[Persons, networks and institutions: on the founding of the German Society of History of Medicine and Natural Sciences].

In what way did the process of founding the "Deutsche Gesellschaft für Geschichte der Medizin und Naturwissenschaften" (1901), the world's oldest society for the history of science develop? This article combines approaches of the historiography of institutions with concepts focusing on individual persons. During the early period of the process August Hirsch and Theodor Puschmann were the most relevant scientists. The history of the "Gesellschaft Deutscher Naturforscher und Arzte" (GDNA) and their annual meetings mirror the difficult connection of medical history and medical geography or tropical medicine.