Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-02-23
TaE CITY.
TIE AGATHERIDAN AND RIEDI.
CAL SOCIETIES.
Annual AnnIversaryaExercises
Intellectual Entertainment at Ma.
sonic Hail.
Addresses of Rev. ID. G. Kelley, ID. D.,
NJ. D., and Gen. Geo. w. Gordon.

theridan and Medical Societies of the Uni
Verslty OF Nashville, were celebrated last
night at Masonic Hall, large audience,
composed of members of thoss societies
and citizens of Nashville, being present on
the occasion.
Alter music by the Band of the Sixteenth
United States Infantry, the exercises were
opened with prayer by Rev. DR.. A. J.
Baird.
After music by the band, the Rev. D. @.
Kelley, d. D., NJ. D., was introduced to
the audience, and delivered an address to
the Medical Alumni
| ADDRESS OF REV. DR.. KELLEY.
| LADIES AND GENTLEMEN When elected
year ago to deliver this address tonight.
Gan honor which certainly appreciated) 1
supposed that l would be expected to de-
liver an address simply to the Alumni
class or the class that were then becom-
ing Alumni OF the University at this time
and Whatever of old doctors happened TO
be present on the occasion; and I there
fore deemed myself at liberty to enter into
a discussion of a purely scientific charac-
ter. When learned few days ago, that
the audience was to be of a somewhat diff
ferent character, and that was to be fol-
| lowed by the gallant, chivalrous and IN
married Gen. Gordon, 1 felt considera-
bic alarm in reference to the dry character
of the speech 1 had to give you; but re-
membered afterwsrd that this was
not ten years ago, neither twenty
| years ago-that we have come
to that time in the history of human af-
fairs now when addresses of the very kind
which have to deliver to you tonight,
| of rigidly scientific character are being
| delivered to working men almost every
week in England. If, therefore, the Eng
| llsh people can listen to such addresses, l
| know that Nashville audience can do
| great deal more than bear the infection
Our subject is Life and thought, their
origin and phenomena
| A recent writer discussing the nature,
| tendencies and results of science, meta
physics and philosophy, gives to phiioso-
| ply the work of unifcation, showing that
this, its tendency, is peculiarly mental
We know nothing in itself but only in its
relations.
When a thing therefore has been named
and classified, the mind rests content, not
because it knows the thing but because it
can know no more Of it. Scientific men
are, from the peculiar work of their lives,
generally the most unreliable philosophers
They, however, in common with other
philosophers, exhibit this tendency to
classify things. This tendency leads to
the scientific attempt to unity matter and
materiaIze all things; and the metaphysi-
cal attempt TO unity spirit aud spIritualize
all things Both are blended byphIIos0phy
which attempts to find a place for both
and unity for the two.
We DO not propose to quarrel with either
but to induce the scientific mind 10 admit
what the metaphysician and philosopher
have long known that this tendency Is |
merely mental and may not be founded il
fact
Ii is not pretended by scientists that the |
result of the effort 90 reach the ultimate
analysis of nature gives fewer exlsteuces
than matter and force. Matter divides It.
self into a number Of elements which may
or may not prove to be ultimate.
Uatil they shall be shown to be derived
from elements more simple than tnsm-
selves, all our reasOnings from them must
be founded on the hypothesis Of their di- |
versity. In the researches of chemists.
the tendency has been to increase rather |
than decrease the number Of primary Gle |
ments. contrary to ihe idea Of hypo.hetI- |
cal rsasoners who are inclined TO reduce |
all matters to 2 uni. The tel5=ue- To- !
unity force has received an additional i'm
petus from the popular aud beautiful
theory of the correlation aid conservation |
of forces.
All matter IS known TO Us as possessed |
of inseparable tendencies, which are moth
ing more OF less than forces, while forces
are only separaDle from matter as a mental
abstraction, never as an object Of expert
ment The investigator must keep before |
him, as a safeguard, the recollection that
names are not things, and that things re
not as distingusha5le as the uames wogive |
them, and that classifcations are aids TO
memory only. We will remember IL this
address that these terms and ciEssifcatiOus /
are to be used as matters Of convenience.
An effort to verify the forces has tended /
recently 60 exclude from the list of e.5-
mental forces several which have long been |
SO classed, and to put them IL the class
of derivative forces. Many Of these forcgs
thus excluded are vital forces 1t Is pro
posed to view very sUcciDctiy the grounds
on which this attempt has been made, and |
give an estimate OF its success
The Doctor then quoted from the views
of a large number Of writers, who had adj
vauced varisUs hypothesis in regard TO tie |
philosophy Of generation, and exrlliue1 |
their variOIs experiments and theories % |
length. The most minute researches of |
chemical science had never been able 70 |
produce an organism or t. CisCOvr |
an organism in which there could |
not be detected the presence Of a germ.
The indication from all the facts yet dis
covered was, that there was force other |
than that which chemists could bring To |
bear upon matter rhica must be allowed |
to be elementary.
The Doctor then referred to the numer-
Gus hypothesis which had been advanced |
to account for the philosophy Of genera
ton. One theory was that all living mat |
ter was composed Of molecules, and tht |
these formed together the various aspect
Of animal life. Another theory was that
all matter was dead, but was subject to be /
acted upon by certain forces.
The Doctor then gave at some length |
the views Of an Italian 10y the name Of |
Redi. and also referred to some expert
ments in which an infusion was boiled
thus caasiuE the gems Of life to be de
stroved. and it was found that the oxygen /
in the air necessary to support life was d
stroyed Again, the infusion had been
made through lint or cotton, and it was !
found that the lite germs remained il the |
lint.
Various experiments and theories were I
mnde aud advocated by VI PssteUr. Nj
Huxley, SuaIlanzi and Professor Sterling
Of Edinburg. It was finally settle
that it was living germs that produced life.
The result Of all the experiments was Ia |
prove satisfac oriIy that no life cou5i axIs. |
unless there were a prC-eZIsteat germ |
from which that life had its commence
ment
After some further Tama.ks on tEe qun=-
ton If life, the Doctor took up tie suhjec. |
of thought Ia regard to the point who-h.r
though. was generated by the hraI1. prac
teal observations were submitted by the |
lecturer 10 how that the brain was acted |
upon 10y a thinking power, when nom OF |
the stimuli knovn 90 PSYCHOLOGISTS and |
chemists were present.
There are NJ facts better known 20 the |
medical practitioner than that mind evr-
cises a great Influence over dis5aze. DIFF
fareut states Of mind consequently modify |
the effect Of remedies. Pat a desc of |
morphine into the hands Of a sober long |
fac doctor, who goes to Mis- patient and |
| saws, my dear madam, Or, my dear sir, |
! Won are very sick and puts TIE NOR
| phine into a spoon aud gives 1t to his pa |
6 :. I. 4