I.
This organization shall be called The Society of Clinical Surgery.
II.
The activities of this Society shall be directed toward the general advancement of surgery, an object to be sought by:
- The stimulation of its members to work along lines of original thought and investigation, whether in the clinic, laboratory, or library.
- The development and improvement of methods of surgical teaching.
- Such free and informal interchange of ideas, pertaining to the above subjects as a limited membership and common aims make possible.
(The essential feature of the organization is that it affords members opportunities in their own institution of demonstrating personally before the Society such advances in operative methods and surgical teaching as are susceptible of demonstration, and of presenting the results of allied investigations – whether clinical, pathological or experimental. As it is the aim of the Society to encourage the presentation of subjects by objective methods rather than by the formal reading of papers, few, if any written communications shall be allowed.)
III.
Qualifications for Active Membership:
Active members shall be persons engaged in the practice and teaching of surgery between the ages of 30 and 55 years; after 55, they shall become senior members. They shall have official connection with some medical educational institution, whether school, hospital, or laboratory.
By contributions to medical literature, they shall have demonstrated their capacity for progressive work in the field of surgery.
Absence of an active member from two consecutive meetings of the Society will be regarded as resignation from membership. At the discretion of the executive council, a member may be re-instated prior to the third consecutive meeting. (Amended November 2018)
IV.
Senior Members:
With the exception of being nominated to hold office, senior members shall enjoy all the privileges of the Society, including the vote. The attendance rule (Article Ill) shall not apply to senior members. They shall be allowed to pay dues up to the age of 65.
V.
Officers of the Society shall be a President, a Vice-President, a Secretary, and a Treasurer.
The President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer shall constitute the Council of the Society.
Their terms of office shall be two years.
The Vice-President shall be President-Elect and assume the office of President in due course.
The officers of the Society shall be elected by majority vote of those present at the appropriate annual meeting.
VI.
There shall be a Committee on Admissions, to consist of five members whose terms of office shall be five years each, one of them, in order of seniority, to retire annually. The Secretary shall act as a member of this committee ex-officio.
VII.
The Program Committee for the annual meeting shall consist of the President, President-Elect, and host(s) for that meeting.
VIII.
A Nominating Committee of three, consisting of the President, President-Elect, and immediate Past President, shall nominate all officers, as well as the members of the Committee on Admissions to be voted for.
IX.
In the case of vacancies, out of course, occurring among officers or members of the Committee on Admissions, the Council shall appoint substitutes to serve until the next annual meeting.
X.
The duties of the President shall be to preside at all meetings of the Society and of the Council, and to exercise such other functions as shall be hereinafter suggested.
XI.
In the absence of the President, the Vice-President shall act in his or her stead.
XII.
The Secretary shall keep a record of all meetings; shall send copies (electronic or printed) of the minutes to the members after every meeting; shall notify members of their election; shall conduct the correspondence of the Society; and shall carry on such other business as commonly falls to the office of a corresponding and recording secretary.
XIII.
The Treasurer shall collect and disburse the funds of the Society. He or she shall keep books and make an annual report to the Society.
XIV.
The Council shall arrange for all meetings of the Society. They shall levy assessments as may seem advisable. They shall appropriate money for necessary expenses; in general, they shall report to the Society from time to time such observations, facts and recommendations as they may deem suitable.
XV.
The number of active members of the Society shall be limited to 60.
The Committee on Admissions shall be required at each annual meeting to submit to the Society for vote not more than twice as many names as there are vacancies.
Every nomination for membership shall be in writing, signed by two members; and each signer shall write to the Committee on Admissions giving full information regarding the candidate he proposes. The Committee on Admissions shall not consider any candidate until the above requirements have been fulfilled. Active members shall not be over 45 years of age at the time of their election. This requirement, however, may be modified in exceptional cases at the discretion of the Society.
The names of candidates who have not been acted upon favorably after three years shall be dropped from the list, but they may be proposed again for membership after a two-year interval.
All proposals of membership by the Committee on Admissions shall be voted upon individually by ballot. Five blackballs of those members present and voting shall constitute a rejection of the candidate for membership in the Society.
XVI.
Candidates for honorary membership may be proposed by joint action of the Council and the Committee on Admissions. Election to honorary membership requires unanimous ballot of those members voting at the annual business meeting. Only one (1) honorary member may be elected per year.
The Society shall hold an annual meeting at which time all routine business shall be
transacted.
XVII.
This Constitution and any by-laws may be amended by a vote of two-thirds of members present at any annual meeting of the Society provided the proposed changes have been read at the next preceding meeting and published in the report of that meeting.
XVIII.
This Society may be dissolved by 2/3 vote of the membership. Action to dissolve the Society must be preceded by notification of the members in due time before an annual or special meeting that such action will be considered. The vote will be conducted by mail by the Secretary after there has been open discussion at such a meeting. Upon dissolution, the assets of the Society, if any, will be donated to such non-profit medical educational institutions as may be designated by majority vote.