Quick Answer: The American Society for Surgery of the Hand was founded in 1946 to facilitate the exchange of information related to problems of the hand. It is the oldest and largest medical specialty society in the United States devoted to the care of the hand. Hand surgery as a specialty grew out of the treatment of the hand injuries that occurred during World War II. Sterling Bunnell, MD, founder and first president of the ASSH, set up nine regional hand centers at U.S. Army bases throughout the United States during the 1940s. As World War II drew to a close, Bunnell suggested forming an organization to continue to foster interest in hand care. In January 1946, he and 34 hand surgeons, many of whom had worked in the Army hospitals, met immediately preceding the annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. The group continued to meet in conjunction with the AAOS annual meeting until 1987, when it held its first stand-alone annual meeting.