The New York herald., 1870-05-07
AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION

Female Physicians Not Admitted to
MISUNDERSTANDING Debate Over the
Negro Observation-Disclosures from the
CoIored University Excluded.
WASHINGTON. May 9, 1870.
In the American Medical Association to-day DR..
J. J. WOODWARD, United States Army. offered q
resolution that the Surgeon General be requested to
authorize DR.. Woodward to make copies OF his proto-
microscopic Slides to be distributed at fair price
to such medical colleges and institutions as may
desire their USE Adopted.
The Committee on Ethics reported flvOrably OH
the credentials OF the delegates from the Womens
Medical Colleges and Women's Hospital at Philadel-
pnia During the debate on their admission motion
10 indefinitely postpone prevailed. AT Il subsequent
stage OF the proceedings notice was given for an
amendment Of the constitution so as not to exclude
Dr. osUIIIvAs OF OF ey New y"rk oS1.eo tho
following resOlutlOn:-
whereas .pothecares are accustomed
Sy:s.n thereby injury patients. % and '1 Ss
are unwilling TO discontinue the practice except by general
Resolved That association take such action M will
Drihg ABOUT the discontnuance OF the practice.
Referred to special committee consisting OF Dr.
Usnllivan, chairman; Drs. Garrish, OF New YOrk; ;
ChGrleS woodward, OF Ohio.
resolution declaring DE- Horace Wells, OF Boston,
co ne the discovercr OF an9si hesis was adopted.
Dr. JOHN OSULLIvAN, OF Massachusetts, offered
the iollowing:-
Resolved That race or color shall exclude
claiming TO this on who are
accredited thereto. - ~ N"''
During It's realing the speaker was met with a
storm Of Kisses, which compelled him to stop. Cries
OF 'G0Od; 20 On were heard, and he said he would
DO so when the serpents became quiet He then
finished its reading and was allowed to speak Ave
minutes.
At the conclusion OF his remarks Dr. N. s. Sands
read the reasons promised by him relative to the ex-
clusion Of the delegate from the District Of Column
bia, AZ foOws:-ln reply TO the resolution Of the
association calling upon the majority OF the Commit
tee on Ethics for the why they in their re.
port excluded the delegates from the Medical De.
partment OF the Howard University, they respect.
FULLY state there Is nothing in the report which
directly excludes delegates from the said University
any other medical Institution In the District Of
Columbia except the National Medical Society. The
resolution on this subject reported by the committee
| Is in these Words
Resolved That the charges lodged with the Committee Of
Arrangements ssainst the eligibility Of the National Medica
tanned that recommend that Of that society
should be received delegates at the meeting
It will be seen that the only parties excluded nom
admission as delegates ut the present meeting are
the members OF the National Medical Society II
the medical department OF Howard University had
chosen 20 send any delegates VINO are not members
of that society there nothing whatever In the
port TO prevent their being received. In the papers
referred to your Committee on Ethics were list OF
the charges. with specifications In the usual FORM
against the recognition OF the National Medical
Society. These charges may be clearly stated as
f0llOws:-
First, that said National Medical Society recoe.
nIzes and receives as members medical men who are
not licenatcs and who are acting In open violation
Of sections three, four and i've OF the law OF Con-
ciety OF the District Of Columbia; second, that a
large part OF the members Of the National Medical
Society are also members Of the National Medical
Association OF the District of Columbia and are
openly and freely violating the rules and ethics Of
the association to which they have subscribed; third
that they have, both In It's capacity az society and
by its individual members, misrepresented the
action OF the Medical Society and the Medical Asso-
clation OF the District OF Columbia and used unfair
no stYtrot otifNu
Of the same by inducing Congress to abr0gate their
charter. cAIE
or the majority OF your committee, fully proved by
members OF the National Medical Society themselves,
who appeared voluntarily before your committee as
witnesses; therefore, II we have any regard for the
maintenance Of tho laws OF the land or the ethics of
our medical organization the undersigned could not
come to any other conclusion than was expressed in
the last resolution recommended by the majority Of
the Committee on Ethics
At the conclusion OF ITS reading DR.. Reyburn spoke
IN reply to his being called to order as not being
member. He was, however, now permitted to speak
i've minutes. He said that he never had violated
the code Of ethics and when the cOlOred men applied
for admttance 10 the college to which he belonged.
he offered resolution providing for their admission.
lie did not think they should be excluded account
OF color. This resolution was not received and he
Withdrew from the society ana was OF the lead
ing members In organizing the National Medical So
cety. II this was violation OF ethics then he had
Violated the code. He was placed as chairman of
the Committee on Credentials last year at New Or
leans, and when he was prepared to make his report
at this session he was most shamefulIy treated by
the Committee on Arrangements .-f
Dr.. Antisell dlsclaimed the assertion made by DR..
Reyburn that he had been treated shamefully.
DIR. LoOmis, Of the District Of Columbia, said he
was member or the faculty OF medicine Of Howard
cludcd. He then offered resolution to the effect
that members Of the Committee on Ethics who
signed the majority report be censured for 50 doing
The resolution was laid on the table.
DR.. Johnson, OF the District Of Columbia President
OF the Medical Society OF the District Of Columbia,
gave detailed history of the origin and progress of
the difficulties in the local societies for the nrorma-
tion Of the assoclat4on He said DR.. D. W. Bliss had
violated medical ethics by having his name printed
on bill Of fare at WIZARDS Hotel
Dr.. Bliss denied 1t was there by his knowledge.
DR.. Johnson said II this was SO he had been
DR.. Busey adhered to the assertion that DIR. Bliss
had so advertised, ard he called upon DR.. Marpury
DR.. MarbWy-Yes sir. DR.. Bliss has purposely
allowed hts name TO be SO printed, and he had seen
It on bill Of fare, and called attention to it, and
Dr. Bliss had said il should remain the medical So
ciety to the contrary, Notwithstanding.
DIR. Johnson continued to reply TO n number Of
questions which had been asked, bearing on the
violation OF the code OF ethics by those who have been
excuded by the majority report Of the committee.
Dr. Busey replied to certain statements OF DR..
Johnson, ana read the sixteenth rule OF the code OF
ethics, showing that the code had been violated In
rne attempt to force coloed man upon the society
Inls was what had cansed ali the trouble.
Dr. Burrows had been instrumental in bringing
about The color difficulty He denied that politics
was the cause Of the difficulty as hadbeen stated by
The question REQUIRED on the resolution Of Dr.
sullivan relative to race or color, ana 1t was lau
the fable by O vote OF yeas LOG 10 nays 80
Dr. n. X. Stover OF Boston, offered the following
which was adOpted:-
That inasmnch az has been distinctly proved
hat the consd OF race and has had nothing
ever TO 40 win the decision OF the question OF tho reception
the Wasnnguon deegaes and nasmuch charges
been made ~ open session to-day, distinctly
stigma OF dishonor to parties implicated which CHARGES have
not been even denied by them though present. therefore,
hesoived That The report of the majority OF the Com
mlttee on thes bc declared u all nens purposes
unanimously adopted by the association
The resolution was then adopted by a vOie OF ll2
yeas to 81 nays, alter which he assocIaion ad-
lourncd sine Gae.