Abstract: Records of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons (ASCRS) is an organization of colon and rectal surgeons and related health care physicians dedicated to quality patient care through research and the education of its physicians and public. The official records of the organization date to its founding in 1899 as The American Proctologic Society and include works of its early members and correspondence regarding the ongoing challenge of education and change in the organization.