Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1868-06-26
Prayer-by Rev. G B. Stafford.
Address by Prof A. B. Crosby.
Benediction-by Rev T. R. Atwill


gentlemen. Upon the stage were seated
President Angel and the Aeademical and
Medical Faculty, members of the corporation.
clergymeu of this and other cities, and invited
guests.
Or. $ W Thayer, Dean Of the Medical
Faculty, in presenting the candidates for
graduation to the President. certified to their
having studied the requisite courses and
passed the requisite examinations, and took
occasion to express to the young men for him
self and his associates their appreciation of
their worth and fidelity, resrets at the
unavoidable .underance Of pleasant relations,
and earnest good wishes for tie future vel
fare of the graduates
President Angel then pronounced the usual
formula Of ..ogcforitqle mihi c0DuiSsa," &c,
c,niering upon the members of the class the
degree Of Doctor of Medicine and announced
that upon recommendation Of the Medical
Faculty, the name of David II Goodwill ie,
Dental Surgeon of New York city. would be
recommended to the Trustees Of the C3r
le-e at their meeting. for the honorary de-
gree Of MD.
The annual address by Prof Crosby fol-
lowed After few PREDATORY remarks to the
graduates upon the close Of their medical stu
dies here, and the prospects that opened be
fore them and after drawing attention to the
difference physically between Adam, the
ideally-periect man before his fall, and man
his descendant. proceeded to discourse upon
The sign dcanee of pain lie took up in
order three propositions first, that pain is
not an unmixcd evil. but VS. designed in
Gods providence as n means for the self pres
crvotion Of all animals second, that even in
disease pain /, not an unmixed evil. but most
valuable in diagnosis ana rathognomy
thru, that the intensity of pain as Of pleasure
largely depends upon mental conditions. He
showed by manyfacts audsome ercmarkableoues
of his own observation. that many Of the low
er animals Do not feel much pain , a wise pro
vision Of God, as these animals are the con-
slant prey Of others, So that rarely does one
die of old age and the same /, true of fishes
aud insects. The horrid shrick- Of the pig
are not from pain hut fear the lobster feels
no rain in shaking off claw To- get away.
though it does feel pain on being boiled alive
as God has given it a sense of temperature
to determine where to range in the water,
and where to lay its eggs. Or. Crosby sawa
horse with a leg shot off, at the battle ofFair
Oaks, get up Immediate, and 90 to feeding,
as if nothing had happened. No animal by
Gods benefcent arrangement feels more pain
than is necessary to secure the preserya ton
of its existence were this not SO, the aggle-
gate of pain arising from the constant destruc-
ton of one as food for another would be PER
fcctly awful
In man the sense ofpain is highly imror-
tant, without it there would be NO end to the
dangers menacing him.
rs means Of telling what organ. are dis
eased, and how. the speaker considered pain
exceedingly important and valuable; and
went on to describe different ways Of making
use of this fac, in the practice Of medicine,
holding that even in infants the skillful ply
sician could easily determine the character
and location of the complaint from the mani
iestations Of PAIN But if not an unmized
evil, neither is it an unmixed blessing excess
brings exhaustion and death The aim of the
physician is while using 20 combat it.
In regard to the fact that pain may be
greatly modified and lessened by the viii, Dr.
Crosby stated that wounded soldiers softer
less after victory than after a defeat, and
that if the first amputation were borne by a
soldier with lortitude and spirit, others sue
ceeding would vie with each other in enduring
operations as courageously.
The address closed with few words to tie
-,
''' ,,.,,.
l. i'''' anu 'i''''''' ''''i N'i III IT,
mem rance ''' e''''iiS '''o"7"' '''a' 'ier
'A''l anu ia'''fs are 10 a7s''''Se pam ana 20
save life and if they failed and deaths pale
banner win the field, no one of them having
done his duty should despair at being over
come by the c,nqueror Of canquerJrs.
The address. although ruan q quasi-ur1".s
-i,r.aI .-,fi..t WAS very ;ntrr..t;nr and ,.a-
listened to bv tb. loroa audience ,vitb close
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