The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-10-09

ing the course Of the day. g5a3l
DR.. TALBOT, Of Indiana, offered resolution that the
next Convention be held at Chicago, ILL., This gave rise to
discussion, in the course of which
hr H. D. EVANS OF Md, offered an amendment, liking
New York as the place of meeting, which was lost
Before the vote was taken on DR.. Talbots motion,
Areport submitted from the committee tho ad-
mission OF diOceSseS in relation to the admission OF
Minnesota The report closed with the following resolu
tom
Resolved 1.-THE House Of Bishops concurring) That the
diocess of Minnesota be admitted into the union Of the
General Convention Of the Protestant Episcopal Church OF
the United States Of America.
Pending the vote on the motion TO hold the next Con-
vention at Chicago, the Convention adjourned
Fomites Once More ON the Platform.
NEW YORK ACADEMY OF MEDICINE.
A large meeting Of the membsrs of the above named
institution held at the University, Washington
park, eight O'Clock Wednesday evening. In the
absence Of Dr. Watson the President of the Society by
unanimous accord DR. Foster called to the chair
Dr. sEwKL stated that there prevailed very unusual
extent Of remteAt and intermittent fever in the city
! this fall.
DR.. GnscoM read lengthy and elaborate paper on the
philosophical basis which the question as to the
tagous contagious nature and properties of yellow
fever should be discussed The address was founded
upon resolution Of the National Quarantine Sanitary
Convention held in this city in the month of April last
and which declared that in the absence of any evidence
establishing the conclusion that yellow fever has ever
been conveyed by one person to another, it the
opinion Of that Convention that personal quarantine
Of yellow fever might be safely abolished provided
that onss of every kind be entirely restricted This
opinion concurred in and adopted by the Academy
Medicine on the occasion Of OF its meetings. and the
treatise read last night very learnedly the
for this decision Of the learned gentlemen who had done
50. Every principle , Of physiology said Dr. Griscom,
but that the means to its dissemination were
TO be found in the state Of the atmosphere,
in filthy dwellings, overcrowded tenement houses and
other causes Of the kind. The definition OF the
word fomites" was again brought forward by the
or VINO quoted extensively from the Dictionaries and
to show that the origin Of the word meant heat
understood in the sense Of s conveyance Us by sparks
speech of Dr. Francis which supplied arguments favor
Of the contagious nature Of yellow fever defining where
and how the doctrines enuncaed by the venerable Doctor
were false and nntenable In concluding his long and able
paper Dr. Grsc0m observed that Dr. Francis had called
he Convention an unsaniary association but with all
spect he would that the unatc always believed every
body mad but himself. Suppressed merriment)
Dr. REESE followed with powerful paper on
the opposite side of the question. He combatted the
absurdty that fomtes could circulate contagon when
the patient that communicated the poison TO the fotcs
would be free from all power to mpart the poison
which his body had already impaired to his clothing He
looked upon this idea being total absurdy which no
reasonable man should be called upon to believe The
Doctor then proceeded to divide his subject into heads
upon each Of which he descanted length and with
much erudition. He very ably supported the ground
which had been assumed by DR.. Francis in almost all
particulars and concluded his address amid applause
Dr. FRANCIS had had so much experience in medical az
fairs that he not surprised at finding abong at
times under powerful delusons DR.. Griscom of
those governed by strong delusion With all his talent
aud ability, and despite his weIwritten paper he was
certainly dended man. Qaughter God forbid that this
Quar- anne Convention They had better food in store
than to take up the remnants Of that which the
Sanitary Association had voraciously gnawed.
He had the greatest solicitude for the welfare and
honor of their distinguished Academy, he hoped
commit themselves by endorsing the absurd pos
ton OF the Sanitary Convention Dr. Griscom some
what inclined in the latter part Of his paper class him
OR r. among men who were not in sound state of
mind. But Dr. GrscOm me mber of a very straight
and steady religious Sect and although he belonged to the
Society OF Friends, it was we'll known that sometimes
of these gentlemen found to have auirk in
their heads. (Great langhter) They should not laugh
for such was the fact and the Doctor went
case in point where the pous learned and charitable Dr.
Fotherg OF Edinburg, had committed the eccentricity
Of running Ia nude state through the streets crying out
woe to the city," merely because Of mistaken idea
He denied the authority Of Dr. Rush. who was Quoted
by Dr. Griscom, on such aquesion this. He might be
good authority on the subject Of hydrophobia, where
he tells you the you bleed the more chance
there is Of saving hs fe and those who could swallow
this opinion would be ready to swallow very broad
confidence such authority; the Academy should
bear in mind that an idea that sound and true in
1853 would be SO in 6ooo and, therefore, they should
mind how they attempted to PROFOUND new truths. II
they gave their sanction to this resolution they would be-
come open TO the contempt Of the judge the bench
and the washerwoman In the kitchen. He Guided by
hoping that the Academy would cautiously deal with the
grave question before 1t.
to the conclusion that fomes do exist He virtually
took the ground Dr. Griscom, and said that
the Of yphus ever the disease was spread abroad
by foul cxhaaons In dirty crowded and badly ventilated
aparments yellow fever propagaed by the foul
vapors arising from the bodies and lungs of persons
fined in close and unventlaed places the on
board OF ships at where diseases Of this kind fire.
qucntly broke out. Here were fomites in most I'M
doubted sense, The Oriental plague was not specific
disease having primary cause IN any condition of the
human body but was entirely subject to external causes
and combinations arising, it may be, in instances
from the putrid marshes q Cairo Alexandria The older
writer's did not think that fomes should be ascrbed to
specific poisons but TO anything that can convey ntec
ton He concluded by remarking that the earth veryfre
quenty generated disease that the winds had great
effect in regulating the progress Of pestIence The Doc
tors remarks were very learned.
DR.. MORT, from experience, convinced that some
times yellow fever was contagious were not So why
were medical men SO often inclined to attend any kind OF
fever but yellow fever? There were very few medical
men, indeed who would not rather encounter any other
patient than yellow fever patient He would 90 into
learned dsqnson on the various interpretations Of
fomtes. he knew H. like Others from reading and study,
and there could be mistake about its etymoogy. But
If fomes alone were the conductors OF Infection, what
to be said Of the body which was the and resi-
dence Of the posonY The body Of tho yellow fever pa
tent conveys the infection 10 hs clothing and then how
be said that there is infection in the bodys The
Doctor briefly related his experience In Eastern countries
where the plague In all its terror prevailed, and the
opinions he expressed founded upon the results Of
his own observation.
Dr. REESE very cngthy replied 70 the argumenssin favor
Of endorsing the resolution the Sanitary Convention He
very sharply reviewed the pro speakers and loudly chal
enged them TO maintain their ground The existence Of
omtes in yellow foyer he ignored Yellow fever never
was and never has produced by fomtes He dched
any one 10 show that there was ever any where
oIatcs propogncd this disease Once get the people In
dsetrnated into the idea that fotes could transmit vel
o fcyer and there would be no condition Of society
punc might at any moment break out the news
that vessel had arrived having fomites board Dur
ionites the shape Of cotton, wool, clothing oor
porous substances; and yet no contagion resulted from
nv GNpn hal fpunt1o Al fptora