Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-09-24
PRE>IDENI MIICHEIL's ADDRESS
An Interesting TAR st the National Museum
Last night

Hrs TWO vsTN rHTME~ sNr How r~srPrc-TvTLT
Axp ExrEar, r~t>oLY hwy SrrF iEEtTBD-
srTst,flsu NSp rHt aRuvrg or rEr -..IrS N
n,3,tI~F RECEPTION At rHE RIF:ys AETD"T.
AiLysician talking medicine 60 go other
physicians might make soiry bCugl- OF his
ta.G He m,sh- easily be TrOsy. h. might
very we'll he unusce--arI.y tedious. even 1nch
Jiscou-sing uJou scientific theme let.
with these dsuEe-s b-fr.- linn aui limited
time IN which 10 tain. DR.. = Hc.- Mitchell the
presI.lent OF he congress Of h--i",a-- and
surgeons now in session ~. :hi> city, delivered
his annual a.idr,-- h.5u=e the members oi that
bo.Iv IN the .a!l - the National Muse IN iu a
manner that shu,.si that shy-i,:aa tllSIu;
medicine 70 Other ph, sici1ns may Toe uoI;'c O.
te,lioas nor rrusy. bu: ,siIgLtfully interesting
and instr Ic:ivc.
The extreme heat Of the evening made people
uncomfortable anG few IN HAT Lai. fit ~ all
easy when Er. Mitchell began l.rs uJPs-. ut
about 30. Vet the reader had tie :..1st perfect
attention thrOUchou. AMI tie silence was
broker. O1lly b. mE-Elu-s Of approval. now a.d
thea broadening into . sost La..i-c,s ping and
becoming climax # eIt,lll-ia- m ~ Tho close
VIII d storm OF applause that lasted Ior several
minute
HIS TWO MAIN THTMES
Or. Mitchell. whiie touching lightly upon the
method and form of :he organization that he
leads devoted his words almost entirely IN Two
m,in themes specisiism in medicine and It's
ten l. ncies and the histOr5 IF the invention and
perfection Of IN" Instruments Of precision that
ever Practitioner nov USE To make Ms wo-k
exact. IL. ysorG5 he uttered IN IL, former iii
vision G.: MS paper were. t. = certain extent
co:strogsrsi5' and there here and :Lerc,
fs-liaI-s. Z stcai,. JLat cid not quiIc meet with
Itlii sDprOV.i b. sOr.it Il e men in the ~ Il
INT ri.st nm 1f
medical thought daring rlt pasi fcS hErdred
year, - inSt.sEccd b. the wOri. done toward
tEe device Of the Thermometer and IN" pulse
recorder. were followed with lie most eager
attenticl ard approval
In his first lev sentences rr Mitchell -, Ike
%. the C'.iGucn.>- y. the organization Of the
cOisce~s and 81 IL happiso 81 the thought
sas lrt, 20 lis fC-'gs tIJI.. E chewing politics.
M especially rE',iI-..l I"ltics. It devutes IT.
sell - purely ~ci'Etlt.c matte-s, and. bciI
Sro-,.ly national in - character 4 meets only
az tbs 1I-icD's capital
siE.Iil.. " y IFpICINE-
SpecIalism IL medicine. he continued j. Of 4
recent birth. The time AI- gone by. but not
very long since. when Use general practitianer
loOked with scoru and even WT-h . tendency
toward Ostfacism upon the man no devoted
hls attention wholly L. The eve But low each
helps the other The true specialist l. born,
out he u too apt 20 dew, e his Inu. 20 his can
Psrtieuiar line of thought before ic l. quite
fully weanet from Lis alma mater. general
medicine.
Dr. Mitchell expressed himself quantity in
this connection with medical pun. which was
swallowed by hi- lrarcrs without grimauce.
He -aid: Too exclusive study OF tho e., may
possibly result IN care 1i medical cgoti-m."
The specialist. he went on. Il lI,be - the dis
ease Of self-csteem. developing into undue i'm
portance. and the tendency of the DAY is prom,
90 expression IN the form vi hdsty papers or
important topics.
L
medicine has had. IT l. having. OF Nil have ITS
time for pre-eminenee. few years ago OPP
thAlmology made such rapid strides of progress
that al other lines of medicine were left be-
hind The Improvements IN method. the adj
NAnce- IN thought. the a. hIcSenIt i.s IN the way
Of unexpected success we're remarkably far
ahead Of the main body of the profession. The
other day surgery OecUIie the same position.
