Morning journal and courier., 1882-06-22
9ournal anO Gonrier.
Thursaay Morning. June 22, 1882.
Eclectic Medical Society.


 The National Body - Twelfth Annual
 Convention-A Full Attendance-BusI-
 ness and Other Int erests.
 The twelfth annual convention of the Ma tional Eclectic Medical association, which is being held in this city, began its work yes- terday morning at 10 o'clock. The sessions are held at Loomis' Temple of Music. The body continues it's sessions today and to- morrow About one hundrs d persons, mostly delegates, were present, many of them hay ing come from other States A few ladies were present. Dr. w. s. Latta, of Lincoln, Nebraska, the president of the association the past year, called the meeting to order. Rev. MT. Samson, of Calvary Baptist church, offered prayer. An interesting and able ad- dress of welcome to the delegates was then made by ex Mayor L. W. Sperry of this city. It was warmly received. President Latta ap- propriately replied and thanked the speaker. Dr. Pease of Thomaston, speaking as presi- dent of the Connecticut society," added other welcoming words in a happy vein, assuring the delegates that the Connecticut society was most happy in having the privilege of vel coming and entertaining their fellow workers from abroad.
 Dr. Pease trapped" the regular practition- CTS in his remarks, provoking lively applause and merriment. The local committee of ar- engagements is Drs. M. F. Linquist and Geo Andrews of this city, and Dr. Mum of Wat erbury.
 Dr. Latta then delivered the annual ad- dress, which was listened to with close atten- tion, and spoke well for the growth and other interests of the body. He was offered Q unanimous vote of thanks for his address on motion of Dr. Scudder.
 The address, after stating the objects of the association, said that fifty years ago 8 general distrust of the medical profession, owing to lack of success and the use of calomel and blood letting, arose. At that point the doctrines of Hahnemann were in troduced into this country. This raised another howl. These doctrines were attacked and ridiculed. ''As before stated, nearly all of those engaged in the reformed practice the chemical constituents of the human body consequently they rejected all minerals and many valuable vegetable remedies from the materia medica. Yet the success of these ignorant people led some of the ablest and l most progressive practitioners to that there was radical defect in the whole sys- tenn of allopathy, and some of them began a | vigorous research to obtain materials out of 1 which to construct q reformed practice, and the result was that the greatest medical man | of the age published Beach's Practice ot | Medicine. Men who were willing to gather | from all sources things which would stand the test of science, and retaining from the | old system all that common sense would per- | init formed that admirable system known as | The Eclectic Practice of Medicine. "Ihis very appropriate name was selected in | imitation of an ancient school of Grecian I philosophers who did not attach themselves | to any particular sect, but selected from the | principles of each what they deemed sound | and rational.
 | s'These men first undertook to organize at | Warrington, Ohio, but soon after moved to | Cincinnati, where they obtained charter, | selected board of trustees, and appointed 1 their professors to fill the different chairs of
 a very creditable medical college which they
 then and there erected.
 'tThen we began to see" That the midnight
 of ages was passing away" Light was break | ing upon the medical profession so that it | would no more be deemed necessary to bleed | and purge man to death to save his life | when ason and common sense must govern | and dogmas and take back seat. This ad- | mirable system went forward with giant
 strides, threatening to absorb all other | branches of the medical profession. It is no wonder then that it aroused opposition in the old school.
 ''No sooner was this school organized than it was branded by the al1opaths as the foun-
 tain head of quackery. They set up kind of inquistion, an inveterate persecution, and | made almost superhuman efforts to destroy | the young Hercules in his infancy. sThe college at Cincinnati still exists; it has graduated its thousands of able practitioners who are scattered throughout the land, and who have revolutionized the practice of med | icine. It stands on as sound footing now as in times past has 8 full corps of able pro- fessors and bids fair to remain as long as the necessity exists for medical schools. Besides the Cincinnati college there are eight or ten others, all of which, I believe,
 are doing good work in the cause of medical reform, that from all our eclectic colleges we have over F, ,OOO graduates, besides three 1 or four thousand practitioners, who are not | graduatef, but have attended the colleges and | have been greatly benefited thereby. We have 21 State societies, which send delegates | to the national besides three State societies.
 which do not affiliate. These latter are
 wrong, and I hope that all those States which
 are standing aloof may be convinced of their | error and come and unite with us. ''In un- | ion there is strength" We should all stand | together.
 "There auxiliary societies in Illinois, In diana. Massachusetts, Michigan, New York | and Pennsylvania.
 | "Within the last year three new eclectic col | leges have been organized, one in Iowa, one | in Maine and one in Colorado. One year ago l the delegates of one in Indiana and one in | Georgia applied for admission into this asso- | citation, and two years ago the right hand of 1 fellowship" was extended to one in California,
 making six new eclectic colleges organized | within about two years There are grave doubts in the minds of many of the ablest members of this association, and especially of those connected with the older colleges, as to the propriety of starring these new ones. Of this am not here to judge. am not familiar
 with much of the materials of which their faculties are composed, but will say that if the gentlemen with whom have the pleas ure of an acquaintance are fair samples of the whole, l have no fears of their failing to
 accomplish much good. We must have more eclectic colleges or always remain in the mi nority. Students will not travel across the continent to attend. our colleges when they have others in their own town.
 'tEclectic remedies and eclectic methods of using them are being Adopted throughout the clVl lHeo WOrlu anu OIu uOSH1aS Wnlcn ecl6c tics condemn are abandoned; large class of modern allopaths are seeking for new light, adopting our system as fast as they can learn it, earnestly searching for new remedies and appliances, in short even becoming quite pro- gressive even denying the name of allo- pathy, and claiming to be themselves the true eclectics; in every way acknowledging the truths which our system teaches, and yet not willing to give us credit for this reform"
 The address further referred to the subject of legislation to regulating the practice of medicines, and the requisite, which in some States is required, of graduation in legally chartered medical college or university. The speaker objected to eclectics coquetting with hom@pathics and fanathematizing allopaths. There are ten eclectic medical journals print ed. In closing the speaker counselled high aims and purposes in the profession.
 The roll of officers then read mem bers responding as their names were called. All the officers were present but one vice presi- dent. The roll of States was called and the credentials of delegates passed in, which were passed upon by the following credentials committee:
 Drs Gerald of Massachusetts, Smith of New York, Mulholland of Pennsylvania, H old of Ohio O'Neal of Illinois, Judd of Wiscon- sin and Gates of Missouri.
 Among those attending are Drs. s. s. Judd of Janesville, Wis, and R. w. Geddes of Winchester, Mass vice presidents Alexan- der Wilder, of Lebanon, Ohio, treasurer Other prominent gentlemen of the eclectic school noticed were: Dr. J. M. Scudder, of the Eclectic Medical Institute in Cincinnati n,l~a ,G Ios- .Ga1I