The Danish Society of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (DSOG) and its history

Abstract

The founding of DSOG

On a dark evening on October 5th, 1898, the ”Forening for Gynækologi og Obstetrik i København, Association for Gynaecology and Obstetrics in Copenhagen”, was founded at a meeting in the Fødselsstiftelsen [Institution for Delivery] in Amaliegade in Copenhagen. The association was the first association for a medical specialty in Denmark, preceding all other medical specialties. Birth assistance has evidently been practiced since the very beginning of mankind, although only much more recently as an obstetric discipline by doctors and midwives. The specialty of gynaecology was in 1898 relatively new, and the boundary between surgery and gynaecology was still being discussed. In 1960 the name of the association was changed to Danish Society of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (DSOG) and for the sake of consistency, this name will mostly be used in this narration. At the founding meeting in 1998 eighteen middle-aged or elderly men attended. New members needed to be invited - one could not just register as you do today. Two founding fathers will be emphasized. [abbreviated]