The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-06-07
AppRRss or WRlcoME.

Before the State Medical Society, (which
convened here last Wednesday afternoon)
entered upon the business Of the session,
DR.. W. ]. Bates, Of this city, delivered the
following
Address OF WELCOME.
Ar. ReGident and Gentlemen of Ne State
Medical Society.
/ have the honor on behalf Of the medi.
cal profession Of the city, TO extend TO you
0 warm greeting and 0 cordial welcome,
and TO express our qualification that you
have second time made Wheeling the
place ofyour meeting.
Since the Society last met herein DC.
tober 1967-the membership has increased
more than one hundred per cent, and there
Is every reason to believe that very soon
every regular physician In the State, In
good standing, will have caused his name
70 be enrolled on our register.
The steady growth oil the Society and
the constantly increasing interest felt by
the physicians Of the statein It's success
and prosperity, are certainly very encour.
aging indications.
But, beside and beyond this, and oil
better augury as TO the permanent exist
ence and future usefulness Of the Society,
Is the fact, that the objections to II, which
at one time existed In the minds Of some
phyncians, are now happily removed, and
the whole profession Of the State are
united In the desire, not only TO make II
worthy Of honorable place among similar
institutions in the country, In its scientific
character, but also, to make II an instru.
ment for iniusing into the profession Of
the State a better ambition and q higher
tone Of feeling. The signs Of the times
are such as to make 1t neither unreasona.
BILE nor presumptuous to anticipate that
organized medical influence will soon
take q prominent part In controlling and
directing legislative action in all matters
having bearing upon the public health.
Such indeed, Is the incalculable value
humankind Of the knowledge possessed
by physicians, so essential Is 1t for the
iurtherance Of all enterprises designed to
relieve suffering, to prevent disease and to
ameliorate physical and mental degrade.
ton and Indebtedness, that 1t has been
truly said that even civil society itself
could not exist, independently Of the pro.
fession Of medicine. And no one who is
careful to keep himself familiar with the
history of the wonderful advances which
are every day being made by medical OBJ.
servers in the knowledge Of the laws Of
lite, and the mysterious modes by which
external agencies operate in the impair.
ment or destruction oil life and health,
can be ignorant Of how much more i'm.
portant than formerly, to the welfare and
happiness oil the people public sentiment
has come to regard medical opinion
upon these subjects. No political com.
munity, no State, no government can, at
this day, afford to ignore the important
position held by the medical profession in
the body polite, or disdain to ask its'assist-
ance or cooperation in all matters which
devolve upon the State, and which come
within the scope Of medical investigation.
If then, gentlemen, we prove true to our
professional calling, always acting from q
lofty sense OF the true dignity OF the art
we practice, then this society, however in
significant US to members may have been
its beginning, however unpretending
as yet, It's contributions to the
general stock of medical literature,
will ere long became one Of the chief.
sources to which the Lawmakers Of the
State will appeal for the knowledge
which mustguide them in the solution Of
questions affecting the health ,and there
fore the welfare and the happiness Of the
people. Not the least, among the many
advantages resulting from the organiza-
ton OF this Society, and from these an.
nual meetings, Mr.. President, is the ten.
dency to inspire in us, and TO keep alive
feelings oil personal regard and attach
ment for each other-.sentiments which
ought always to exist between the mem
bers of profession like ours.
These happy occasions for personal &C.
quaintance and social intercourse, should
serve to dispel prejudices, to correct erro.
neous impressions we may have conceiv-
ed about others-to hush dissensions, and
acting by the law of love, to unite all
separate, conflicting and discordant inter-
ests, and to ioeld us, as II were, into one
homogeneous and harmonious body.
1t has been said, time out Of mind, Mr..
President, that the Medical fraternity,
much more than the other learned pro.
fessions, are prone to engage in quarrels
and chickering's among themselves, so that
the saying, doctors will differ" has long
since passed into proverb.
1t would be out Of place for me TO at.
tempt here an argument on this subject,
or even to dilate further upon 1t, since
you all know so well how little real truth
there is in this allegation against U.s.
And only allude to 1t that may give
greater emphasis to the strong hope feel
"a hope in which l am sure you will
unite with me) that our intercourse on
this occasion may be such as to add an.
other to the already long list Of notable
Illustrations to be found In the history oil
the intercourse OF the profession, abund-
antly demonstrating that contention and
terGnoling are not the normal elements in
which physicians luxuriate, nor the con-
genial atmosphere inwhich they live, and
move, and have their being.
May then, all our proceedings, discus.
sions and debates, be characterized by
deferential and sincere regard for each
other, and by personal and professional
courtesy and may harmony and good Eel.
L.. III. -