Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-05-05
PRESIDENT BRIGGS.
DOCTORS DELIBERATE,
The American Medical Association
Convened This Morning.
THE PRESIDENTS ADDRESS.
Scenes at Aibaugh's Opera House Today
Commissioner Ross Welcome to the Asso-
ciation-Incidcnts of an Interesting Meet
ing-Reports and Resolutions.

A parlor set of white enameled furniture and
number OF tables filed up the stage at Al
baugh's Opera House this morning. The scene
set was on interior walls. 1t was great hall
OF some old mansion. The walls were decorated
In dark green. 1t was not for the opera the
stage was thus arranged, but for the opening
OF the forty-second annual meeting of the
American Medical Association. Some time be-
fore 10 o'clock, the hour appointed for the
opening, the lobby of the theater was filled with
doctors. Members of the local committee were
everywhere distributing badges and Informal
ton. There were also enterprising gentlemen
present circulating pamphlets and cards calling
attention to exhibits displayed by drug houses
and surgical supply dealers in the armory of
the Washington Light Infantry. under the aud
itorium Of the theater. Members of the local
committee posted up in different parts of the
to indicate where members of different delega-
lions should be seated. The seats in the the
alter gradually filed up. The doctors occupied
the seats in the orchestra and orchestra circle.
LADIES IN THE BOXES AND BALCONY.
Quite number Of ladies occupied the first
balcony and some of the boxes we're filed with
fair ones. The interest shown by the ladies in
all the preliminary proceedings offered evil
dence OF fact generally suspec ted, that doctors
are great favorites with the ladies'. There were
all kinds of doctors there-that it, all kinds of
regularly ordained allopathic doctors Of medi-
clne and there were some doctors Of divinity.
There was the busy. weary-lookirg middle
aged city doctor, the depper. smooth, pros
porous young specialist the sun-burned, good
natured country doctor, who gives a little at
tention to farming as well as to medicine and
il great authority on horses, and the easy,
notwithstanding general practitioner, " hose
rotund figure and slow movements suggested
much time spent in a DOCTORS carriage hung
on the easiest of springs. There were learned
looking college professors and worried-looking
editors of medical journals There we're re-
porters seated down among the music stands
beneath the footlights, where the or
chestra generally holds forth. and reporters
seated around tables on the stage
The doctors who arrived early sat patiently for
an hour or more waiting for proceedings to
begin. They talked and gossiped, telling
stories or discussing cases. About 1890 o'clock
there were signs of business on the stage. The
auditorium was then quite well filed. 1t was
near ii O'Clock When the officers of the associa-
ton and others filed in upon the stage. The
president, DR.. W. 1. Briggs of Tennessee, was
accompanied by ex-Presidents Drs W. W. Daw-
son OF, Cincinnati, Theophilus Parvin of Phila-
delphia and P. H. Hooper of Arkansas.
William T. Briggs, the president. was born at
Bowling Green. Ky., December T. 1899. and re-
ceiyed his literary saucatios at the Southern
cine from the Trshsylvania University at Lex
Dr.. Briggs Mas married ip Bowling Green.
KY, in 1S50/to Miss AnnH E. Stubbins. He
has three sghs, all Of WHOM have adopted their
DIR. Brj ggs was wxde demonstration of anat-
omy In yhe msefcal department of the Univer-
sity OF Nashville in 1852, and in 1854 moved to
Nashville, where he has since resided. In 1856
he wasgmade adjunct professor of anatomy with
Or. Thomas X. Jennings professor of anatomy.
In 1865 he filed the chair of surgical anatomy
and physiology made vacant by the denth of
DR.. A. IL. Buchanan. In 1866 he occupied the
chair of obstetrics and diseases of women
and children. In 1868 he was made professor
OF surgery, which position he stills holds. He
was a delegate to the international medical
congress ut London. England. in 1881. He was
president of the American Surgical Association
in 1885. In 1886 he was president of the Ten
nessee State Medical Society. In 1887 he was
president of the section Of general surgery in
the international medical congress at Washing
ton. With regard to his success in surgery Dr.
W. X. Bowling said: DIR. Briggs ranks high
among the first surgeons of the country. He
has had extraordinary success and has per-
formed operations which no other man ever did
perform successfully. Endowed by nature with
infexible determination Of purpose and un-
finching energy he has from the beginning
shown such celebrity and dexterity in his opera
tons, or what might denominate dizziness in
manipulation, that he is simply unparalleled"