The news & observer., 1897-01-30
Addressed pae Academy Of Med
icine ac Carnegie Hall.
A NOTABLE OCCASION
HIS SPEECH CREATED MUCH
MERRIMENT.
a VERY LARGE ATTENDANCE
The President Talks of Germs--Ad-
vancement Made in Medical Sci
ence, and the High Calling
of the Physician.

New York. Jan. 29.-The occasion of
the celebration of the semi-centenndal OF
the New York Academy of Medicine at
Carncrse Hall tonight was made atspl-
cious by the presence of President CleYe-
land who arrived m this city early III the
evening. The President was invited TO
attend the celebration by DR.. Joseph y.
BRYANT, who is President of the Acad-
envy of Medicine, and Also Mr.. oleVe-
lands private physician.
Carnegie Hall was taxed beyohu ats
capcdty by the Doctors and Them guests
long before the exercises of the evening
were begun On the stage and 1n tIle au-
dience were many leading physlcmliiAs m
from adl over the United States. lhe
feature of the entertainment or the even
ing, was. of course. the address OF frtssi-
dent Cleveland, which excited consldera-
BILE merriment and good feeling. OIher
addresses were made by President bry-
ant. DIR. Samuel Slurple, of New York,
and DIR. Lewis A. Sayrer. President
Cleye.and IN part spoke as follows:
II have anticipated the share assigned
20 me on this occasion wath eonslderaDie
trepidation, for various reasons. nave
been chiefly disturbed, believe, because
of my inability to discover satisfactory
grounds for my right TO join those who
salot.rate the sem:-centennial Of medi-
cal association.
..If n passing through that period IN
hovhood when the desirable choice Of fu-
tn.,a ctivity seemed to rest between run
ming away from home to be sailor and
staying at home TO be doctor, inclined
4aasar5s the more quiet and orderly OF
these pursuits. this surely furnishes no
has:s at this late day for claim OF re-
aa4ionshin to the medical fraternity.
4Confessing, therefore, that | have no
right ia even standing room within the
;nuar circle of the profession, ! have
holdlv and without the least authority
aatermined to speak to you as q repre-
sentative Of the vast army Of pahens
and laymen.
4At fhe ontset I desire 10 remind you
4ha4 vou owe us much. Though largely
IN the majority and with plenty Of men,
hers TO snare. those who are well conduct
ed among US do not vex you with hurtful
canarefifion. Instead Of making life hard
fov Won hv an observance Of the laws OF
health. we assisf you by indulglng II All
SORTS Of IRREGULARITIES. We are obedlent
and suhpoisS:va tn your commands-that
i when we are siek-and we some times
pay vonr hills even after recovery TO
haal+b which we are always certain would
have resulted without your interference
"Wc begin hy conceding most heartily
and {rftaoei the least reservation, the
learni- = IS, skill Of those now constitut-
ing fhe alical profession and the Won
derfuI advanee that has been made
through their untiring labors and in
vestigatons. In the alleyiation Of human
suffering and the saving of human life
"It rnay be this seems to you an ac-
knowledgment 50 much your due that 1t
is hardly worth making. You should
however. value it, because 1t Is sincere
~ made. by those who were not born yes
terday. but who hold in lasting and tender
memory the ministrations of the village
doctor of fifty years ago, and are now
the living monument of his faithful care.
He. too alleviated human 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.
stYour ways are better than his; but we
desire Won to regard this admission as
all the more valuable because it is carved
cut of our loyalty to our old village doc
tor.
eff we have now arrived at an under
standing. you are, hope, prepared for
suggestion quite in keeping with the ex-
tremeIy moderate and reasonable dispo-
sition that characterizes the patient and
faymen. You have invaded our benighted
contentment and led us out into the fields
of scientific discovery. This has in-
spired us with new born spirit Of wis
dom and criticism which demands that
new and larger fields be opened to our
eonnlacent gaze. You have penetrated
the places where the germs of disease are
hidden. We are quite certain that yon
should he required to destroy the origin
of desease and ultimately usher in the day
when the only escape from the world will
be through a passage-way marked "Old
age exit" IF this has the appearance or
exacting too much of our business con-
eiderations. present obstacles to its ac-
eomplishment, | think we ought, per
hans to reduce our claims or at least give
aur doctors time to find other employ
ment.
an the meantime, those Of us who are
conservative must be allowed to hope
that further investigation will continue
"a uojnt the way to the preventation of
disease. For this investigation we must
still rely upon the efforts Of those who
have already done so much in that direc-
ZION. encouraged and stimulated by such
effective organizations as the Academy
Of Medicine we are sure that this work,
having arrested the attention of the
worlds brotherhood Of medical science,
will not be neglected. nor need we fear
that Americas contribution to splendid
results will he deficient.