National Republican., 1873-09-27
MEDICAL ASSOCIATION.
LECTURE BY DR. D. R. nAGNER.

| huu W utEt ht "
Formcd-Its Inccption nad Prosre---
An Intelligent Discussion and IL. OBJ
Jecu--whnt Il bns Accomplished.
Pursuant to advertisement In yesterdays RE
PUBLICAN the medical fraternity OF tho Dlstrlc,
Of Columbia, with many ladies and gentlemen Of
culture and intelligence, assembled at Marinii
ball last night TO hear the anniversary aidres,
OF Dr.. Daniel r. Hagner, Of the association, who
was introduced by DR.. Morgan, president Of tn,
association, and said that this is au occasion
fraught with interest to US as medical men, com
memorating, as It does, the organization OF IN,
nrst concerted effort 10 the District for the es.
| tabllshment OF our profession on an intelligent
basis, aud marking our yearly prosperity and
| usefulness.
HISTORY OF rHR ASSOCIATION.
| on September %, isiT, more than half cen.
tury Az, a small number Of physicians, com.
posel Of members Of the medical profession In
Washington, Georgetown, and Alexandria, met
together IN this city for the purpose, as they de
clared, "of organizing medical society In the
District OF Columbia for the promotion OF mcdi-
At that time there were about twenty practIc-
Ing physicians In the three cities, the aggregate
population numbering from 1900 to ib,0Oo, while
at present there are two hundred medical prac-
| titloners IN Washington and Georgetown, aud au
increase Of population In tho two cities OF con-
sideraby over i0oooo. In the following year q
charter was obtained from Congress, In which it
was made obligatory upon the society to appoint
ing ali persons who might be found qualified TO
practice medicine, or who should present q
diploma from some medical college In good
standing.
Ii may be mentioned here as a curious fact in
connection with this power Of licensing persons
as practitioners OF medicine, that In i5ls letters
were tss 5G% Ne Esns
the establishment Of the Royal College Of Physl-
clans 10 London. "ln whom should reside the
whole privilege OF admitting persons TO practice
within that city and circuit Of seven miles
| round It," Iu the charter Of that old and world
renowned body are found these words; "Be-
fore this period great multitude OF ignorant
sight into physlc, nor in any other kind Of learn
Ing, some could not even read the letters on the
| book, so far forth that common artncers, as
smiths, weayers, and (eyenl women, boldly aud
the high dispeasure oi God, great infamy Of the
faculty, and the gnevous hurt, damage, and
Destruction Of many Of the kings lisss people, W.
| l"Chronicles," was I" that q counterfeit doctor
was set on horseback, his face TO the horses tail,
the same tail in his hand as eridle, a collar Of
and so led through the city OF London with ring
Ing OF basins, and banlshed.n ,
most summary method, truly, Of disposlng Of
quacks and pretenders, which, IN the opinion OF
the medical profession, at least, might well be
adopted at the present day.
Ia 1883, Congress passed a new act to incorpo-
i
bia, the society OF 1917, for some reason. having
| suspended It's meetings, and It's charter OF that
date, without the Intervention OF Congress, hay-
Ing lost its power.
| As the orator appointed 10 address you In 1865
has given 50 able and complete q history Of every.
| thing relating to the Medical Society, rs well as
To the medical profession Ia this city, up to that
date, II would be superfuous to enter into any
| further details upon that subject.
| suiiice II for me now to say, that our society
has al this time one hundred and eighty names
Il puTDllel amDnp rnmnnapt a
| whose talents and position IN the community Will
| compare favoraby with those OF any other coun-
try or cline, aud whose devotion to their profes-
sion Is not surpassed by any other practitioners
OF medicine. From our number have been select
| ell two OF the presidents, as well as many OF the
other important Officers Of that great represen-
| tAtive body OF the medical profession OF the Unit
| ted States, the American Medical Association,
while others who have been connected with II
are to be found scattered over land and sea, en-
| gagged In their noble mission OF attending the
| sick and relieving suffering humanity. The
troubles which OF late years threatened the very
| existence OF the society have all been most sat
| isfactony adjusted, and Its action sustained by
an almost unanimous vote OF the National Medi.
cal Association. Ia those hours OF peril men
| were not wanting 10 our body 10 rush 10 the res
the breakers @ ak T which seemed TO engnif gull II. it Is
| now, therefore, matter OF hearty congratula-
tion to each and oil OF US that no internal dlssen-
| sions or outside influence are likely to disturb
the harmony Of the meetings or terminate the
scientific discussions which take place among its
members.
