The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-05-09
RALLY OF THE DOCTORS.
THE MEDICAL ASSOCIATION sEs-
SION At AN END.

Inc employment OF heSQlar SurgeOn5
by the Railroads Left to a Commit
tee to Investigate-steps to Have
the association Incorporatsd Under
a National Charter
WASHINGTON, May S.-The AmSfcan
Medical Association closed its forty-second
annual meeting at this mornings session.
The president announced the appointment
Of committee Of twenty-five physicians to
investigate the relation Of contract railroad
surgeons in the United States to the code of
ethics of the medical profession, and what
action should be taken by the association in
reference to corporations employing sur
geons only under such rules as were laid
down by them.
SOME OF THE MEMBERS.
Among the members are: J. Cochrane of
Alabama, L. p Gibson of Arkansas, J.
Ford Thompson Of Washington, d. c., d.
J. Fernandez Of Florida, w. s. Powell and
7. +. Wood Of North Carolina, w. 7.
Porcher OF South Carolina, L. J. Happel of
Tennessee Also committee Of twenty
three members to memoriali2e congress for
the establis lmelt of cabinet officer TO be
called the medical secretary OF public
health Among the members are Drs.
Richardson of Louisiana, W. T. Briggs Of
Tennessee, J. P. Logan of Georgia. Writ
johnson Of Mississippi and T. F. Wood Of
North Carolina.
A NATIONAL CHARTER.
Steps were taken by which the association
could become body legally incorporated
by the United States. instead of by any one
state, as trustees could thereby be author
lied to act in a business way, which had
hitherto been impossible. Congress will
ha nd NtN nE InxN
suggested in the address of
the commissioner, Mr.. Ross, by which
confidence between patient and physician
may be as secure from investigation as arc
now those between lawyer and client. I'M
fortunately, at present, a physician can de-
pend only upon individual judicious deois-
ions to uphold him in his refusal TO betray
these condolences. With the announcement
of the new officers Of the sections, the asso-
citation, at II o'clock, was declared ad-
iourned until next year.
WORK IN SPECIAL SECTIONS.
This closes the meetings OF the general
body, but much important work was done
i'll each special section, the results of which
may be taken practically as the reflected
work Of the medical profession in the
country. In the section ON the practice of
papers, with the discussion to which,
they gave rise, related to tuber-
culiue, DR.. Kocn's method for the.
cure and prevention Of consumption,
and phthisis or tuberculosis. Five papers
were prepared by DR.. 3. K. jackson of
| Norfolk, Va, DIR. II. @. Gsddings OF the
marine hospital service, DR.. Karl Won Ruck
of AsheVille, n. G. and DR.. A 8. Patee OF
| Boston, Mass. Cases in illustration were
| given, taken from all classes, but treated as
far as possible under best hygienic and die
tarY conditions, and in all cases tubercu-
line was the only medicine used.
HAS A VALUE.
Making allowance for individual differ
ences in treatment and in Judgment, the de-
cided opinion of the authors and of those
who discussed the subject was that tubercu-
line had an undoubted value that the medi-
| cal profession as yet hardly appreciates.
The enthusiasm Of six months ago had given
| place to scepticism just as extreme, but
no other remedy yet knJTI could
| supplant DR.. Koch's lymph. 1t was dan
gerous I'm doses that produced a fever
| hence begin on very minute doses. Patients
with bowel complications, infants and preg-
nant women were harmed. HBmaptisls
| was to be avoided, but the remedy need
only be discontinued tor time, not stopped
| altogether. As means Of diagnosis it was
! almost always available, and there was no
| danger of producing disease by it.
AN INTERESTING EXPERIENCE.
DIR. Won Ruck's experience is perhaps Of
exceptional interest. In the sanitarium at
| Ashevllle his results before the use of the
| lymph was good, patients gained in weight,
mig It sweats were controlled and the lungs
we're improved-all this under most favor
able hygiene and discipline, but since he
began to use tuberculine the gain in all
| directions had been quicker and some
| patients had been discharged cured. The
| opinion was then that lymph is a valuable
remedy, needing cautious investigation and
| conservative judgment, but tuberculosis has
| lost some of its terror since the time of
! Robert Koch.
| AN INFECTIOUS DISEASE.
A paper on the same subject, read in the
| section on state medicine by DR.. L. +. Flick
of Philadelphia, "The duty Of the govern
ment in prevention of tuberculosis urged
recognition of che fact that the disease
| ought to be claSsed among infectious dis
eases, and if so treated the present fearful
mortality c3uld be controlled. Let the gov
ernment encourage or even demand the
erection Of special hospitals and the isola-
ton of patients.
| THE CORONER SYSTEM.
An article in this same section by DR.. FL.
| o. Marcy of Boston, the newly elected
president, on "The Coroner System in the
United States" criticised severely the con-
| dltlOn OF our present laws, and showed how
much wiser it would be to take the position
out of the control Of politicians and make it
an office of dignity and scientific import
| ance.
DRESS OF WOMEN.
DIR. J. H. Kellogg of Battle Greek, Mich,
had quite an interesting article on modern
dress of women under a technical name.
He ascribed many of womans troubles to
the dictates Of fashion. He claimed that
the figure of man and a woman was the
same to begin with, and
| ought to continue so, but
unfortunate woman, with all her natural
ills, must be the slave of improper dress and
habit, and half her troubles-abdominel, of
couTse-came therefrom. Corsets were an
actual sin. Doctors did not all agree to
this by any means.
PATENT MEDICINES.
Some good advice was given 10 physi-
clans in the section Of materia medica and
pharmacy, of interest 20 the general public,
in an article by DIR. Hare.of Philadelphia on
the relation Of the profession TO drugs bear
ing q trade mark. This referred TO such
drugs as anti-pyrine. phenacetine and
sulfolal-lately brought from Germany
and patented in the United States. and
other preparations in this country
good in themselves, but too great a source
Of revenue 10 their owners. Should they