The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-06-10
CITY INTEL LHG X N q e.
THE STATE MEDICAL SnCIErY-

sicians the President in the chair. The reading of
the minutes was dispensed with.
A special order was made for IL O'Clock that
communication on the subject of insanity should be
read TO the society.
The discussion on DR.. Atlee's resolution on
Womens Colleges wss then resumed.
Dr. Herman Nye offered the foliowing:-
"Whogoas, The question of admitting woman to
membership in this society, with all It's resulting
privileges on the standard OF equality, continues to
be source OF fruitess discussion, without hope of
arriving at an adjustment satisfactory to ALL there
"Resolrld, That everything pertaining to the vexed
question be stricken from our entire Transactions
of the State Medical Society, and that the ressluon
before the house be laid upon the table"
This, objection being made, was withdrawn.
DR.. Joseph Parrish offered the following as sub
stitute forlDr Atlee's resolution:-
Whsre1s The College Physicians of PHILADELPHIA and
theAmerican Medical Association ackuow edge com
members Of the profession and the community;
Sio1t rule o conduct by Of the scuntr,
soceteR Of this State well as the profession at arge
Besoisd That all action OF this society which has i'm:
posed upon members restrictions that not required
by the common code which by the entire
wise and unnecessary and all such action is hereby re-
It was moved to lay this substitute of DR.. Parrish
on the table. Lost
stitute. The ayes and nays were called for, which
resulted as follows-syes 81: nays, 3d. The substi-
DIR. Whteman then offered the following:-
Rss4od % n That 6e resolution oi Dr. Parrish
societies With instructions to report thereon at the next
DR.. firam Corson, of Montgomery county, asked
the society not to refer, and thus open another
their duty The question plain. Let us settle it at
once.
resolution was well understood. 1t was disposi-
ton to shirk the question. Let us take the vote at
The motion to refer to the county societies was
then put to the vote and lost.
The question then recurred to the motion Of DR..
Professor Gross said that the question was
whether we should consult with female practitioners,
nnIo Irnft hn nj
equals. ] am not quite certain OF my own identity
stand on this floor. ! am not certain whether am
man or o woman. The times appear to be upside
down. The female is trying to usurp the place Of
the male, and the male striving to give place to the
female. How does this thing come to pass? Poll
ticans and strong-minded women are at the root of
1t for their own selfish purposes (Great applause3
The Sorosis sisters are stalking through the land,
and striving to place themselves in all positions now
held ey the men what Is the tendency OF al this
religion. (Renewed applause.)
Woman pure and undefled is entitled to all the
subgerts herself pity her. What is the Woman's
College? An outgrowih of this Improvement. What
is the need OF Women,s College? -, Are all the
men? pity the gentlemen the sentiment which
prompts them to accept such situation: ! do not
object TO woman studying medicine, but If had my
way would limit her TO the peculiar branches
to which nature has assigned her-obstetrics and
the diseases of children. If she becomes general
practitioner she oversteps her boundaries. For
these branches she is peculiarly fitted. Let her
study medicine if she wishes it, but let not those
who are members OF the present associations prove
traitors to those to whom they owe loyalty There
seven wel-known medical gentlemen who are pro-
fessors in the Womans College. One of them is
the president Of the American Association. They
consult with the women, SO we can say that SO far
as Philadelphia is concerned this question of CON
sultation is practically settled. This is in oppoS-
ion to the rules of the bodies to which they belong
Why, then have the members of those bodies the
moral courage to eXpel them? These gentlemen
Will not withdraw, but wish us to expel them They
because we do not want to make them martyrs. We
did not ever intend to eXpel them. II had in
% a
Iwould have modesty enough to withdraw. In this
ISSUE if we let these gentlemen:oe We acknowledge
the evil Then, what are we to do?
This female medical college has been before the
community for several years. 1t has established its
They have done nothing for the OF science as
yet. Would it not be better for them to wait until
they had done something Of worth before they ask
TO be admitted as equals? When that time comes
we may think differently. In Paris they had several
women doctors who devoted their whole time to
obstetric practice. They became experts in their
peculiar branch, and consulted by all the lead
ing physicians. Has America produced any women
like these? No; and it will not have for some time
10 come.
| was present about year ago at a clinic in the
hospital when the amputation OF a hip Joint per-
formed. Some three hundred men were present,
and about nine young women. There they sat and
witnessed the necessary exposure OF the parts with
out a blush upon their cheeks What prompted
taem to- sit there? Ouy spirit of prurient curl
osity. They could never have expected themselves
to perform the operation. l another occa-
sion, in the University of Pennsylvania, women
sitting throughout clinic without blush where
man was introduced into the amphitheatre who
wss covered with the most horrid sores.
women 10 enter your house and familiarly associate
with your wife or daughters
We are living, it is said in an age OF progress. We
are very much regarded, it IS to be feared as old
fogies. But can 1t be proved that have ever been
bar 10 any progress when 1t is in the right direc-
tiOn? locomotive is progressing when it rams of
the track but lt is IN wrong direction.
We had an alluson yesterday to the African. May
say word upon that? sympathiZe with the CO.
% Wsh nn he @as aSaf in state 69e O sd
i lived in a slave State. The cOlored man
is now free, and he too is studying medicine. His
claims for admission into the Medical Association
are on the same grounds as these of the women. 1
think that the time has hardly come to meet this
issue yet though we will surely have to at some
day. We are surely going down to meet it. But the
cOored man is hardly in a condition yet to force
the question. He is uneducated He has not yet
contributed one i0ta of knowledge TO the general
stock. His claims are pressed now by unprlneipled
politicians for private ends. 1 hate politicians.
When he has shown his claims and asks for them
himself, then we will meet the ISSUE
The hour OF ~ having arrived, the special order
was postponed for one hour.
DIR. Atlee, of Washington, In reply to Professor
Gross, said that he had been placed In false posi-
tion, which was very unpleasant. The question
clan is not now before u.s. but whether the gradu-
ates OF a regularly chartered Institution shall be
placed on the same footing as the graduates Of any
other college. Dr. Gross has not used one argument
the question before Are we to make these
graduates subservien to the code of ethics or shall
we make them irregular?
II do the latter / do not wonder that they
should become aOOrtionsts or what is its equiVa-
lent. agree with the Doctor in many things con-
cerning the practcablity of female physicians, but
want those already in the field to be made amena-
Die 10 the code OF ethics and then il they transgress
as abortionsts want them punished. The ques-
ton Is whether they have the same prina fIeie
right 10 become physicians as we have, and hope
that no side issues like the mixed clinic question
will become mingled with it, II we continue to
exclude the female practitioners we make them
martyrs, and turn public sentiment entirely in their
favor.