The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-06-12
DISCUSSING MEDICAL LAWS.
The State Medical Society Debating
About Its Legislative Needs.
Officers for the Ensuing Year Elected-A
Number of Interesting Papers Read and
Considered by the M. Dis


Say at o'clock in its second days session. DR..
A ]. Miller, of Paris, H., read a paper with
especial reference to the work of the Illinois
Medical Association He said the tendency was
TO elevate the standard of medicine in his State,
despite the defects and inabilityto obtain needed
Legislation Protection against the mountebanks
and eharlatans he thought, was essential to the
welfare of the profession.
Dr. D. A. Moss, of the Oxford Retreat, and a
member Of the Ohio Medical Society, was intro
<luced, and spoke briefly The same difficulties
he said, existed in Ohio touching legislation,
and it seemed impossible to get bill through
the Legislature of any consequence. One rea-
son of this was that so many men usually pre-
pared bills and the supporters of one usually
antagonized all others. At the close of Dr.
Moss's remarks greetings were sent to the Ohio
Medical Society, now in session.
The paper of DIR. H. V. Severinger, or Fl
Wayne, the doctor not being present, was re-
ferred to the committee on publication. Its title
was "Post Partum Intra uterine Injections OF
Carbolic Acid" DR.. W. H. Myers, of FIT Wayne,
read paper on "Puerperal Pyema.
DR.. j. R. Weist, of Richmond, read paper on
3eMalpractice Suits-Can Their Frequency be
Icssened" He submitted a resolution passed
by the Wayne County Medical Society, urging
tie passage of bill drawn by State Senator
Fouke, providing in the trial of an issue for the
appointment by the court of one or moro expert
witnesses, who shall be required to give testl-
Dony, and shall be paid the same as ordinary
witnesses. Such a measure. DR.. Weist thought
would be of nestimable value to physicians in
defending suits brought by irresponsible and
dishonest persons simply for gain. DR.. L. +.
Hodges, of this city, read paper on the same
subject in which he took the lawyers to task for
encouraging the bringing of malpractice suits
He regarded them as largely responsible for the
trouble caused to reputable physicians.
The two papers were discussed at some length
DR. P. H. Jameson said he was proud to state
that malpractice suit had never been prose
cuted successfully in Marion county. He at
tributed this to the fact that the physicians had
protected one another, He thought that the
physo-meds, eclectcs, homeopaths and regu
lars should stand shoulder to shoulder in this
matter
The report of the committee on hospitals for
insane women, by DR.. Mary f. Thomas, re-
ceived Further effort in the direction of Sc
curing the appointment of women physicians
for the three new asylums to be built was recon-
mended. 1t stated that the success of the re
form illustrated by the service of DR.. Sarah
Stockton at the Indiana Hospital had been very
gratifying to its friends
At o'clock the committee nominations re-
ported the following as officers for the ensuing
year, the report being adopted: President, J.
III. WOODBURY., Indianapolis; vee-presdent, j.
S. Gregg, Fort Wayne; secretary, e. S. Elder,
indianapolis; assistant secretary, w. H. Lopp;
Columbus; treasurer G. w. H. Kemper, Muneie.
The great part of the afternoon session was
taken up in the consideration of needed medical
legislation. Dr. S. S. Boyd, of Dublin, read
paper on 'Medieal Legislation DR.. George w.
Knoland, as chairman of the committee the
subject, reported "a Bill to Regulate the Prac-
lice of Medicine" ana Dr. Thad M Stevens
made report on behalf of a committee on med
ical legislation
DIS Wuest, Hodges and Van Vorhis were ap-
pointed a committee to further the passage of
an act to govern courts in the matter OF expert
testimony.
In the warm discussion that followed the pa
pers and reports on medical legislation great
number of the members took part, among whom
Hobbs, Rocker, Haughton, Bond, Lo-
max, Blunt, Pearson, Stilson, Beard
and Elder. The general lament appeared
to be the low standard of medical education and
the lack of protection Of the people and the pro
fession from ignorant empires DIR Myers, of
Fort Wayne, referred to the low standard of
medical education in the college of medicine of
that place, to which DR.. Gregg retorted that it
survived the other college-the one DR. Myers
had belonged to-thus illustrating the
survival of the ittest DR.. Myers remarked
that Jerusalem was now in the hands of the in
fidei and disproved the law.
DR. Hibbard presented the following resolu-
tion:
Resolved That it is the of this society that
the time has arrived when the members should exert
their influence singy and collectively, to secure the
passage of State law recurring of all persons seeking
to become practitioners ofme dene that they shall be
thoroughly educated in the elementary branches of
medical science, and such education should be
tanned by board of medical examiners, member of
which shall have any official connection With any ins
tuition of medical education"
The resolution passed, and Dr. Hobbs moved
that all the papers before the society on
medical legislation be referred to select
committee, who should be empowered to
prepare the necessary points for
bill to be acted upon by the next Legislature
TILE nPpSident named the committee. DpS
Wilson Hobbs, Joseph G. Rogers and J. H.
WOODBURY..
DIR. j. L. Thompson read paper illustrating
his subject by diagrams, on "Asthenopia.n
EVENING SESSION.
The evening session was called to order by Dr.
Woods, of Fort Wayne The committee on
finances and credentials reported.
Dr. Theo. l.. Wagner, of Indianapolis read an
Interesting paper on ''Sma pox and the Pest
house" He said he had come to
the conclusion that while we have
by using the bovine exclusively we have retro
graded in the manner of vaccination. Vaccin-
alton should be practiced in at least two abra-
siens in different parts Of the body, and be re
pcated until the virus ceases to take effect
Touching vaccine lymph our laws, or rather our
lack of laws on this subject puts us all at the
mercy of vaccine producers, whose honesty is
our only reliance. The forms i'll which vaccine
virus is now mostly supplied, are the crust, the
ivory point and the quill lymph A crust in its
best form is made of air-dred vaccine lymph,
puscells, epidermal scales hair, germs that may
be in the surrounding atmosphere and
anything else that may come in
contact with the animal often
fecal matter and urine Crusts retail at from 81 so
TO 81, and it does not pay the producer to vac
einate the heifer simply for the crusts. Pure
early vaccine lymph is colorless fluid When
placed on the quill it should show no STAIN A
red or brown stain indicates blood, yellow
stain, pus. Producers of vaccine virus have
permitted the profession to drift into the opin-
ion that the more seen on point the greater its
potency, when, in fact it indicates adulteraton,
perhaps Infection as pure lymph is a colorless
fluid, and any stain indicates adultera-
finn The flct nf