They alone cannot succeed in perpetuating our specialty but have the assistance of the entire group.

      The New York Proctologic Society was founded in 1935 after six years of preparation.  Dr. Sydney Weston was instrumental in gathering the founding group which included Doctors Elmer Huppert, George Binkley, Arthur Landsman, Doug Palmer, Martin Synnot, Frank Yeomans, Harry Goldman, Martin Marino Sr., Meyer Freund, and Rudy Gorsch.

      The First Scientific Meeting was held on February 13, 1936.  The subject was Stricture of the Rectum presented by Dr. Binkley.  Dr. Yeomans offered a resume on Venereal Causation and Dr. Gorsch led a discussion on Congenital Malformations.  Dr. Landsman closed with a discussion of Postoperative Stenosis.  Those present at the original meeting, in addition to the above, were Doctors Huppert, Harry Goldman, J.D. Stewart, B. Krugman, Martin Marino Sr., Sylvan Manheim, Doug Palmer, Frank Frankfeldt, Meyer Freund, Max Cowlett, J. Levy, Isaac Skir, L. Moskowitz, G. Hamilton, A.M. Buda, S. Schapiro, S.H. Nerenstone, and S. Weston.

      Our scientific programs over the years continued to be superior.  We were one of the first societies to institute a question and answer type of program, and an early proponent of having the general practitioner join our scientific sessions.  We conducted one of the first cruise conventions in 1948, and repeated it successfully in 1962.  We invite distinguished men from other fields to help us in our deliberations - we've had the Dermatologist, the Pathologist, the Gastroenterologist, the Internist, the Radiologist, the Gynecologist, the Psychiatrist, the Pediatric Surgeon, the Urologist, and to help us further in the dissemination of knowledge, we have added to our roster a group of prominent general surgeons who have contributed to the lore of proctology.  It can plainly be seen that to attempt to list the achievements of the past thirty-five years would be impossible to the allotted space.  We are very proud of our past - but we are very humble as we consider the demands of the future.

      In 1960, The New York Proctologic Society became the New York Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons.

      In the words of Walter Scott - "The races of mankind would perish did they cease to aid each other.  From the time that the mother binds the child's head until the moment that some kind of assistant wipes the brow of the dying, we cannot exist without the manual help."

      The Society has prospered because it has maintained a succession of outstanding leaders.  They alone cannot succeed in perpetuating our specialty but have the assistance of the entire group.