The Association of Surgeons of India was established in 1938 due to the felt need by the surgeons of the country to have a forum where they could share their ideas, experiences and expertise.

At the All India Medical conference held in 1937 at Chennai, the idea started to take shape. With the untiring efforts of Dr. R. N. Cooper, Sir A. Lakshmanaswamy Mudaliar, Dr. S. R. Joglekar, Dr. Mulgaonkar, Dr. L. M. Bannerji and Dr. A. E. D’sa, the association was registered in October 1938. The first meeting was held at the King Edward Memorial Hospital, Mumbai.

Under the mentorship of Sir A. Lakshmanaswamy Mudaliar and Dr. A. Venugopal, the then Honorary Secretary, land was acquired from the Government of Tamil Nadu for establishment of the A.S.I. headquarters.

The foundation stone was laid on 3rd July, 1983, under the auspices of Prof. Tara Chanda, the then President of the Association. The present building runs in three floors with the library, office and council on the ground, convention hall on the first and the history of medicine museum on the top floor.

In 1987, the president of A.S.I. Prof. Rangabhashyam, with the available funds and loans, constructed the Auditorium of the association. The auditorium, in its present shape has a capacity of 1500 with state of the art facilities.

Since its inception, the association has been publishing a journal “Indian Journal of Surgery”. For the first 2 years, it was published from Mumbai with Dr. S. R. Mulgaonkar and Dr. V. L. Parmar as joint editors but now its published from Chennai. Presently, the journal is published bimonthly.

The Association of Surgeons of India consists of 26 state chapters and several city branches facilitating the exchange of ideas and experience among local surgeons within a state or a city. These chapters and branches arrange annual conferences, the Continuing Medical Education Programs (CME) and workshops for the local surgeons. Renowned surgeons from all parts of the country and overseas attend these conferences to guide and educate the members.

The A.S.I. has the specialty sections comprising of associations of Colorectal surgeons, Endocrine surgeons, Genito-urinary surgeons, Minimal Access surgeons, Breast Surgeons, Rural Surgery, Surgical gastroenterology, Onco-surgeons, Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Trauma & critical care and Armed Forces (War Surgery). Meetings and workshops of the specialty sections are held periodically and are of educative value for both general surgeons as well as surgeons with specialization.

The Association is administered by a governing council with 65 members elected from different parts of the country.