The herald., 1896-01-04
The Handsome New Building
Dedicated Last Night
THE PROFESSION TURNS OUT
The County Medical Society lnspects
the College Quarters
The Association Held Its Annual Heeting Last
Night-Dr Fitzgerald, the Retiring Presi-
dent, Delivers a Fine Address

The Los Angeles County Medical 'asso-
citation opened the hand soma new building
OF the medical college last night Alb ,ut
$50 ladies aud gentlemen were present,
the number Including all the most promi-
nent people in the profession in Los An
geles.
The new building of the college is on
Buena Vista street, between Ord and AL
pine streets, and is a very hands ,me frame
structure of three stories The building is
painted gray, with roof the same color.
Inside the entire hou le is finished in yellow
Oregon pine, with all the walls wainscoted
Tor height of five feet. All the rooms are
large and airy, and the ventilation is very
complete, consisting of shafts, each room
h wing Its own air rap AMI gas heater.
The building is we'll arranged. and sani-
tary comfort has been thoroughly looked
after. On the first floor are the hal for pa
tients, dispensary with store room at
tached, surgical clinical room, eye, ear,
nose and throat room, two medical
clinical rooms, a handsome amphitheaIer
for lectures, faculty room, janitor's
room and lavatories. On the second floor
are the two large lecture rooms, large
chemical laboratory, fitted with glass cases
for regeants, young mems and young wo-
men s study rooms, each with lavatory at
tached. On the third floor there is the
fine large dissecting room, with asphalt
floor and a very fine lighting appliance.
The demonstrators room, with its maps,
professor of physiology and the professor
OF anatomy, lavatories and numerous
closets. In the basement there is fine
furnace room, with flue connecting with
the outside air, and an elevator for taking
specimens to the top floor. AS the build
ing stands it represents an investment of
$2O 1000, and is an honor to the medical
profession of Los Angeles.
The meeting last night was called to or
der by the retiring president, DR.. FitZger-
aid. DIR. H. Bert Ellis was IN the secreta-
ry's place and read the minutes of the pre-
vious meeting. After this rerort of the
work of the association was read. showing
that there were now 1OS active members
and twelve honorary members in the
society. The finances were shown to be in
fl 'urishing condition, and a list of four
teen papers was read before the society at
the regular meetings. All the most prom
inent physicians in Los Angeles had COLI
tribute essays upon various methods of
dealing with disease.
DR.. Brainerd, the newly-elected presi-
dent, was installed, and appointed the va
rious committees for the year. His adj
dress was limited, his excuse being that he
would inflicJ a longer one on the society
when his resignation came. The society,
having finished it's business, adjourned, to
meet again in the new bui ding, arrange
ments having been made whereby the lee
ture rooms should be placed at the dis
posal of the medical association.
DR.. Fitzaerald, The retiring president,
spoke at length. He thanked the society
for many kiudnesses during his holding of
of md atIrla tod ttar her
the prosperous condition of the association
After preliminary speech, he p unged into
his subject, The Possibilities of Medicine.
Concerning his profession he spoke as fol-
laws:
AS premise will say that while we
clam ours TO be the noblest of professions,
we also must admit that it is the meauest
of trades. Has it ever struck you az a re-
markable fact that many professions fill
their ranks even in this utiiitarian day, in
consequence of romance, the dangers, the
ch ,nces of glory, the opportunity for hero
ism, the lustre and renown winch are pos
sibilities in them; in spite of manifold dam
gers. hardships and self-sacrfices to which
they expose their followers? The magnlti-
cent rewards which await the painter; the
immortal fame which lies failow for ap-
propriation by the successful sculptor; the
glorious future which is open to the great
architect, are enough to give charms to the
ished board of the hard laborng asp rant.
Think you that the science of medicine.
fou ded 400 years before the birth of
Chris, the chosen work of our Savior him
self, the most far-reaching and benign of
all mode n purs' 8, stand alone in its in
ability to reward its votaries? Far from
it!
Look back with me into history. and l
shall not be called upon to take you far in
to the field of ancient history even, and it
will go hard, but shall make you agree
with me that of all the caliings.all pursuits,
all professions. the rewards of med c,ne
are greater, more lofty, more desirable and
more enduring than those of any other ex-
istence.
And now let us contemplate what our
nonle profession has contributed as its
need for the good of man.
Where are now those epidemics of the
plague of which the celebrated Greek his
torian Thucydides gives account at Athens
during The second Polopnnnesian war; {;
later Livy describes an epidemic at Rome;
and then Defoe tells of an epidemic which
desolated Athens, Florence and London;
and in the reign of Justinian one said to
have lasted for thirty years, and destroyed,
according to an estimate regarded as
reasonable by Gbbon, nearly 100, 100000
lives?
Gone from the notice of the world, and
although even as late as the year 1885,
showing its horrent front in Alex .ndria
blocked out from civilized Europe, and re-
duced absolutely to insigniticance by our
agent, hygeine!
Where now is the f1end, cholera? AL
most thing of the past! Limited, con-
trolled and almost wholly imprisoned in
that fated eastern land of Asia, where the
demon OF disease seems to fight for ex-
istence.
Where now that yellow ''scourge of
God?" Seized by the throat by our SER
want, quarantine. and told in no uncertain
terms "thus far shalt thou go and no fur
ther!"
Where is today that loa.hsome destroyer
of life and of beauty, smallpox? Shorn of
its terrors by vaccination, and among the
philanthfopists of the world Edward EN-
ner has handed his name down to posterity
as one of the greatest
What has become of typhus, Jail, ship,
or spotted fever, which doubled the horrors
| of the horrible sea voyage and made room
IN jails and prisons for Others to replace
those whom it SEM to the potter's field?
| Swept out of existence as thoroughly and
as surely as are the three great moral blots
| upon the fair escutcheon of civiliza ton,
slavery. dueling and polygamy.
But must cease my enumeration, though
1t is difficult for one who loves his calling,
and glories in its couquests 10 do go. One
more illustration. one which will come
closer to the hear OF every man among
you who loves women-and surely ne who
does not Is none-and leave this part of
my subject. very few years ago the
graveyards of all lands, from the most
aaVap0 to the most civilized Werp filed