Morning journal and courier., 1884-05-30
The Convention of Doctors.

The Convention of Doctors.
 ! Last Day of the Conventton-The RepOr of Secretary St. JOhn-Dr. Mathewson' | Paper-PIeasant Dinner at the Athen | eums
 The attendance at the opening of the sec ond days meetin of the Connecticut Medica
 society yesterday morning was large. Pres ident E. B. Nye called the meeting to order The report of the secretary was read by g ! B. St. John of Hartford. The society sus ' tained loss of four members by death: DI P. A. Jewett, Dr. Baldwin Of Danbury, Dr Brandagee of Berlin and Dr. Dubois of thii city. There were five removals and one ex ! pulsion The additions were as follows
 Frank M Wheeler, New Haven; s. W. Will \ liston, New Haven; o. T. Baldwin, Birming
 ham; H. E. Smith, New Haven; J. M. Ben edict, Waterbury; W. 0. Welch, Ansonia; 1 E. ". Smith, Meriden; F: B. Futile, Manga tuck; B. l.. Lambert, New Haven; c. L. Fitch, New Haven; W. P. Stetson, Norwich; E. M. Rsmson, Norwich; Earl Mathewson, UncasviIle;. ". T. Brown, Lisbon; F. J. Beckwith, New London; H. S. Otis, Hartford; George l Lumy, TarifviIle; E. B. Thompson, Hart ford; o. D. Alton, do. O. c. Smith, do. L. M Cremin, New Britain; A. A. Holmes, Bridgeport W. B. Oogswell, Stratford; Ja' cob May, West Stratford; W. H. Andrews, Brookfield; O. 0. Godfrey, Bridgeport; E. E. Snow, Danbury; P. H. Lynch, do. :; E. M Smith, do.; George A. Gilbert. do. Aug. ust stratton, do. E. M. Beardsley, Mon roe; 0. N. Allen, Moosup; F. w. Chapin, Pomfret; T. R. Parker, Willimantic; N. w. Sanborn, Central Village; -Brinley, Roxbury; 0. s. Brewer, West Cornwall; 0. o. Belden, Litchield; E. 0. French, Water town; T. M. Maxwell. Ltchfeld W. l.. Platt, Torringtsn; H. s. Noble, Middletown. The secretary has, during the year, sent to each of the Senators and members of Con eress of Connecticut copy of the resolu- tions relative to the necessity of providing a freproof building in Washington for the preservation of the army medical museum and library of the surgeon generals office. Since then 8 bill to accomplish this object hes been introduced in Congress and will likely pass. The secretary says concerning the defeat of the proposed law introduced at the last session of the Legislature relative to the publishing of the working formulas by which patent medicines are made, that it was defeated mainly on the ground of injustice resulting to druggists who had large stocks of these medicines on hand. Concern | ing the publication of the early literary trans actions of the society authorized last year, | he reports that the expense it was found will amount to $500. The Hartford County so- @c lRI9 1S | which was the contribution of one member | The New Haven society will furnish $1O0 more and Fairfield $25. In view of other I assurances made before the meeting of the | fellows Wednesday, the secretary was instruct | ed to print ,0OO copies for distribution.
 The treasurer's report compares very fa- ! vorably with that of last year. Five counties report $22O arrearages for dues of 1883, and the total for the remaining three is $48.2 President Nye then read a paper, the title of which thoroughly we'll gives it's import, ! ssThe Medical Profession and It's Claims to l the Respect and Gratitude of the Oommuni ty" It was received with applause The Rhode Island and Massachusetts fol- lowed. and Dr. W. C. Vile, of San | dy Hook, made the report of the commit tee on matters of professional interest. and then Dr. R. W. Mathewson, of Durham, read pleasing and instructive paper on Medicine Fifty Years Ago" He said that out of four hundred members of the society fifty years ago, but fifteen remain; six in New Haven county, two in Litchfield county. one in Fairfield county, one in Holland county and one in Middlesex county Of the medl- cal class in New Haven in 1883, of 62 stu dents only six are now living. Half Of the United States were represented in that class; the hospital was new at that time and had but few patients. There were no clinics, and the school was closed eight months l in the year. Bright. Graves or | Addison had not then become immottalized by having their names prefxed to a disease. I The hypodernnical syringe, chloroform and | the bromides were not then known, and the | practical use of anesthetics had not been dis covered There was quite rage for taking gas and ether for amusement, and 1t was said I that Professor SiIliman would occasionally | administer air from the gas bags to hoax the students But it was left, said the doctor, to Horace Wells years after to make practical use of the discovery. Gyneeology | was not considered of much importance Tn 1 those times and only three or four lectures were given on diseases Of females. Indeed, Dr. Fordyoe Barker's and Dr. Bedfords ' manner of treating these last were severely denounced for time by some of the medical journals But the old-time customs were l bound to be swept away eventually. The remedy in all sorts of cases was the lancet.  the stage of collapse or reaction. All used | it. Blood letting, easily, often and largely, was the rule Some claimed that acute dis eases in little children were frequently eured ! by drawing away four-ffths of the blood ir ! the body.
 Dr. N. E. Wordin, of Bridgeport, read 6 | lengthy paper of particular scientific interes! | on the ''Germ Theory of Disease" Dr. E. |, Wilson had paper on ''Cases of Conjunc ! tivitis" and G. W. Harris, Old Lyme, ou ! ''Hernia." Then followed the introduction of general business and cases of interest and dissussion. Surgical cases from the New l Haven hospital were oited, and the most un 1 pronounceable of words were shot across tho | room by interested doctors as they warmed I up to their york. Dr. George B Packard had paper on the "Early Diagno | sis and Treatment of Potts. Disease of tht ! Spine.'' In the miscellaneous business tha came up, Dr. Beardsley, of Birmingham, hai | paper on ''Malarial Diseases Cured by Qui
 l nins." His remarks were combatted some | what at the finish. He faVors the use O
 | gelsemium and has given up qninine alto | gether. A half score of voluntary paper
 | were submitted to the assemblage, but wer
 not read. It was voted to have them printet
 in the reposs of the proceedings.
 l At 1 o'clock dinner was served at tn
 ! Atheneum at which nearly all the member
 participated. Speeches were made by Presi
 dent Porter of Yale, Mayor Lewis, Prof
 Brewer, George A. Butler, Dr. Delavan o
 New York, Dr. English of New Jersey, Dr
 Huntington of Vermont, Clarence Demini
 and others.