As the main object Of medical science Is not
only the more successful treatment, but also the
prevention, Of disease, I shall endeayor to give
brief recital OF some OF the leading discoveries
that have been made In medicine tending to the
contamination OF these two most important ends.
That the science OF medicine Is progressive, it s
only necessary to observe Its development from
the earliest times, and more especially within
the past century, and this examination will fur
nish conclusive proof that, both In the preven-
tion and treatment OF disease, medicine has kept
pace with her kindred sciences. Setting aside
the many fabulous statements In connection
with the origin and history Of medicine the nrst
authentic accounts Of the existence OF physi-
clans Is found In the Bible as, for instance: "Jo-
embalm jacob" his father. This was about sew
enteen hundred years before the birth OF Christ
From Egypt we turn TO ancient Greece for
What = known Of medicine; and even there we
md everything relating to the medical art
| shrouded In mystery and associated with fabu-
| lous legends OF gods and Rodesses, TO whom tenn
Piles were erected, to which the sick resorted for
relief, and where the younger priests were In
structed IN the little that was known connected
with medicine.
We observe no Improvement In the knowledge
OF medicine until about four hundred years be-
fore the Christian era, when the foundation
| stone for all future progress was laid BY Hip
pocrates, so Justly styled by his cotemporaries,
| as well as his successors. the Father Of Medl,
cine"
After the development OF the science by Hip
pocrates, we have TO pass over several centuries
/ W uhu huN sptNlal uuNhuCt III meulClue until the
efforts OF CELSIUS, and still later Galen in Rome
Increased the knowledge OF anatomy, and the
names OF
HrPPocRArEs, CELSIUS AND dALRY
will be as enduring as the science OF medicine It.
sell, Tor their writings comprise all that was
Known Known OF medicine after the burning Of the
| Chemistry and It's application TO science
originated with the Arabs, who Introduced many
| new articles into natsria medicd and described
many new diseases. Among which wefe smallnor
| and measles.
A new era in medicine opened with the four.
SseoVeS, n GeSin of G IN ne m stnay a. anatomy dhe
tated the study Of medicine, and especially Of
the works OF the three eminent writers referred
g. anatomy advanced rapidly and established
PHYSIOLOGY and pathology a. Kindred sciences.
Surgeons OF skill and genius were now coming
upon the arena OF history, while schools Of medl-
cine sprang up In Rome, Naples, and other cities
OF Italy, and In our northern county medical
professorships were also established.
The rapid advance Of the sixteenth and seven
teenth centuries Is well known to all OF you, de-
veioping more correct knowledge OF the siric- |
ture OF the human body and the functions Of ia |
various orgsns and the discovery OF Its different |
agents. u lat could have been the feelings OF |
wonderful theory OF the circulation OF the blood |
and after ceaseless toll and the greatest oppos,
ton was enabled TO cry Eureka" or Of The |
Intricate mechanism OF each and every inmost |
recess OF that most wonderful work OF the Crea-
tor-the human body.
VACCINATION.
We now come to the greatest OF all coHauests /
which medical science has ever achieved either
10 the prevention or mitigation OF disease. re-
Ter TO the discovery OF vaccination In the eIRh- |
teenth century. Recall for q moment the incl |
dents at the death bed OF Louis Xy-one OF the |
many scenes OF horror Of daily occurrence be- |
fore the days OF vaccination. Imagine the dying
monarch In the gllttering palace OF Versailles, d
lOathsome mass OF corruption, abandoned by
hls courtiers, and dying IN solitude In the midst
OF Its mocking splendor. The Kings word Ia
poweress, his false smile has made Its last con-
quest, the destroyer, smallpox, has seized him,
and the wealth OF the whole OF France cannot |
bring attendants TO his bed side. When we con- |
suit the pages Of history for centuries back, and |
read OF the terrible ravages of smallpox desc
latlng and decimating whole villages, towns and /
cities, entering alike the palace OF the prince
and the more humble abodes OF the lower ciasaea
and carrying on as Its victims Thousands and
hundreds OF thousands, as well asNutllatipR and
dislguring for ever twice or three times the
same number, we can then form some idea OF |
the henent TO mankind OF this most wonderful |
discovery.
In europe alone II has been estimated that the |
annual mortality from this terrible disease was |
four hundred thousand souls, and that double or /
treble that number bore upon them the marks OF /
the fell destroyer to the end Of their DAYS From
an examination OF the London bills OF mortality
during f0rty-two years, DIR, Jurln hscertaIned |
that even after innOc had been introduced
one In fourteen OF all that were born perlshed nv
he m ma 81 -.yl