1876

Founding of American Gynecological Society by Sims, Emmet, Thomas, Peaslee – all from NYC’s Woman’s Hospital (McGregor, 204,207). Early meetings and debates concerned cervical surgery. In 1877, nasty falling out and pamphlet war of Emmet, Thomas and Peaslee (on one side) and Sims (207ff.). German emigre Emil Noeggerath angered members by insisting 90% of sterile women suffered from gonorrhea contracted from husbands who had been treated for the disease and pronounced cured by their physicians (Stage, 83). He was vindicated in 1879 when Albert Neisser identified gonococcus under the microscope; it retained its infective power long after acute symptoms had passed (Stage, 83-84).