The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-05-17
AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION.
DR.. Waterman Talks to Reporter About
the Session at New Orleans.

Journal reporter met DIR. L. d. Waterman,
who has just returned from New Orleans, where
he attended the session of the American Medical
Association
What were the leading features of the SEES.
sionr asked the reporter.
swell, | didn't find any unless it was the
grand quarrel over the organization OF the In
ternational Medical Congress- which meets In
this county next year The committee appointed
by the American Association to tender the invi
tation and make a temporary arrangement,
took it on themselves very ungraciously to or
ganize the whole thing In all its departments.
They did SO and gave everything in sight to
New York and Philadelphia. It vas political
trick and caused much kicking Indiana, for
example. with its 1900 doctors, had simply a
third horse representation. Finally member
from each State was appointed, but the original
work of the committee will, of course,
stand as they knew it would. The
exposition was large feature with the medical
men; this, with the jetties, the gulf excursions
and New Orleans itself, scattered the delegates.
The medicine men who run such associations
stood by; the rest were in and out. The fact is,
in my Judgment there is very little upright and
downright scientific work OF the year laid upon
the altar of the American Medical Association.
The real sound work of the scientific doctor is
saved for tie book he Is writing, or he
publishes it in the leading medical journals.
the points sprung by the paper readers. Ac-
quaintance, good-felowship esprit de corps are
kept up by the annual meeting; that is an inn
portant thing. Many doctors read papers so as
to get the aid of the reflected light they
shed in their home practice; the meeting
too, is divided up among the specialists
in the afternoon general sessions only in the
morning. Why, you can scarcely be invited to
an operation unless you pose as q specialist; an
ordinary, general practitioner counts for almost
lists run things, and men in gen
eral practice take back seat
/ suppose shall take up speciality yet; all
that is necessary is to go to Europe or attend a
have done both"
'What will you take up, Doctor~
''It don't make any difference-one is as good
as another for the purposes to which they are
his line, as that is allowed, but he
is usually a general practitioner also,
and so takes in the whole field. The
difference is in the tees. the hours and the adver
Using which are all in favor sof the specialist.
Diseases of the lvmphatic SYSTEM or of the
Sympathetic nervous SYSTEM, are still open
fields, and these systems include the whole
body of man: But am too we'll advanced, and
the weather is too hot for a row, and guess you
had better leave that out"
So the reporter carefully put it in, and then
asked the Doctor how the association was re-
ceived by the New Orleans brethren.
Every we'll, indeed; they treated us with a
reasonable degree of courtesy They are ex-
hausted, of course, by the exposition. A num-
Der of them opened their houses to as. The
newspapers were particularly appreciative"
WAS the code war brought to the front this
sessions"
YES, Of course. The association was par
ticuarly bitter on the New York code nen; they
would have held them up by the hair and
broken their necks But few Of them were
there. The explanatory declaration of DR..
N. s. Davis concerning the proper
Interpretation Of the code of ethics
/ regard as very significant and liberal.
This report was signed by all the committee: it
declares that to assume name indicating to the
public sectarian or exclusive system of
practice amounts to withdrawal but, Also that
nothing in the national code is inconsistent with
the broadcast dictates of humanity, and that the
article referring to consultations does not pre-
vent the rendering of professional services under
any circumstances of pressing need"
DIR. Waterman, who has been a member Of
the American Medical Association for thirty five
years, thought the provisions and Interpretation
very liberal, and agreeing with q right reason
and humanity.
The rest of the interview pertained to DR..
Watermans trip from Florida to Chattanooga,
passing over the old battle-ground which he had
familiarized himself with as surgeon and medical
director of division Of cavalry during the war.
OF particular interest was the old Macon
prison-pen where the Doctor was confined for
month in 1864, after being captured at Newman.
The prison pen is now used as county fair
ground. There he luxuriated on rotten pork
and coarse ground corn cob and all, with no
cover by night or shelter from the sun by day,
and the contrast of that mission of death twenty
years ago. with the present mission of peace and
harmony was to the Doctor very striking.