Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-09-02
VIRGINIA DOCTORS.
xrcoxp DAYS SESSION OF THE
STATE SOCIETY.
THE PRESIDENTS ADDRESS.
- =, officers for the Ensuing
x..rbc Woman Feii"wsh'v
o.,,o, solved without Debate
-, of prizcs-Papcrs Read.

s,<s.cai Society at o'clock FOR hS
,oorn,ng session. and communications
a~a General rtutino matters were con-
sidercd. eneor,s ~
,r,,o secretary stated that EFFORTS 10
,o,se a fund for prizes for the o'nei
oo,,rststors who submitted essays on INC
,aed,cal history OF virginia had He'
Ten complete success the sums 10 ps
awarded being 500. s75, $50 ana go D's'
u,n,,arn r. Gordon and Robert II. WI
,,ans Of Richmond and Robert j.
Preston. OF Marion, constitute 'no
torial Committee, who VIII coi"pne
complete history from those suDnii'''u.
pr Greer Baughman.. of Richmond ""'
.lected a member Of the society
Al II O'Clock. the hour appoin'eo' 'ho
.,;ca-ryes,aent WAS called 10 the cha.i'
md DIR. George Ben. Johnston Oh IsOm
,,ond delivered the presidential "uui 80
srba sneaker. after aluding 10 the nOno'
(which had been conferred upon hl'n -
she society announced as ms u,o'' ao
sgrhe Value TO the PUBIC Va 80
ssadlcol Societies" Attention was caiieu
9 the fact that these societies were
sreouently regarded By outsiders as
.nber trades unions or social oiBahi-
,a,ions where scientific work ~ oiy
on incident Their real object was
threefold-the advancement OF soieiSV'
3he promotion Of philanthropy, anu tn0
fostering Of good fellowship TO 'hose
who were present during inns pt'l'nss
the last OF these propositions was
sv,dent No State or territory IN me
1,atn,, was without its medical society,
modelled on the same general pan anu
having the same objects In view Mem
horshin in these societies ranged, ne
cold from forty in New Mexico 10 5Vyo
An pennsylyania, and the aggregate
membership 24570. almost equalled the
numerical strength Of the standing army
of the United States.
REQUIREMENTS FOR ENTRANCE.
The requirements for entrance lnto
these organizations were rigid anu eA-
acting Greed, political afiinities, and
social status were ignored. The gauge
was laid on merit. Sound morals goou
citizenship, professional recttude, ana
1echnical skill were demanded, thus
bringing into these bodies only the best
element of the medical profession, men
whose character and attachments EMU
tied them 20 rank with the best in their
communities. The efforts Of medical socie-
ties were all In behalf of the public, ana
were marked by absolute unselhshness,
and greater sympathy and more coruia aa
support would be accorded them WEI
their aims and purposes Detter uluoI
stood by the public Every SICK person
rich or poor he said. profted by the ecu,
cational advantages nv physician ut.lNSu
from attendance on these meetings. hNeIy
citizen was benefited by the protection
procured through the instrumentaity OF
these societies i'm the passage OF pTotSc-
live statutes and the PRONUNCIATION OF the
laws of hygiene.
MEDICAL LITERATURE.
The speaker next called attention to tne
extent and value of the contributions 10
medical literature brought togetheI
through the medical societies. Each year
twenty thousand pages of scientific MAJ
ter were thus collected, ana these aI I ~
were read by thousands of readers pc
yond the confines of the state from whlch
they emanated. Each paper was nsteu
I'm the Index Meaicus monthly pupnca-
ton. and thus authors and teachers WeIe
enabled 10 make use of this vast ana
valuable annual collection OF medlcal anu
surgical literature.
DR.. Johnston next spoke OF the Inn
portant work accomplished by state So
rieties in securing practical legislation
limiting the practice OF medicine ana sur
gerry 10 those worthy Of being intrusted
with the health and lives of their feHoW-
creatures and doing away with the quach
and pretender In every State except
Oregon and Utah the medical examining
boards were the outcome OF suggestions
from the State medical societies. The re-
suits I'm another department Of legislation
were equally striking-the establishment
of state boards Of health. These, 100
except in ten States, have, he said, been
secured through the EFFORTS OF the meui .,,
societies These boards in times of pesti-
lence stood in the same relation TO towns
and cities as did military gaTrisons IN
times of war.
recommendation that the lawmakers in
trust TO physicians the dealing with mat
tiers relating TO their special sphere, thus
removing from the domain of politics the
settling OF questions of the highest I'M
portance to the people at large.
At the close OF DIR. Johnston's address
he was the recipient OF prolonged ap-
plause. and thanks were unanimously
voted him.
AFTERNOON SESSION.
AS soon as the society was called TO
order for the afternoon session, election
OF officers for the ensuing year was held
vie, Dagvnle. president; DR. Lewis g.
Pedigo. Crockett Springs. first vice-pres-
dent; DR. Alfred s. RiSeys, Cuipeper, Sc
cond vice-presldent; DR.. II. c. Cline,
DIR, fandon b. Edwards Richmond, re-
cording secretary; Dr. II. T. Styll, Pc
tersburg. treasurer: Or. John +. VIM,
Richmond. corresponding secretary,
Richmond physicians elected TO the va
rious committees are: Executive-Hunter
Mcclure, NJ. ID. Hoge. Jr., and T. j.
Moore Nominations for Fellowship
Jacob Michaux and Mark w. Peyser.
Publcations-Hugh NJ. Taylor John +.
Winn, and NJ ID. Hoge, Jr.; Neurological
Arthur Jordan, chairman.
The twenty ninth annual session will
be held at Virginia Beach beginning on
the last Tuesday in August.
WOMEN FELLOWS.
Much 10 the surprise of the majority of
members, the problem as to the further
admission of women as fellows of the so
tfft - HaSf-
tion. DIR. Petigrew offered the following
resolution, which was accepted without
debate:
Resolved, That it is the sense of this
society that It's policy of receiving worthy
women possessing the necessary medical
qualifications into full active fellowship
IS established as its permanent policy for
the future.
Hyde. OF Brunswick county, was elected
fellow. Following this Drs. j. ). Well
ford and George Ben. Johnston were
elected honorary fellows.
NIGHT SESSION.
The night session was called 10 order
ut $50 O'clock The first paper-"Bac-
Pathological Diagnose" read by DIR.
Ernest G. Levy OF hehmGnd' 1 rrGdesso OF
Virginia. Owing to the wide field covered
by the subject. DR.. Levy confined his re
marks 10 the consideration OF the practi-
cal bearings of meteorological diagnosis
In the diseases where it is most FIRE
ouently demanded, including tuberculosis,
diphtheria, and typhoid-fever These were
taken up In the order Of discovery OF
practical archaeological methods for the
Identification OF each.
IN speaking Of pulmonary tuberculosis
(cOnsumption). attention was directed TO
The Importance Of diagnosis in the earlier
STAGES OF the disease, before fatal in
roads had been made upon the system. In
many cases this could be done only by
meteorological exarlnatio OF the sputum.