The demise and possible impending death of internal medicine

I can remember when being an internist was a really big deal. You were consulted on complex ,complicated cases and frequently some of whom were critically ill. In the city where I practiced , lets call it Metropolis,internists  were frequently the physicians to whom general practice physicians in outlying cities would send their patients who were very sick when they did not know either what was wrong with them or what to do (or if it was Friday afternoon on the weekends whenyou were not on call)

We used to complain abaout the Friday afternoon late call about from Dr. Brown who asked if could transfer Mrs Jone to your hospital. We were specialists and in an earlier era we were called diagnosticians .

Thee once was a organization called the Metropolitan Society of Internal Medicine. In its day there were several hundred members and monthly meeting were very well attended, often approaching 100 attendees. Membership  was not open to anyone who called himself an Internist, you had to be Board Certified or Eligible to apply and there was a membership committee who oversaw the approval process.

I remember the last meeting I attended whee the members and guests were seated a one long table seating about 15 people. Today there is no such society.

I recently  scanned the County medical society bulletin and say many other societies listing their dates for meetings.The internists society was no longer listed.