McGill University's first faculty to open was the Faculty of Medicine in 1829. Though the formation of a group representing the interests of medical students must have occurred shortly thereafter, the first indications of the existence of an organized "Medical Students' Society of McGill College" are in 1859 ^[1]. Other hints of past organizations, albeit under different names, include: the "Students' Medical Society of McGill University" (1887)^[2], the "McGill Medical Society of Undergraduates" (1898)^[3] and the "Medical Society/Medical Undergraduate Society" (1942-1978)^[4].

The Osler Society, established in 1921 and named after McGill's most famous medical graduate Sir William Osler, continues to be a society closely related with the MSS.

The logo of the MSS is an adaptation of the coat of arms adopted by the Faculty of Medicine in 1884, which is itself based upon the coat of arms used by the University in 1866^[5].  The signature of the MSS (with the logo and the Society's name in English and French) was designed by Amit Raut (class of 2013) in 2010.