New-York daily tribune., 1856-03-12
Nrw.YoRK MEDICO-CIuRURGICAL SOCIETY.

NFW-YORK MEDICO-CHlRORGlCAL SOCIETY.
The vsledictory exercises ofthe New. York Mcdico-
rb;yurcical Society were held Monday evening in
,ho Tbneenih-street Medical College. The exercises
ueso opened with prayer by the Rev. Samuel Osgood,
after which DIR. George T. Dougherty Of the gradual
inc clnss delivered the vaedictOry address. The
sneaker alluded TO the many difficulties that young
pbyscan had to contend WITH and the many obstacles
te had 10 overcome before gaining position in his
profession and in concluding bis remarks, he paid
deserving compliment to the women of New YORK;
highly eulogzed the Faculty Of the Society and bade
an afec;ionae farewell to his feiiow-students
After the performance OF Aud Lang syne by
Dodworhs Band, Professor CarnOchan, OF the Fac
ulty, was introduced and delivered hne Grafton on
the uses and abuses Of systems in Medicine. In ad-
dressing himself to the graduates the speaker SAID that
among the subjects that would engage their attention
the theories or systems OF Medicine would necessarily
occupy prominent place. In fact, with regard to
large class OF diseases, and of questions connected
with them, they are wholly unavoidable and
the Young practitioner could not avoid adopting
or investigating some theory on the treatment
Of cholera or the question of contagion. If they
even now REQUIRED TO their own daily experience they
would find that they were oil to some extent at least,
irnbued with theoretical opinions SO long," ssd he,
as the practitioner holds himself aloof from the MEM
"bers Of the profession he may remain mere r0utin
st-the idea Of theory may be dormsnt-but the
moment he joins society like yours, he enters the
"feld of discussion aud becomes tbeOrst."
After few remarks the numerous systems
of medicines IN early times. he said true
medical doctrines need not, aud must not, be con-
founded With the false systems which surround it like
so many parasites The element Of truth can costly DO
distinguished from that Of fasehOod. Science lives
while systems perish. Systems are frequently only the
result Of the passing ignorance or OF the predoIn-
uant ideas of the age in which they exist while true
science is nature herself with her principles discovered
and her laws Ievealedthat nature which does not de
pend on laws made for her by man, but those which
she has received from the Supreme Legislator.
For the rest the multiplicity of systems is perfectly
eYpucabe by the multiplicity of the objects, pheno
uena and branches OF knowledge which medical
science embraces. As an example, he offered animal
economy, in which might b. seen an admirable living
machine OF great complication. 1hey would ma In II
solids and liquids controlled by various forceslevers
pulleys tubes and endless variety of instruments;
air blood and thousand humors. AL these were
combined and cO0rianed into one marvellous
whole, not an atom OF which could escape from the
laws to which all its elements are subjected In com
Melting their survey of the human body they would find
that the instability Of medical systems was the express
soB OF the unavoidable trials Of every progressive SCI
tpce and that medicine which rests upon all the
gmbed branches of human knowledge, because it
bonows something from each, must nrces-
ssriy, especially in its origin, have become
sbjected to the empire of each of them.
In all ages the men of special systems have endea-
yored to get the upper hand in medicine by holding
out TO medocrity the fatterng prospects OF royal
and easy road to perfection. Medicine must be sim
phed they say and they Proeeedto SIMPLIFY 1t by the
some theory foreign to the true genius OF medicine.
He held that the deceptive simplicity OF special sys-
tens could enlist partlzans only among minds ncit,
ndOent, narrow, and incapable Of pereeivlng
that no exclusive system could embrace the universal
ry OF the numerous and varied facts OF which the
scence of disease ID composed. The speaker then
Iroceeded at considerable length to discuss the true
system of medicine, and expose the various false
systens which existed; and in conclusion, gave some
tIcelecut advice to the graduating class.
The exercises were closed with benediction.