A Medical Torch Spanning Three Centuries: From 1867 to the Present
Our Origins: The Legacy of the “Medical Olympics”
The foundations of the International Medical Association (IMA) are deeply rooted in the golden age of global medical collaboration during the nineteenth century. In 1865, Professor Henri Giutrac of France proposed a foundational vision for a transnational medical dialogue mechanism. This vision became a reality in 1867 in Paris with the inauguration of the first International Medical Congress (IMC), an event whose scale and impact were hailed by contemporaries as the “Olympics of the Medical World”.
Our Historical Timeline
1867 Paris: Following the initiative of Henri Giutrac, the first International Medical Congress was established, inaugurating the tradition of global physicians gathering for scientific exchange.
1881 London: The Congress affirmed the vision that “science has no fatherland,” dedicated to the shared ideal of alleviating human suffering.
1897 Moscow: Demonstrating unprecedented global mobilization, the Congress established a worldwide scientific network by distributing thousands of multilingual announcements.
1900 Paris: The administrative tradition of naming offices after masters such as Pasteur and Charcot was established, strengthening the sense of identity within the global medical family.
2025 United States: The IMA is formally incorporated as a legal entity, elevating this historic “networked organism” into a modernized, institutionalized global body.
- Reference: https://iomj.ngoima.org/index.php/iomj/article/view/15
Our Mission
Around 1900, the International Medical Congress was described as a “complex networked organism”. Today, the IMA inherits this legacy and infuses it with modern vitality:
Institutionalized Collaboration: We transform the historic temporary networks—once maintained by periodic “relays”—into a stable platform with a permanent administrative center and legal status.
Reviving “Cosmopolitanism”: We revive the principle of “Ceremonial Cosmopolitanism,” aiming to transcend national and cultural barriers to build a truly mutual global medical dialogue.
Rebuilding an Integrative Perspective: Through our flagship International Open Medical Journal (IOMJ), we address the fragmentation of contemporary disciplines, reconstructing the holistic medical view and long-term knowledge accumulation pursued during the IMC era
Our Global Reach
The organizational structure of the IMA draws direct inspiration from the highly successful “National Committees” system of the late nineteenth century:
Regional Hubs: Honoring tradition through the administrative art of the 1900 Paris Congress, we name our regional hubs after the great pioneers of medical history.
Eliminating “Babel”: Addressing the “Babel-like” confusion caused by language barriers in nineteenth-century congresses, IMA utilizes modern digital technology to dissolve communication boundaries, ensuring every physician’s voice is heard by the world.
Leadership and Governance
IMA upholds the professional governance standards established since the 1875 Brussels Congress : Our Bureau and Executive Committee ensure the continuity, authority, and global transparency of our operations.
“Medical knowledge is a treasure belonging to all humanity; IMA is dedicated to ensuring this dialogue never ceases.”