The greatest energy was being expended upon
better instruments. more exact methods, less
hazardous r1sks and the attainment of the
seemingly impossible Surgery took the lead
At a single leap and held II for a long time.
Now slowly but surely general medicine Is adj
vancing 10 the same position. and 50 1t will 90
on to the point wher new branches have been
discovered or invented. and these in turn will
be the leaders and will set tie pace for the pro-
tessioR as a whole.
SPECIALISTS SHOULD EEEP IN TOUCH.
All Of the specialists, said Dr. Mitchell, lose
by not keeping in touch with each other gains
and the need Ot more complete Cooperation be-
tween the physicians and the specialist. be-
comes apparent daily. There are well anthem
tieatod cases where the specialist has rushed
ahead to perform all operation that might have
been rendered unnecessary by the Use OF me,li-
cine administered by the piIysicIaH. taking adj
vantage Of the general health OI the patient to
eradicate the fault On the other hand the
physician too often treats from his InaterIl
medica too long before sending bis patient TO
specialist who could have done better had he
had an earlier chance
IL Is for this reason that the congress OF phy-
sieiAns aud surgeons u 30 valuable. and the
Speaker aided that he Vac IN favor vi deuomI-
natln., the meetings. of the BODY general con-
sult=,IOns for al them the s;Idcn,s and IOI-
lowers of each branch might give AID and adj
vice To each other. and e-sIicats some of
the evils that now east
There II much ahead of the PROCESSION For
example. the clInIatoiO-y Oi Americ.. l. get to
be completely -tucI,,.. bal the efforts Of the
profession far ia thi> lin. have te,I. greatly
aided By The weather bureau. la view Of the
system OF maps anu bulletins issued mere the
future study al tIe relations bet.s..el weather
AMI health promises great results. Now IA. r.
In Europe = thls ~ possible .I.se. The re-
iatonsk!p between certain III -.-e~ 20 be c!.-
Ante las already bscI WORKED OF, IN; $40 r
only starter There = much IT, be learn A
rom the neg , and tine Indian. go.
GROWTH oF PRECISION y MEDICINE
Then DIR. Mitchell vent OF t. t.lk out the
history Of the growth Of Precision m Msli-
ciae. prefacing hi remarks With clever
story about DIR. Oliver Wendell Hal.n.. that
put his hearers mt" very -OOt h,l,t.ar.
fhs-icians, be s.sri ROW "a. a. many I.l>tr.-
m~nts as a nlecLaEr. but ;lty axe at OF tie
lsDOr-saylIg sort, toy merely -t.mllatr tlc
intellect by aiding Al - NOR e,st results an
really their Use rsltal!, hiEsL ri,s, labor than
vs- involved under Tie Oh system pu-t-
norton examination formerly took an hour or
%. bat non one vitcu ass ior = week be .,,r..
tAe last analysis a. uLs.e- IL iutro,!ucJlun Of
instruments Of precision has WIdeuo 3 the scope
OF observation 80 that there ~ tinl.el more
~ learn abOus a nlau thtU formerly.
lke instrument trains the man ard creates
Al ham n Gesi-e Tor PRECISION .hat at L.st De-
comes a habit. A Norhl-NI,ie lc.,oi- az i...nctu-
atty, aid DIR. MitcEe.I. IN vXcmp.ifc,,Iu:l of
HE theory, was taught by the Railroad and
made possible by IL, watch
The record of the grow,h Of precision IL.
medicine l. as much OF a romance a. any live.
OF thoGght or expression 60 be fOIud IN tiI,,
ehtory OF medicine. The story las 20 lie
picked out OF old trea.tisss AMI forgotten ESSAYS
OBSCURE manuscripts aad dCstv TONER in
heSieeted libraries. and vet il l. EJt coa.p,et,.
aud probably never will be. The story that
aaAiIy evolves itself creates a longing for 4.
better literature IN medicine one that couId do
Justice TO the theme; 4 goes back INTO IN.
neoGIous times IN medical research
GALILEos THERMOMETER
Two new plumes are to be added to the crown
c. the imniortal Calico, who gave to the worl,