The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-05-07
DEBATES OF THE DOCTORS.
A Number of Interesting Subjects
Under Discussion.


Atlanta, Ga, May 6.-The feature of the
American Medical Associations proceed
ings this morning was the fight made on
the venerable secretary, DR.. Atkinson,
who has been in charge Of the records of
the association for the last thirty years.
quite an opposition had been developed,
but he won, and will hold his place for
another year at least
An invitation from the Louisiana State
Medical Society for the members of the
American association TO visit the annual
convention to take place May y, was ac-
cepted.
DIR. William Osler, professor Of medicine
in the Johns Hopkins University at Bal
timore. read an interesting paper on a
study of the fevers in the south. He
dwelt on yellow fever, typhoid fever. ma
larial fever and simple continued fever.
The special order for the morning was
the question as TO whether or not DR..
William b. Atkinson, the secretary OF the
association, should be deposed ana
younger and more active man put IN MS
Last year a resolution was introduced
that there be a change In the constltu-
ton of the association so that the secre-
tary should be elected annually. II was
necessary under the rules that this mo-
ton should be laid over until the next
annual meeting and that 1t should take
its place on the programme IndL was 10
be published before the meeting. This
was what was not done. as no mention OF
the resolution TO change the constitution
was made In the published programme.
DR.. !. n. Love of st. Louis, who intro
duced the resolution last year, called up
the matter. stating that the resolutions
had not been placed on the programme.
He now asked that the resolution be read
a second time and be placed on its pass
age, as he thought the constitution
should be changed before the report of
IA mi toe wa 10 ha
nominating committee, consisting of a
member from each state in the union, he
said, felt that the secretary of the asso-
citation should be a younger and a more
vigorous man.
Dr. Isaac Quimby of New Jersey moved
that the whole matter be laid on the table
and after some delay a vote was taken
and the resolution was laid on the table.
As soon as this was done, DR.. Love arose
in an excited manner and said: Mr. Pres
1dent, l move that we declare that this
association cannot change its secretary"
There were cries of SHANE" Shame"
from different parts of the hall and the
president refused to put the motion.
DR. Ellis of California referred to a reso-
luton he had introduced last year which
had not appeared in the programme and
called for a reading of the minutes Of
Secretary Atkinson took up a copy of
the Medical Journal and began to read
from that, when the point of order was
made that the Journal was not the Off
cial organ of the association.
The chair was asked if there We're
any official record of the association and
he replied that he did not know, as he was
not the custodian of the records Things
were beginning to look very embarrass-
ing for the old secretary, who had not a
word 10 say, when the hour of adjourn
ment arrived and the chair declared that
the matter of change in the constitution
would not be considered again until next
year.
This afternoon the doctors were enter
tanned at a barbecue at Lithia Springs.
President Beverly Cole of the associa-
ton stirred UP some of the members
by his address yesterday when he de-
clared that there is too great tendency
in the profession 10 use the knife when
1t is not necessary. He criticised the
avidfty with which doctors nowadays
rushed into the secular papers with any
important discovery they had made. the
tendency TO bring the profession to a
commercial basis, the loose manner in
which prominent clergymen gave their
unqualified Endorsement to patent nos
trums with the component parts of which
they were not familiar, the eagerness
with which young doctors seized upon
even the slightest preteXt to operate fol-
appendicitis, and the readiness with which
certain surgeons used the knife on wo.
men, changing her nature without max.
ing an examination of sufficient care tC
see whether there was or not remedie.
besides the knife.
DR.. Joseph Brice Of Philadelphia defend
ed the specialists, while admitting that i
may be true that young doctors are toe
quick to use the knife.