Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-05-24
KENNEBEC DOCTORS.
Annual Meeting in This city--Busi.
ness Transacted.
Annual Address by Or. ]. r. Hill Of WaterviIIe
Officers Elect.

10 O'Clock, Wednesday morning, IN tnt
citv government rooms, by President DR.
IF. Hill of Waterville.
The report of last years meeting wa.
read and accepted, also that Of the treas
ursr and secretary. The society is in u
GOOD financial condition. Following are
those in attendance: DR.. B. T. Sanborn
hrs. Brickett, Tuell, Turner, North, Fred
erick, Crediford, Vaughn, of Augusta Drs
F.E. Suout, Gardiner; Driscoll, Sidney
pcbette, Waterville; Maybury, North
yassalboro; Snow, Winthrop; Burbank
Mount Vernon; Marston, Monmouth; Nut
ting, HallowelI; Putnam, Gardiner Eve.
letb, Hallowell.
Doctors Snow, Putnam and Maybury
were appointed as committee on the nom-
nations of new officers. Doctors Brickett,
sanborn and Evelleth were appointed a
committee on resolutions. This completed
the forenoon business, and all in attend
ance partook of sumptuous banquet at
Hotel North.
The afternoon session was called at 2
o'clock. The committee on nominations
presented the following: For president,
DR.. Robert j. Martin; vice president, DR..
Daniel Drscoll of Sidney; secretary and
treasurer, DR.. B. p. Bolster; standing COM
mittee, DR.. +. M. Putnam, Gardiner, DR..
J.F. Hill Waterville and DR.. Tuell, Au-
gusta. These gentlemen were elected to
fill these positions for the ensuing year.
The summer session, which will be a So
cial one, where the ladies are in
cluded, will probably be held in
July, and consist of sail down the river
to the Isle of Springs or thereabouts. DR..
Gilbert Gandreau was received into
membership The committee on resolu-
tons did not make report, but vote was
taken to have the resolutions printed in the
JOURNAL when they were drawn up. The
address of the president Is here printed by
vote Of the association. The organization
is prosperng and great deal of interest is
being manifested.
The following is the address of the presi-
dent, DR.. J. F. Hill of Waterville. -.
Gentlemen of The KenneJec County 1Nedi-
cal Society,":
1t has become an established custom that
at the annual meeting of this association
you should listen to a paper from your
president. |, therefore, feel it a duty
rather than pleasure to conform to that
custom. | will tell you candidly that l
shall not try to crate to you.
1t is not my purpose to canvass the his
tory and progress of the medical profession
at large, to deal with generalities, and to
produce no effect upon my hearers, other
than to exhaust their patience. Neither do
| wish to be understood as attempting to
display my knowledge before men whose
age and experience have rendered them
capable of treating almost any subject more
ably than myself.
What shall have to say will deal with
class of surgical procedures with which my
practice has made me peculiarly familiar.
10 my own experience, have added what
| have been able to CLEAN from what has
been to me an interesting investigation into
the subject And this will form the sub
ject matter of what shall enieavor to pre-
sent to you.
The subject | have to talk about today is
one of most vital importance to the medical
profession-C Compound Fractures.
Perhaps in no branch of surgical opera
tons has there been more rapid advance
made in the last fifteen or twenty years
than in this particular line. In the super
animated medical works of sixty years ago
we find but little mention made of COM
pound fractures. In those days, the clear
est light to be obtained upon the subject
consisted in few vague directions as to
methods of procedure, followed by precau-
TONS, fully as obscure. 1t was simply a
case OF attempting to discuss subject
about which but little was known; and of
course if there was such scarcity of material
concerning this subject, the conclusion is
inevitable that the foremost practitioners
who wrote for those journals, knew but
little about the treatment of compound
fractures.
The fact is, that sixty years ago-yes,
nifty years ago. in two-thirds of the cases
OF compound fracture the surgeon had re-
course, either originally or ultimately, to
amputation. Many limbs that could be
saved today were amputated at once, as a
matter of course.
Owing to ignorance of antiseptic methods
and aggravation of the wound through ex-
posure to the air, and the consequent sup
purahon, gangrene very frequently set in ;snd
II the surgeon attempted to heal the limb,
the Introduction of such serious complica-
uons necessitated, as final result, amputa-
uon, and, too often, death; 80 that fifty
years ago two-tbirds of the cases Of com,
pound fracture were treated with knife and
saw, whereas today fully as large proper
tion are treated with the splint and bsndsge
What has brought about this marvellous
enange in our methods of procedure in cases
OF compound fracture? The question may
De answered in one work Asepsis.
Nelaton, who is esteemed one of the most
fortunate of operators, was accustomed tc
say that the man who should discover the
means of suppressipg purulent infection de
served statue of gold. If this view of
Nelston's was generally entertained, the
statue would be raised to Prof. Lister, fol
purulent infection has disappeared from the
hI OF wound complications in the services
"nefe his method is followed.
gentlemen, l may be over-enthusiastic ir
tnis matter, but believe me when say that
although Alexander of Macedon made hi.
name immortal nv ronoua.;ng until tharf