Book excerpt: The Medical University of South Carolina, founded in Charleston in 1824 by the Medical Society of South Carolina, consists of six colleges, each with its own rich history. The College of Medicine was the tenth medical school in the country and the first medical school in the Deep South. Its graduates fought and healed during times of war, tended to the injured after hurricanes and earthquakes, and battled epidemic diseases that swept through the South. The College of Nursing and the College of Pharmacy were established within years of each other at the close of the 19th century. The College of Graduate Studies, the College of Dental Medicine, and the College of Health Professions were established in the later half of the 20th century to fill some of the state's most crucial medical needs. Over the years, the Medical University of South Carolina has educated thousands of doctors, nurses, pharmacists, dentists, and other health care workers and scientists.