The Southern Surgical & Gynecological Association was founded in 1887 by Birmingham brothers and surgeons, Drs. W.E.B. and J.D.S. Davis. The organization was renamed the Southern Surgical Association (SSA) in 1916. Since the association’s first annual meeting on December 4-6, 1888, the publication of annual transactions has followed. These transactions include proceedings of the meetings as well as a publication of the scientific papers read therein, with transcriptions of subsequent paper discussions.

In 1987, Lister Hill Library (now part of UAB Libraries) at the University of Alabama at Birmingham became the official archival repository for the SSA. The Reynolds-Finley Historical Library holds all archival copies of the association’s transactions, and the UAB Archives holds the remainder of the association’s archives.

The archival volumes of the transactions are made available under the auspices of the Southern Surgical Association, and with funding from the Joseph M. Donald Memorial Endowment of the UAB Department of Surgery to support the SSA historical collection.

View the Transactions of the Southern Surgical Association Digital Collection.

Learn more about the history of the SSA, trace the development of surgical topics over more than 100 years within the transactions, and discover searching and browsing tips for the digital collection by exploring our Transactions of the Southern Surgical Association Research Guide.

Image: The insignia of the SSA, from the title page of the 1889 transactions.