Three who made an association: I. Sir William Osler, 1849-1919. II. George Milbry Gould, 1848-1922. III. Margaret Ridley Charlton, 1858-1931 and the founding of the Medical Library Association, Philadelphia, 1898.

The careers and personalities of the three founders of the Medical Library Association, Sir William Osler, George Milbry Gould, and Margaret Ridley Charlton are outlined, followed by a review of their role in the founding of the association. The career of Sir William Osler is well documented in existing literature, both in medical history and medical librarianship; the biographies of George Milbry Gould and Margaret Ridley Charlton are less known, and this article describes their lives in relation to the founding of the association. The issue of responsibility for the association's founding is explored, and primary recognition is attributed to Margaret Charlton. The author attempts to follow the tradition of Harvey Cushing in his The Life of Sir William Osler in allowing the characters to speak in their own words as much as possible.