The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-05-21
STATE MEDICAL SOCIETY.
Interesting Subjects Handled at the
Terre Haute Meeting.

Special to the IL iianapos Journal.
TERRE HAUTE Ind, May 20.-There
were more than two hundred members of
the Indiana Medical Society present this
evening al the close Of the first day of the
forty-eighth annual meeting of the society
In the absence of Mayor Ross this morn
ing, eX-Mayor Donaldson delivered the
address of welcome on the part of the city,
and DR.. Worrell spoke behalf of the
local members of the profession. DR.. j.
H Ford, of Wabash, president of the So
ciety, responded. The papers read were by
DR.. Porter, of Fort Wayne, on "Distended
Bowels" DR.. Finley, of Harmony, on
want of Healthy Blood" DR.. Kahlo, of
Indianapolis. on "Disordered Digestion"
DR.. Broser of Evansville on Weak Eyes; !"
DR.. Furniss, of Indianapolis on Blood Elk
animation" DR.. Hayden, of Evansville, on
Removal of the Spleen Dr. Wherry, of
Fort Wayne, on Skin Grating" and DR..
Brunker, of Riley, on Cholera Infantum"
Secretary f. c. Heath, of Indianapolis, re-
ported 1866 paid members, with promise
from the county organizations of a mem
bership of 1,475. DR.. Frances A. Cantrall,
of Evansville, the only woman delegate
present this morning read a paper on
"Malarial Fever" President Ford made the
annual address tonight. There was an i'm
portant report tonight by w. n. Wishard,
of Indianapolis, for medical legislation.
One of the important subjects treated was
bacteriology. a report being made by DR..
Theodore Potter. of Indianapolis. DR.. Pot
ters address was on 'Noninfectious Fac
tors in infectious Diseases" and was the
concluding one of a series of six addresses
given annually by appointment of the State
Society on the progress of bacteriology.
Among the points of the address was the
following:
1.-TWO propositions are held to be demon
strably true: First, that bacteria are the
prime and essential causes of the infectious
diseases; second, that many other factors
enter into their causaton, these factors
sometimes having controlling influence"
In answer to the question how these two
propositions can be true and not in con-
hict, the paper was an endeaVor to snow
that in the last analysis all other agencies
which enter into the causation and deVel-
opment of infectious disease do so because
they influence the growth of the germs in
the body Many experiments were quoted
in proof of this doctrine For example: 1t
has long been known that persons suffering
from diabetes were especially liable to
tuberculosis and suppurations such as
boils and carbuncles. Definite experiments
have shown that this is because the pres
ence of sugar in the blood renders the
growth of tubercular and suppuratton
germs much more easy. The whole subject
of bacteriology, the paper declared, bears
a close analogy to ordinary agriculture,
and is best understood by keeping this
analogy in mind. Just as certain seeds grow
best under certain Well-knoWn conditions of
climate. soil, moisture and sunshine, 50
the various disease seeds or bacteria are
Influenced in their growth by various con-
ditions in the body. The paper showed how
the progress of bacteriOlogy is steadily re-
vealfng the definite relationship between
these conditions. called prediSposing, causes
of infection, and the growth of the germs
which alone are essential to the existence
of the diseases. AS these things are more
clearly understood he held the profession
should be in better position to prevent in
fectious diseases and to retard their devel-
Opment in the body.