Evening star., 1897-01-30
PROGRESS OF THE PHYSICIAN.
President Cleveland Says That He Has
Civic ObllgatiOns.


The occasion of the celebration of the
semi-centennial Of the New York Academy
of Medicine ut Carnegie Hall. New York.
last night, was made suspicious by the
presence of President Cleveland, who ar
rived In this city early in the evening The
President was invited by DR.. Joseph d.
Bryant, president of the Academy Of Medi-
cine, and Mr.. Clevelands private physician.
The feature of the evening was the ad-
dress Of President Cleveland Other ad-
dresses were made by President Bryant,
DR.. Samuel 8. Purple of New York and
DR.. Lewis A. Sayre.
President Cleveland In the course of his
remarks said:
I'VE begin by eonceding heartily and
without the least reservation the learning
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 saw
ing of human life.
1T may be this seems to you an ac-
Acknowledgement SO much your due as to be
hardly worth making. You should, how
ever value 1t, because it is sincerely made
by those who were not born yesterday,
but who hold in lasting and tender MEM
ory the ministrations of the village doctor
of fifty years ago, and are now the living
monument. of his faithful care. He. too,
alleviated suffering and saved human life.
I'VE know that 1t was not given to him
to see the bright lights that now mark the
path of medicine and surgery, but you can
not remember without abhorrence his ever
ready lancet and the scars of his blood let
ting found in every household. We endure
with complacency the recollection OF his
awful medicine case containing bottles.
powders and pills which, whatever might
be thought Of them now. seemed then to
be sufficient for all emergencies. If he was
ignorant of many of the remedies and ap-
10 In he q large
supplied the deficiency by hard-headed
judgment. well-observed experience and
careful nursing. Besides, 1t was In his
favor that he Tdfd- not have to bother his
head with many of the newly invented and
refined diseases that afflict mankind today
your ways are. better than his. but we
desire you to regard this admission as all
the more valuable because it is carved ou,
of our loyalty to our old village doctor.
You have invaded our benighted con-
tentment and led us out into broad fields
of scientific discovery. This has inspired
us with a newborn spirit of wisdom and
criticism, which demands that new and
larger fields be, opened to our complaceni
gaze. You have penetrated the places
where the germs of disease are hidden
We are quite certain that you should be
required to destroy the origin of disease
and ultimately usher in the day when the
only escape from the world will be through
| a passageway marked Old Age Exit
1--WE cannot-bus think that the discov-
cries and improxements.li .lin medical prac
tice which We now enjoy are dearly bough
if the members of the profession in theil
| onward march have left behind them theil
| sense of civic obligation and their interes
! in the general public welfare. We canno
| accuse you of utter neglect Of your duty
| to the country, and yet we cannot keel
| out of mind the suspicion that If your pro
| fessional work In exposing evils were NOR.
| thoroughly supplemented by Tabor in th'
| field of citizenship. these evils would b.
! more speedily corrected.
"If laws are needed to abolish abuse:
| which your professional Investigations hav,
! unearthed, your fraternity should not b.
| strangers to the agencies which make tn
| laws. If members of your profession wer'
| oftener found in our national and stat
| legislative assemblies, ready to advocate
| the reformatory measures you have demon
| strated to be necessary, and to defend you
| brotherhood against hippaat and sneerinl
charges of impracticabilty, the prospec
| of your bestowal upon your fellow-man 0
the ripened results of your professional
| labor would be brighter and nearer.
| Our government was founded in TIL
| faith and anticipation that those who love
| it most and were best able to hold it stead
would be at its helm. Without this it vii
surely go astray. Never did patient nee
your medical treatment more than tn
body polite now needs the watchful car
of your patriotic and disinterested citizen
| shin"