The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-01-30

New York Jan 29.-The. Academy of
Medicine celeb, ated its semi-centennial
in Carnegie Music hall. The exercises
consisted of addresses by DR.. Joseph
D. Bryant, the president of the
academy. and by Samuel P. S. Purple,
NJ. D., and Lewis A. Sayre, ri. D., the
founders of the academy, an Grafton by
A. Jacob, the former president of the
academy, and an address by the presi-
dent of the United States. Grover
Cleveland.
The hall was crowded. From orches-
ira to the topmost gallery, every seat
seemed filled, the boxes being brilliant
with pretty women in evening dress.
Hail to the Chief greeted the presi-
dent as he entered the hall on the arm
of DR. Bryant the audience rising out
of respect to the nations executive
Bishop Henry c. Potter, dressed IN
the purple robes of the EpiStopate, Of
fered the opening prayer
President Joseph y. Bryant, NJ. D.,
then made the opening address OF WEI
come. DR.. Bryant explained tnat the
objects of the academy were at once
the purpose of fostering the medical
profession, to better the study OF medl-
cine and the maintenance OF a good
medical library. DR.. Purple DR.. Sayre
1ilQ LII JGCUD1 SltDkC Ol1 NAAt~ aims SNAAN
work of the academy.
Mr.. Cleveland was then introduced
by DR.. Bryant. He spoke as follows:
GIVES IT TO THEM.
Mr.. President and Ladies and Cen
tlemen:lI have anticipated the share
assigned to me on this occasion with
considerable trepidation for various
reasons. 1 have been chiefly disturbed,
L believe, because of my inability to
discover sufficient ground for my right
to join those who celebrate the semi
centennial Of a medical association.
If in passing through that period in
boyhood 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 pursuits,
this surely furnishes no basis, at this
late day, for claim Of relationship
to the medical fraternity; nor do Tor
get that less than seven years ago,
was accorded the privilege of partici-
pating in the exercises when the corner
stone was laid of the building which is
now the home of the organization
which tonight celebrated its half CEN
tuly of useful and honorable existence.
But this incident, which aroused an in
terest. still undiminished in the welfare
of the academy of medicine, hardly en-
titled me TO a share in the fluctuations
of those who have since borne the neat
and burden of its work, while l have
enjoyed the ease and happy surround
ings of public station.
Confessing therefore, that l have no
right to even standing room within the
inner circle of the profession, L nave
boldly. and without the least authority,
determined to speak to you as
representative of the vast army Oh
patients and laymen.
At the outset, l 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 observ-
ance of 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 sometimes pay your
bills even after a recovery to health,
which. we are always certain would
have resulted without your interior
ence
In these circumstances if when in
perfect health we venture to assert
ourselves and tell you what is in our
minds ii is not fair TO liken us to
certain parsonage, who. when sick, a
saint would be, though very differently
inclined when well.
We begin by conceding most heartily
ana WITHOUT the least IcSeINdliOn lHe
learning and skill of those now consti-
tuting the medical profession and the
wonderful advance that has been made
through your untiring labors and in
vestigations in. alienation Of human
suffering and the saving of human life.
1t may be that this seems to you an
Acknowledgement so much your due
as to be hardly worth making. You
should however. value it because it is
sincerely made by those who were not
born yesterday, but who hold in last
ing and tender memory the miniStra-
lions of the village doctor of 80 years
ago. and are now the living monu-
rnents of his faithful care. He, too,
alleviated suffering and saved human
life We know that it was not given
10 him TO see the bright lights Shat
now mark the path of medicine and
surgery but you cannot convince us
that ne CROPPED entirely in the dark.
We remember, without adherence. his
ever-ready lancet. We endure. with
oonoplacencv the recollection of his
awful medicine case containing bot
Ties. powders and pills which, whatever
might be thought of them now, seemed
then to be sufficient for all emergencies
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 rene
dies and appliances now in use, he
in a large measure supplied the
deficiency by hardheaded judgment,
well observed experience and careful
nursing. Besides. it was in his favor
that he did not have to bother his
head with many of the newly-invented
and refined diseases that affiict man
kind today He had no allotted hours
for his patients but was always on
duty; and we knew the sound of his
gig as it 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 re-
laDse who saved from death our
parents and our brothers and our sis
ters. in many a hard combat with i'll
ness. and Who When vanquished and
forced to surrender. was present in
the last scene to close the eyes of his
dying patient and sympathize with
those who wept-
hasten to say that we do not for
a. moment. suppose that advancement
in The science of medicine and surgery
has smothered the faithfulness and
tender consideration which character
lied the practitioner of former days.
If we seek charitable service TO the
sick and suffering, a noble appreciation
of obligation to humanity in discharge
of professional duty, we must look for
r1hUSipianS and