The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1866-12-21

MEDIcINE-ADDREss OF DIR. j. S. WELL
P0RD.-The Academy of Medicine held
its annual meeting last night in the lee
ture-room of the Medical College of this
city, DR.. L. s. Joyncs, president of the
Academy, in the chair. There was libe-
raj attendance of The members of the
Academy, and almost the entire body OF
students of the college were present. There
were also some citizens, including ladies,
who had honorcd the audience by their
presence.
DR.. J. Spootswood Wexford delivered
the annual address. The following is an
analysis of the Doctors very interesting
discourse
DR. WEXFORD introduced his address by an
allusion TO the tendency of men 10 review the
errors of the past, and endeayor BY foresight
| and sagacity to anticipate the future. This
tendency has been appropriated by those who
seek to mould opinions OF masses, and produce
permanent impressions, and has given rise 10
solemn religious ceremonies and national holi-
days in commemoration of lmpor tant even Is.
In compliance with the time -honored custom,
the orator therefore appeared before the Aca-
deny of Medicine on this its first dnairerSdrH.
Abiding to the rapid movements snd COM
muncation OF this age, he considered II ap-
proprate that at stated periods we should
pause. and as philosophers, weigh suggestions
and theories advanced, lest, hurried on by the
energy of action, we neglect tile wisdom OF
past experience in the enthusiasm engendered
by the aovelties of the present. We had, alas /.
I too many reasons to know that all changes are
i not Advancement.
| DR. Wexford here alluded TO the disadvan-
tages under which the physicians of the South
labored during the war, in being cut off from
communication with other countries, and
from all knowledge, for n time, of the advance
| mcnt5 In medical science. Yet, with every
disadvantage, and derided as they We're at the
beginning of the war, the surgical bureau of
the Confederacy was one of the best organized
and best disciplined in the army. Without
hospitals, without Instruments, without sap
plies of medicines, the department began ope-
ration, and before the war ended our hospitals
were as ample In accommodations and our
medical staff in field and hospital As devoted,
eiiiCen and ussiduOus rs that of any army that
/ ever took the field. Dr. Wexford expressed
his regret that the achiyes of the Surgeon Gen
erals office were destroyed. They would have
/ shown rs large percentage Of recoverles,
after all the large operations, rs any which
have ever been compiled, and added I'M
. menScly 10 the surgical knowledge OF the
( world. The comparison Of results in the two
, armies of the war would have presented the
most extensive experience that has been OBJ
served since the Introduction Of modern i'm
I prCYementS III surgery.
/ In entering upon the theme Of she lecture, DR..
/ Wexford remarked upon the fact that at the
: close of the war. when the southern physician
, undertook the task Of reading up the period OF
4 the war, they found that in the North the Ia
= Guilty was almost wholly absorbed IL the sub
iect of Surgery, while in Europe 0otera lthe
/ theme of the lccturel had been the enGrcssing
( topic of medical inyes tigatiOu.
/ In former days, when kings had no carpets
/ on their floors, when wealthy burghers had
not the comforts that paupers have now, ere
steamboats, and railroads had so improved the
means of transportation as To render ian'he
almost au impoSSibility, ere cotton had so
cheapened raiment as 10 enable every one 10 De
ceanly in their persons, when cities had no
sewers, but were surrounded ny moats, con-
/ taminating the air with pestllentiai Napcfs,
and high walls preventing the winds OF hea-
/ ven from purifying the atmosphere, cpidemlcS
/ were constant. Failure of crop. invasion OF
All army. were followed by postleuce and IA
mini Waadiee, essentially in their character
endemic, We're frequently rendered epidemic
( i'm their extent. With no aid from municipal
authorities, hindcred by popular superstition,
medical men of the day were impotcnt Tor
( good, and aghast at the awful mortality. IN
/ the epidemic which rayaced Europe IN the
! fifteenth century, twcnty millions OF hu
man beings are said 10 have fallen victims
! Kings noblcmCn. and every class Uf cltihen5
were swept Off. There were no hospitals or
medical arrangements, or # there were, they
were more efficient In disseminating poison
! than in suCcOring disease. Those VINO uied
! We're left in the fields unburied to decay and
even the beasts fell victims to the epidemic
| DR.. Wexford rrmarkiug that since the COM
! mcuCemeut of the present century, not emu
/ mcrating some local scOurgcs OF yellow fever,
/ the civilized world has not experienced any
! wide spread pestilencc, and we had only Scant
| histories of by-gone ages 10 refer 10 when in
| 1881 ct0I.yu, which had hcen advancing several
! wears finally reached Europe. The Doctor
| then gave glance 1T the origin of the disease
in the iungles of India, its striking traits, and
/ the manner in which ii d"vas tatCd countries.
