The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-01-30
Address by the President at the Semi
Centennial Celebration of New
YOrk's Academy Of Medicine.
PRAISE FOR THE PHYSICIAN
WHO CURED THE ILLS OF CHILD
HOOD AND GAVE WISE COUNSEL,
And Advice for His More Learned
ed the Deadly Germ to His Lair.

NEW DIRK, Jan. 29.-The occasion of the
celebration OF the semi-centennial of the
New York Academy of Medicine at Carne-
gle Hall tonight was made auspicious by
the presence of President Cleveland, who
arrived in this city early in the evening.
The President was invited 10 attend the cell
ebration by DR.. Joseph ID. Bryant, who is
president of the Academy of Medicine and
also Mr.. Cleveland's private physician
Carnegie Hall was taxed beyond its capac-
| ity by the doctors and their guests long be-
| for the exercises of the evening were be-
| gun. On the stage and in the audience
were many leading physicians from all over
| the United States. The feature of the en-
! tertainment of the evening WAS of course,
| the address of President Clev Gland, which
| excited considerable merrment and good
| feeling. Other addresses were made by
President Bryant DR.. Purple of New York,
ahd DIR. Louis A. Sayre. Mr.. Cleveland's
address follows:
Il have anticipated the share assigned TO
| me on this occasion with considerable trepi-
| dation for various reasons. / have been
! chiefly disturbed. l believe. because of my
| inability TO discover satisfactory grounds
| for my right to join those who celebrate the
sem'-centennial of medical association.
hood when the desirable choice of future
! activity seemed TO rest between running
away from home to be sailor and staying
| at home to be doctor, / inclined towards
| the more quiet and orderly of these pur-
| suits, this surely furnishes no basis at this
late day for claim of relationship to the
medical fraternity Nor do / forget that
| less than seven years ago / was accorded
the privilege OF participating in the exer-
| cises when the cornerstone was laid of the
| building which is now the home of the
| ganization which tonight celebrates its
half-century of useful and honorable exist
| enCe. But this incident. which aroused an
| interest, still undiElinished, i'm the welfare
| of the Academy of Medicine hardly en-
| titles me TO a share In the fluctuations of
| those who have since borne the heat and
| burdens of its work, while 1 have enjoyed
| the ease and happy surroundings of public
| station. COnfeSsing. therefore. that i have
| no right to even standing room within the
| inner circle of the profession, L have boldly
and without the least authority determined
| to Spak to you as a representative of the
| the vast army of patients and laymen.
AT the outset 1 desire to remind you
| that you owe us much Though largely in
! the majority and with plenty OF members to
spare, those who are well conducted among
us do not vex you with hurtful competition.
| Instead of making life hard for you by an
| observance of the laws of health we assist
| you by indulging in all sorts of irregulari-
| ties. We are obedient and submissive to
your commands-that is when We are sick
| and we sometimes pay your bills even
| after a recovery to health. which we are al
ways certain would have resulted without
| your interference.
| WHEN THE DEVIL WAS ILL" ETC
I'm these circumstances, If. when in per-
| feet health, venture to assert ourselves
| and tell you what is in our minds. it is
| not fair to listen to Il certain parsonage
who, when sick, a saint would be, though
| very differently inclined when well.
| We begin by conceding most heartily
| and without the least reservation the learn
| ing and skill of those now constituting the
medical profession, and the wonderful ad-
vance that has been made through their
| untiring laborS and Investigations in the
| alleviation of human suffering and the
| saving of human life. 1t may be this seems
to you an acknowledgment so much your
| due as to be hardly worth making. You
| should, however, value it because it is sin
| cerely made by those who were not born
| yesterday, but who hold in lasting and ten
| der memory the miniStrations of the village
| doctor OF fifty years ago, and are now the
| living monuments of his faithful care. He
| too, alleviated suffering and saved human
| life. We know that it was not given TO
| him to see the bright lights that now mark
the path of medicine and surgery. but you
| cannot convince US that he CROPPED entirely
| in the dark. We remember without aDhor-
| renee his ever-ready lancet and the scars
| or his blood-letting found In every house
| hold. We endure with complacency the rec
| objection of his awful medicine case, con-
| tanning bottles, powders and pills which,
| whatever might be thought of them now
| seemed then to be sufficient for all emer-
| gencies-to say nothing of the tooth-pulling
tools and other shiver- breeding instru-
| mentS sometimes exposed to view If he
| was ignorant of many of the remedies and
| appliances now in use he in a large measure
| supplied the deficiency by hard-headed
| Judgment, wel-observed experience and
| careful nursing Besides, it was in his IA
vor that he did not have to bother his head
| with many of the newly invented and re-
| fined diseases that affiict mankind to-day
| He had no allotted hours for his patients
| sound OF his gig as II ratified past in the
| night
| Your ways are better than his; but we
| desire you TO regard this admission AS all
the more valuable because it is carved out
of our loyalty to our old village doctor,
who brought us through the diseases of
childhood without relapse. who saved from
death our parents and our brothers and our
sisters in many hard combats with illness,
and who. when vanquished and forced to
| surrender, was present at the last scene
to close the eyes of his dying patient and
sympathize with those who wept.
| Il hasten to say that do not for a
moment suppose. that advancement in the
science of medicine and surgery has smoth-
cred the faithfuness and tender considera-
ton which characterized the practitioner
of former days IL we seek charitable serv-
ice TO the sick and suffering, a noble ap-
probation of obligation to humanity and
self-abnegation in the discharge of pro-
fessonal duty, we must look for them
among our physicians and surgeons of to-
day.
IF we have now arrived at an under
standing you are, L hope, prepared for a
suggestion quite in keeping with the ex-
tremely moderate and reasonable disDosi-
ton that characteriZes the patient and law
man. You have invaded our benighted con-
tentment and led out into broad fields
of scientific discovery. This has inspired us
with newborn spirit OF wisdom and criti-
cism which demands that new and larger
fields be opened to our complacent gaze
You have penetrated the places where the
germs of disease are hidden. We are quite
certain that you should be required To oe-
stroy the origin of disease and ultimately
usher in the day when the only escaDe
from the world will be through a passage
way marked old-age exit III this has the
| appearance OF eXacting too much or If
business considerations present obstacles To
! its accomplishment 1 think we ought per
| haps TO reduce our claims or at least give
our doctors time 10 find other empoyni ent
In the meantime those Of US who are
| conservative must De allowed TO hone that
further investigation will continue To point
| the way 10 the prevention of disease For
| this investigation we must still rely upon
| the efforts of those who have already done
so much in that direction. encouraged and
| stimulated by sucn effective organizations
| as the Academy OF Medicine We are sure
that this work having arrested the after
tion OF the worlds brotherhood of uledica
/ science. will not be neglected, need we
| fear that America contribution ta
splendid results will be deficient
1 In some Instances, however. inVestiga-
ri has p.rfo ed ifS rf nd onfx