of Delawareโs Delaware Medical Education Foundation.
๐ฆธโโ๏ธHelp bring vital education and resources directly to teens, families, schools, coaches, and health professionals.
๐ฆนโโ๏ธBe recognized as a leader who cares about the next generationโs health, safety, and hope!
With our Platinum sponsorship already filled, nowโs the time to claim your spot among Delawareโs champions for youth wellness.
Ready to join our league of sponsors?
๐ Mark your calendars: Saturday, October 18, 2025
๐ Donโt miss outโsponsorships are going fast!
Send us a message or visit the Medical Society of Delaware today to fuel hope, build healthier futures, and make a difference that matters. Because for Delawareโs kids, โItโs OBVIOUSโโtheyโre worth it.
07/27/2025
Capturing the best of Sunday vibes at the Delaware boardwalk! ๐โ๏ธ Even the concession stand names get you thinkingโlike, who names a snack spot โSeagull Foodโ? ๐ค๐ฆ (Weโre hoping for funnel cake, not actual seagull snacks!)
Tag a friend whoโd loveโor be super confused byโthis quirky boardwalk moment! ๐ข๐ฆ
P.S. Whatโs the weirdest concession stand name youโve ever seen? Drop your best (or most baffling) in the comments! ๐๐
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The Society is one of the oldest institutions of its kind in the United States and rich in history. It was founded in 1776 and incorporated on February 3, 1789, only 12 days after President Washington took his oath of office.
The first official meeting of the Society was held in Dover on May 12, 1789. It was called to order by Dr. James Tilton, who was unanimously elected chairman pro tem, and Dr. Edward Miller was chosen secretary. A committee consisting of Drs. Preston and Miller was appointed to prepare a draft of a constitution. The committee reported in the evening, and the constitution was ratified, after which the following were elected officers of the Society for the ensuing year: President: James Tilton, MD; Vice President: Jonas Preston, MD; Secretary: Edward Miller, MD; Treasurer: James Sykes, MD; Censors: Nicholas Way, MD, Matthew Wilson, MD, DD, Joshua Clayton, MD, and Nathaniel Luff, MD.
James Tilton, M.D., the Society's first President, became a crusader for sanitation and established the first isolation wards for contagious diseases, observations learned while serving as Regimental Surgeon during the Revolutionary War and afterwards in the War of 1812. Later, in 1813, Dr. Tilton was appointed the first Surgeon General of the U.S.
Regarding our Founding Fathers, at the Annual Meeting of the Society held in Dover on June 11, 1889 celebrating the centennial anniversary of the organization, Lewis P. Bush, MD, Delegate to the American Medical Association, commented on the beginnings of the Society and the period of time during which it was created. He stated, the Society was formed
โโฆunder difficult and discouraging circumstances; the roads were wretched, the conveyances uncomfortable, hotels anything but luxurious. Its purpose was for the mutual improvement, and to advance the knowledge of medicine for the benefit of mankind. We cannot but admire the esprit de corps which possessed these men, thus to demonstrate that they were not satisfied with their attainments, but sought still further, by mutual contributions of their observation and experience, to broaden their views and preserve a healthful association as members of the same brotherhood. The country needed such an association to hold up a banner against the prevailing ignorance upon the subject of medicine, and to show the people that there was something better in the world than the nostrums of ignorant and unprincipled quacks and the domestic remedies of foolish old women. It was no childโs play to practi[s]e medicine in those days, when the physician was compelled to make his visits on horseback in the most inclement season of the year, and to carry his stock of medicines โ always including the indispensable calomel and jalap, Peruvian bark and Epsom salts โ in his saddlebags, glad even that his compensation would be made, if made at all, in corn or shucks, in cider or apple jack.โ
In 1822 an Act of the Legislature empowered the Society to appoint the members of the Board of Medical Examiners (now known as the Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline). This Board was given the duty of granting licenses for the practice of medicine in the state upon the presentation of a diploma conferred by a reputable college of medicine, or who otherwise submitted to a full, strict, and impartial examination by the Board and read a satisfactory thesis upon some medical subject. A penalty was imposed upon any one who should practice medicine in the State without proper authority from this Board. The fee for a medical license in 1822 was $10. Today, the Board is appointed by the Governor.
At the 1876 annual meeting, the Society appointed a committee of three to draft a bill establishing a State Board of Health. The act was finally passed by the General Assembly in 1879.
The annual meeting of 1880 is noted for the acceptance of the first "lady doctor," Josephine M. R. White, M.D., into its membership.
The advent of "modern medicine" came with the discovery in the late 19th century that bacteria and fungi were the cause of many common diseases, with the result that many physicians became interested in special areas of medicine. The turn of the century saw numerous health laws enacted pertaining to contagious diseases and the duties of the physicians in reporting them. The Medical Society of Delaware continued to be among the forerunners of public health improvements.
In 1909 the Delaware Medical Journal was established. The Journal's original purpose was to record the events of the annual meetings of the Society. The Journal today serves as a source of medical education, as well as continuing to document the Annual Meeting proceedings.
In May 2010, the Society moved into its permanent home, located at 900 Prides Crossing in Newark, Delaware. Since the inception of the organization, it did not have a permanent location to call its own, having no official address in its infancy to later utilizing physician offices or renting space. A time capsule was built within our building to include historical and present day items of significance and is scheduled to be opened at the 300th year anniversary of the organization.
Although much has changed in the medical profession, the principle upon which this Society of physicians was founded has remained steadfast: to further the medical profession in such a way that the health and well being of the citizens of Delaware can be enhanced. We exist to serve our members and, through them, the citizens of Delaware. We do this in four areas: advocacy, representation, public service, and education.
The original 27-member organization has grown to a present membership of over 1,600 physicians throughout the State of Delaware.
The Medical Society of Delaware continues its support of physicians in their vigor and spirit to advance the profession, which was the basis for its creation.
