760

History

The American Downloaded from www.ajronline.org by 184.11.27.245 on 10/18/15 from IP address 184.11.27.245. Copyright ARRS. For personal use only; all rights reserved

Raymond

Academy

of Roentgenology

A. Gagliardi1

The Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor and the United States was involved in total war. The first Golden Age of Radiology (19201941) had ended, and the eventual cessation of hostilities would see a new orientation for certified specialists in all disciplines. The need of the armed services to categorize physicians’ skills would reinforce the need for documented training and certification. Radiology would eventually emerge from World War II poised for a new and greater

Golden Age. The Hodges brothers, Paul C. in Chicago and Fred J. in Ann Arbor, had been active and influential in radiologic education and radiologic organizations for many years. They had already started to consider

ways to strengthen equality the

with

radiology

senior

the

weaknesses

in the

to ensure its continued

clinical

specialties.

radiologic

and

members

and

organizational

too

many journals

work. We must recall that most radiology

growth

toward

In their perception, structure

too many societies

of the specialty:

fragmentation functions

one of was

the

with overlapping

competing

for original

at that time was done by

general radiologists, certified as equally skilled in diagnosis, radiation therapy, and the use of radium. The Hodges brothers believed that the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), the American College of Radiology (ACR), the American Roentgen Ray Society (ARRS), and the American Radium Society (ARS) were diluting the

American Journal of Radiology, but the opposition One of those most openly and strongly opposed

be slowed by a single egalitarian society. He feared that his battle might be lost and he decided fall-back

position

its own

organization

was highlighted by an outstanding combined Caldwell (ARRS)-Carman (RSNA) Lecture by Dr. Lawrence Reynolds, the distinguished bibliophile and Editor of the MR.

in the

smoothly

and

The Hodges’ joint

meeting

proposal and

there

resurfaced was

now

in the aftermath sufficient

interest

ofthe for

dergrass, secretary of the ARRS, to poll his membership page questionnaire soliciting their views on the subject.

with

Pena three-

The advan-

tages seemed obvious and the proposal was endorsed by some of America’s leading radiologists. Most of the ARRS membership al-

the

journal

edited would

major

April

1992 0361-803X/92/1584-0760

C American

Roentgen

Dr.

to adopt

amalgamate.

societies

a

Together

C Thomas, who pioneered in the publihe conceived the idea of the American incorporated in Illinois by Mr. Thomas, by Dr. Reynolds

be

more

and

elitist

published

in nature,

by Thomas.

requiring

defined

periods of practice

and evidence of scientific publication, just as was the case in the ARRS until not too many years ago. Indeed, it would not be too different from the ARRS of the time. It would be the appropriate place for the acknowledged leaders of the specialty. The war came to a close and radiology made a series of quantum leaps forward as the technological revolution changed the face of the specialty forever. The societies gradually assumed different roles and

new societies

and new journals

amalgamation

never got off the ground,

Intersociety

meetings Perhaps

Commission

appeared of the

it was

groups. a good idea. Perhaps

almost daily. The idea of

but echoes ACR

and

of that time recur the

annual

summit

of the subspecialty

it would

have created

more

than it solved. But the incomplete application for incorporation remains in the archives. The American Academy of Roentgenology was a marvelous name for an unborn child who never was to assume it. Perhaps one day in the appropriate setting it will rise again.

In preparation for the 1 995 centennial celebration of the discovery of the X-ray, the MR will periodically publish History Pages, up to and occurring around the time of the discovery. 1 Department of Radiology, St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, 900 Woodward Ave., Pontiac, MI 48341 -2985. Address reprint requests Information for this article was obtained from private letters in the Society archives. I am indebted to Nancy Knight who served as my cicerone in this endeavor. AJR 158:760,

was

problems

successful

Eugene

should

with the publisher, Charles cation of radiologic texts, Academy of Roentgenology, with

voice

significant.

union

there should be some place for the leaders in radiology who had established their credentials to congregate. He was genuinely concemed that the great strides made by competing organizations would

This

of a single

was

to

Reynolds, who was concerned about the ARRS losing its identity in the larger and well-organized RSNA. The AiR was his special project and he had poured much of his soul and even his personal funds into ensuring its success. He eventually served for 22 years as Editor, longer than any other before or since. Dr. Reynolds also thought that

by each going

influence

for all of radiology

ready held places in the RSNA and the ACR. Most of the RSNA members also paid their dues to the ACR, and the ARS was largely composed of members of the other three. The responses were varied. So many of the radiologists were still in uniform that a real consensus was hard to find. Some were all for it, with one even suggesting combining AJR and Radiology into a single journal to be called the

its separate way. They envisioned a single monolithic society formed by the merger of the Big Four, somewhat like the AMA, with sections for special situations and the publication of a single journal. In the beginning, there was little interest in the Hodges’ proposal because the war was everyone’s first priority. But as the Allies’ position improved after Midway and El Alamein, more consideration could be given to the nature of the postwar world and postwar radiology in particular. Because of wartime travel and hotel restrictions, the ARRS and RSNA agreed to hold a joint meeting in 1 944. The meeting went

potential

Page

Ray Society

which

deal with events

to R. A. Gagliardi.

leading