The Hartford Medical Society has been in continuous existence for over 160 years. The Society's rules, adopted September 15th, 1846, state: "The object of this Society, is to maintain the practice of Medicine and Surgery in this city upon a respectable footing; to expose the ignorance and resist the arts of quackery; and to adopt measures for the mutual improvement, pleasant intercourse, and common good of its members." The rules were specific, not only about how meetings should be conducted, but how to enroll new members and what fees should be charged for services rendered.

The nineteenth century was a time of great change in the practice of medicine. During that century medical training went from an apprenticeship or classes where texts were learned by rote, to the beginnings of a regulated curriculum including clinical training in a hospital. The disciplines of scientific observation and experimentation were thriving and were increasingly informing medical practice. HMS members met twice monthly for a talk on a medical topic. Initially these meetings were in members' homes, but in 1890s the Society built its own building at 38 Prospect St., Hartford. By the middle of the 20th century, the Society had outgrown this building and in 1955 they built a second home at 230 Scarborough St., Hartford.

In its heyday the Society had multiple committees which dealt with topics of societal importance such as a Babies' Hospital, Illegal Practitioners, Municipal Health, and topics of more interest to the Society itself, such as Building and Programs committees. Members enjoyed rituals such as the award of the Loving Cup use of the snuff box and the award of personalized gavels to outgoing presidents. The Society also hosted special events with dinner and invited speakers.

The Hartford Medical Society shared its Scarborough St. building with the Hartford Dental Society, and in the 1970s several members of the two societies established a museum of medical and dental objects. The Menczer Museum of Medicine and Dentistry was listed in a directory of Offbeat Museums, and was a destination for buses of schoolchildren in the 1980s and 1990s. The museum contained standing exhibits of early dental offices, examples of early medical instruments and apparatus and portraits of Connecticut physicians. Members created special exhibits on topics of medical historical interest.

By the mid-1990s it was becoming clear that the Society could no longer sustain a building of such size. After much consideration, the museum collection was significantly dispersed, the book and journal collection weeded and in 2009 a select collection of books, journals, artwork and artifacts was moved to a newly renovated space in the then named UConn Health Center (now UConn Health). This collection is now named the Hartford Medical Society Historical Library. It is located near the main library at UConn Health. The HMS building on Scarborough Street, Hartford was sold that same year.