The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-05-14
THE HEALERS OF THE SICK.
The State Association of 0ld-School
Doctors Continues Its Convention.
0ficers Elected for the Ensuing Year-The
Eclectic Physicians Meet and Listen
to q Number of Addresses.


Annual Election Of Omcers-An Interesting
Paper on Epidemics I'm Indiana.
The Indiana State Medical Society convened
yesterday morning in its second days session
cammittee on nominations, consisting OF one
member from each of the seventy counties rep
resented, was appointed. Papers were read by
Dr. George W. McCaskey, Of Fort Wayne, on
Geographical Pathology of Consumption;' by
DR.. j. L. Cont, of Deerfeld. on Hereditary
Phthisis Pulmonatis;" by DR.. 9. s. Bond, of
Richmond, on Consumption in Indiana" and
DR.. Walter Schell of Spencer, on ''The In
lectious Nature Of tuberculosis" A paper was
read by DR.. c. B. Stemen, Of Fort Wayne, on
~Trephining and Resection of the Spine, with
report of three cases." after which the morning
nssion ended. 1t was expected that on reas-
Dembling after dinner a heated discussion OF this
Saper would take place. its statements being, by
number of members considered altogether too
remarkable for the domain of credibility.
At the opening of the afternoon session, Dr.
Wilson Hobbs Of Knightstown chairman of the
committee on nominations reported the follow
ing officers fo~ the society for the ensuing year,
he report being corcurred in:
PRESIDENT. S. Gregg. Fort Wayne.
Vice-President-W.H Hurt Waynetown.
Secretary-E. $. Elder Indianapolis.
Assistant Secretary-W H. Lopp. Columbus.
Treasurer-G. w. H. Kemper Muncie.
An invitation from the Indiana Pharma-
seutical Associa ton to attend the meeting of
that association, in session at Lyra Hall was
accepted.
Dr. w. Fl. Myers, OF Fort Wayne, rose to re-
Siew the paper of DR.. Stemen, read AT the morn
ing session. He proceeded to report upon one of
the cases cited by Dr. Steman. and to give his
observations upon it. He said he had examined
Che case at post norton, and the alleged tre-
shining had not been done.
DR.. Stemen contented himself with rernarking
that he had nothing further to say. He had read
his paper, and the matter would be allowed to
rest at that.
1t is understood that advantage was taken of
the dinner hour to pour oil upon the troubled
waters, and keep apart the two lots of TT. Wayne
doctors, otherwise there would have been squal
" time.
spoke briefly on the subject of trephining the
spine, their testimony being against the success
OF the operation.
The committee on credentials reported in ia
vor of receiving the Warrick county society as
an auxiliary member. Adopted.
DIR. George Sutton, of Aurora, read one of the
most interesting papers that have been present.
cd to the convention, being "A Review of the
Epidemics that have occurred in Southeastern
Indiana during the LAST fifty years, with OBJ
servatons on the Changes in Our Endemic
Malarial Diseases The first epidemic noticed
by the doctor was that of cholera IN Dearborn
county in 1883. A steamboat ascending the
Ohio river in Nav of that year landed near the
mouth of Tanners Greek to bury one of the deck
hands who had died of cholera. Two citizens of
Dearborn eounty-Page Cheek and Mr.. Shuler
were fishing near where this boat landed.
The officers of the boat employed them to bury
fha hadt thay fha dav
Cheek plowed in his field apparently perfectly
well, but during the night he was suddenly
attacked with cholera and died after twelve
hours illness. Within three days Shuler died.
The disease spread among those who went to
the assistance of the sick. It is impossible to
tell how many deaths occurred, account
was ever published. 1t was regarded at the
time as the most fatal epidemic that had ever
ley few miles below Aurora was visited by a
form of malignant fever different from anything
have seen since. These cases we then regarded
as bilious femittent fever, but we had every
form and type of malarial fever in that locality.
Physicians oere not then taught to give quinine
In the liberal doses it is now given and in conse-
Quence malariai diseases were much more diff
cult to manage than at the present time AL
though we have annually our autumnal and in
termittent fevers in various forms, we never now
nee cases of malignant, congestiye fever, or ever
have bilious fever similar to what we then had
The country was then new, the land was ex
dense forests. We hear good deal said of the
evil effects of cutting down our forest trees.
Some writer's attribute large amount OF the
evils along the valley of the Ohio to the removal
of the forests But let the low bottom lands be
covered again with forests, the swamps re-
main undrained, and | think there can DO no
doubt but that should have return of the
congestive and bilious feyers of early days. AS
for the removal of forests producing our great
floods, it seems to me that gentlemen adyocat-
sno hat hat fho
amount of moisture accompanying our great
continental storms is brought from the ocean by
great atmospheric currents. and that there have
been fluctuations in the amount of rainfall
over different parts of the globe IN all ages
Let five inches of rain fall suddenly
upon deep snow in the valley of the Ohio and
we would have food similar to that of 1884,
forests or no forests IL a medical point of view
we think the removal of the forests and the cul-
tivation of tue soil along the valleys of our
Western rivers is at least attended with bene-
fetal efects--effects which are SO marked in
many instances as to almost bring about a
change in the type of disease. believe that dis
eases do change their form, and that they are
no more immutable than other phenomena in
nature. The changes, in many instances, like
the evolution of organic life, are probably so
gradual that the lifetime of an individual is too
short to see these changes to their full extent
In 1912 and lS43 epidemic erysipeas prevailed in
different parts of tho United States. 1t made its
appearance IL southeastern Indiana in the winter
Of lo4z d III was KNOWN Dy the popular names
Of black tongue, sore throat. swelled- head etc
We were taught IN those days to regard erysipe
las species of skin disease of the class pyrexia
and the order of the exanthemata. | soon dis
severed that this form of erysipelas was not con-
fined to the skin, but peryaded almost every it's
sue of the body. In le48 we had remarkable
epidemic of scarlet fever In the spring Of iS49
cholera made Its appearance in its most malig-
Dant form. resided in a part of the town which
was the most dry and elevated. and regarded
ms the most healthy. but in that section of the
town more than half OF the inhabitants died
The views of the danger of infection from chol-
eraic evacuation were first formed in iS49 in OBJ
serving the progress of cholera in southeastern
indiana.
From 1886 to about 1856 I was occasionally
called into a section of country extending in a
sOuthwesterly direction from what is now known
a. Cnar4a ar Yin no Ridna 70 ranr un.4fa.a -.