Physicians Relief Fund Records, 1974-2005

Historical Note

The Physicians Relief Fund, Inc. was incorporated in 1974 in the State of New York to provide financial relief or loans to physicians and their dependents in times of need. This perpetuation of the tradition of professional solidarity emerged from the Fund’s history as a committee (Physicians Loan and Relief Fund), as of 1929, of the Medical Society of the County of New York, in association with – among others - the Eastern Medical Society (dissolved 1948).

Within the Physicians Relief Fund, corporate officers and Board members (composed mostly of M.D.s) served on a volunteer basis, engaging legal and professional assistance as needed. At monthly meetings recommendations and applications for assistance were reviewed, as were the awards from the David and Dorothy Merksamer Scholarship Fund, a program of assistance to students and scholars demonstrating need, on behalf of the Medical Society of the County of New York as of 1997-1998.

Improved access to greater social security resources and scholarship award practices were among the factors that led to the dissolution of the corporation in 2005, involving the generous disbursement of corporate assets in favor of the Physicians Home and Columbia University.

Collection Description

Consists of document groups, acts and correspondence, reflecting the four-decade span of the association's corporate life and philanthropic activities. While most of the collection consists of copies of final administrative records, the collection includes minutes of executive meetings, assessment of applications for relief, reports, correspondence, financial records, and copies of documents that relate to the historical background to the PRF’s incorporation (records located primarily in Series II, Folders 1 and 4.). These papers contain personal records and reference to individual applicants’ private circumstances. No original pre-1974 documents are present.

Administrative Info

Requests for permission to quote from or publish any materials should be directed to the reference librarian or curator in writing. The names of aid recipients may not be published.

Preferred Citation

Physicians Relief Fund. The Drs. Barry and Bobbi Coller Rare Book Reading Room, New York Academy of Medicine Library.

Provenance

Donated by the trustees of the Physicians Relief Fund, Inc. in 2006, presented by David L. Goldblatt, LLD.

Collection Contents

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Index Terms

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