| He described the peculiar views OF the times
with regard 10 the disease, and the differences
/ among the doctors. His rapid history Of the
| ccurs". character. and fatality OF the disease
was quite interesting, not only TO the members
| of the faculty, but to the laymen.
Dr. Wexford dcduced from all the facts and
experience on the subject that the great ana
vital point in the matter OF cholera was to en-
force cleanliness in cities by rigid police, tho
rough sewerage, and the use Of disintectants.
And he gave conclusive statistical details tc
prove the correctness Of this opinion. lie
stated that 1T had been estimated that the
| number of cleanly persons who are liable 10
! the disease ranges from ~ at the lowest TO 5S5
i'm lU,Uoo And we have the example ut Con
jeiYeram, i'll India, city annually occupied
by a vast number OF pilgrims at one OF tneiI
religious festivals. 1t had never escaped
cholera epidemic at that time since cholera
was known. In 1864 and l-6j the English SUI
pcrintendeut subjected the town to 4 complete
puriiicatiOu, and not one case of cholera ap'
pcaTcd In those years, during the presence ol
the pilgrims. In fact, said the speaker, III re-
gard to disease, cleanliness Is next to godllness
and all violations of it are punished with
awful severity. On this point there was much
valuable Information presented by The Doctor
clearly showing the admirable effects OF clean
illness rs u check 10 the dissemination OF cho
lera "poison "A term which Dr. Wexford
especially applied TO the disease. In the course
OF the remarks upon this question OF public
hygiene, he stated that il had been pursued
with such assiduity and success in England
that the mortality in some English towns hac
been reduced since ls+O from ~ in LOCO 10 -
and in other and more favorable localities
where the rate was 80 i'll 900, 1t had been re
duced to ~, and even ~ low rs 10: and tins
moment human life has more value, or fewer
persons die per thousand in England than II
any other country.
The condition of cholera involves the whole
subject Of hygiene more than any other disease
because At present zee m"St toy6 m""t more q
lyrereutiOa than tg cure. lie said that we CoulC
not too highly commend, as the Academy hat
already done, the activity OF the "tuatcipd
authorities If RichmOHd, particularly the B0nTt
Of H.GH, in the recent epidemic, for so et
fectually removing all sources of filth and i'm
purity He said that ii was an important par
of the duty Of the Medical Society 10 aWakel
the popular mind to this much neglected. sub
jcct Of public policy proper sewerage, drain
age, lutrines, and public cleanliness.
In the course of his comment i on this branch
of his subject he made ssme striking state
meuts rs 10 the effect of pure water IN pre-
venting the dissemination OF cholera, ana o
; impure water in aiding it. In district II
London supplied by Wen, into which TIT
impurities from a calvert were found TO nave
filtrated, there was great mortality from tn
epidemic: GIL persons had died: and physl
cian discovering that the water was impure
carried off the pump handle 20 the peopl,
could get no water from That well. Before th'
handle was restored, he caused the tlga
tion which disclosedlts condition. NOT anothel
case occurred Fredericksburg is supplied
with pure free-stone spring water, and no cas-
of cholera had ever originated there, While !
---..-.:I.a i, - r.,rost ritinS -, pf Wpry