The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-05-13
DOCTORS IN CONVENTION.
The Members Of the State Medical So
ciety Meet to Compare Views.
President Woodburn Delivers His Annual Ad-
dress and Number Of Interesting Pa
pers Read and Considered

The thirty fifth annual session of the Indiana
State Medical Society began at Plymouth
Church yesterday morning. The president, DR..
j. H Woodburn, of Indianapolis, called the So
ciety to order at 10 o'clock: Prayer was offered
by Rev. Reuben Jeffery, D. D., Of the First Bap-
list Church, after which the usual committees
were appointed
DR.. E. s. Elder, the secretary, in his annual
report showed the society had membership Of
LIZA for the present year and l27 for the year
preceding-a gain of eighty-seven. Blanks hao
recently been sent for county organizations to
Harrison, Spencer Shelby, vermillion, Craw-
ford, LaPorte and other counties. He had re-
ceved reports from ffty-th societies, leaving
seventeen yet to be heard FROM and these show
total of new members admitted 70; expelled,
3; died, IA; removed, 81; Withdrawn, 20; sus-
pended, TO- The report states that harmony and
good feeling exist throughout the various auxil-
larry societies, and that reputable medicine has
brighter prospects than it has ever had before.
DIR. Allison Maxwell, chairman Of the commit
tee on publication, reported that 400 copies of
the transactions of the last meeting has been
printed, at cost of $711.90 and distributed
among the various members, medical journals
various societies aud societies.
DR.. G. w. X. Kemper of Marion, the treas
urer, reported receipts for the years 245 95 and
disbursements OF 81, 19478, leaving balance Of
s51.17
It soon began to be observed that under the
Craftsmanship of Dr. WOODBURY., business was
dispatched with more rapidity than has hereto
81, ~, ~, 5<t,o nf
When the papers were long the discussion that
otherwise would have followed, was cut off, the
Consequence being that each paper was promptly
called upon its hour, and without postponement
or displacement
The first paper read was by DR.. David G.
Bryan, city, which was, after discussion, re-
ferred to the committee on publication. DR..
Ruegles, of Stockton, CAL, was introduced and
invited 20 a seat in the meetings. DIR. r. A.
Woods, of Seymour, read paper on Should
Consultations be Encouraged or Discouraged"
arguing in favor of consultations. This was,
like the preceding paper, discussed and referred.
At the afternoon session, Dr. William Lomax,
of Marion, read a lengthy paper on "Alcohol
Inebrety," which was referred without discus
sion The committee on neurology, by its chair
garding the deaths of Drs. J. o. Espy, G. Lomax.
H. G. Jones, s. S. Austin, S. H. Ballard, g. N.
Ray and w. r. Aydelott
The committee on medical ethics reported
from the Grant County Medical Society The
committee found that there existed very bitter
feeling on the part of both these doctors, and
that many things had been said on each side
that should not have been said. The trouble
arose over patient whose case had been taken
by DIR. Hess, after DR.. Lomax had been treating
her. The report softly criticized DR.. Lomax's
action as a member of the Grant county society,
in giving the casting vote when the matter was
in hearing in that society. The committee
ommend that the case be referred back to the
county society, with the admonition that both
gentlemen in the future act with more profess
SIGNAL and fraternal courtesy. The report was
accepted and approved
Dr. j. 0. Stillson, city, read a valuable paper,
illustrating his subject with drawings, on Cancer
of the Eye"
Dr. Wilson Hobbs, of Knightstown. read pa
per giving his experience in two cases of stran-
gulated hernia. The paper was OF exceeding
clearness, and excited great interest 1t was
brief but admirably covered the cases described,
and gave rise to an interesting discussion, which
was participated in by Drs. Eastman, Weist,
Kithcart Myers Chambers and others.
DR.. E. Hadley, city, read report of a case of
Addison's disease, a disease which is of compar-
atively recent discovery and definition. The pa
per was creditable to the close observation Of the
writer. and, like the others, was referred to the
Dr. W. B. Ryan, of Willow Branch, read an
interesting paper on '"The Treatm emit of Cholera
Infantum." Referred.
EVENING SESSION.
At the evening session the vice-president, Dr.
]. S. Gregg, of Fort Wayne, presided, and DR.:
j. H. WOODBURY. president, read the annual ad-
dress, his subject being: Have we Really In
creased in knowledge and Improved in PracticeY'
The Doctor said that fifty years ago the best
medical schools boasted of but six chairs, two of
which were, sometimes, well filed by one and
the same professor, and the Western practitioner
who was then possessed of dozen medical vol
umes had reason to congratulate himself on the
fulness of his library. The medical schools of
to-day cannot get along with less than ten or
twelve professors Of distinct branches of medi-
cal knowledge, and long line
Of so-called lecturers to supplement
their courses of didactic instruction.
The practice because OF the inability of any
one man to master all the knowledge or pre-
tentions of knowledge pertaining to the art, has
naturally been tending to crystazati on into
distinctive specialties, intimately related, yet
each presenting well defined characteristics.
Whenever practicable the family physician now
sends all cases of serious or obscure diseases of
the eye to reputable oculist; all surgical
diseases of women to the gynecoloeist; and posi-
lively declines to pull tooth if within reach of
a doctor of dental surgery. If patients become
insane they are hustled off to an asylum for
special treatment Diseases of the brain and
nerves are regarded as worthy of separate study,
and have given rise to yoluminous special litera-
ture The nose, alone, furnishes an ample held
for the practice of fullgr doctors of medi-
cine This great change in the volume
of medical knowledge is not more
marked than the changes that have
taken place in the details of practice, as a result
of new or modified views of disease itself and the
relation of medicine to physiological and patho-
logical processes.
Formerly the practice of medicine was a sort
of antagonistic invasion of the body by drugs or
otherwise expelling the disease With this OBJ
iect in view we resorted to blood-letting, vomit-
ing, purging and blistering the body. supposed
| ter the disease was driven out" or "slaugh-
| tered" within, efforts were made to restore the
| strength of the unfortunate patient by stimu-
| lants and tonics. Opium was administered, in
| some instances, to enable the invalid to
| endure the attendant suffering, of treat
-