Medical meetings in Texas ceased during the Civil War, and meetings in San Antonio did not resume until 1876. The Western Texas Medical Association was chartered on December 29, 1876, for a period of 25 years in lieu of the former Bexar Medical Society. George Cupples, Ferdinand Herff, and others were the primary creators of the association, which met in San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas with the purpose of “cultivating the science of Medicine, of elevating the status of the members of the Medical Profession, and of promoting professional and social intercourse among them.” Its charter expired in 1902 and was renewed with the creation of the West Texas Medical Association, chartered on February 24, 1902, with the same purpose for another 50 years. Trustees included Drs. B. F. Kingsley, F. Herff, C. E. R. King, Wm. Luter and W. B. Russ. This new association was short-lived, however, as the plan of organization by counties sponsored by the American Medical Association was accepted by the State Association on April 27, 1903. At a meeting of the physicians of Bexar County on July 9, 1903, the Bexar County Medical Society was organized.
Sources:
Nixon, Pat Ireland. A century of medicine in San Antonio : the story of medicine in Bexar County, Texas. San Antonio, Tex: Privately published by the author, 1936.
From the guide to the West Texas Medical Association Records AR 74., 1876-1902, (University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, UTHSC Libraries, University Archives, San Antonio, TX 78229-3900)
