The Portland daily press., 1897-06-03
Annual Meeting Of the Maine
Medical Association.
MANY PAPERS ON TOPICS OF
MUTUAL INTEREST.
Portland City Council Chambers in
Temporary Possession of Physicians of
the State Address of President ID. A.
Robinson of Bangor.

Robinson of Bangor.
The forty-ffth annual session of the
Maine Medical association began at the
Council Chamber in the CITY building.
yesterday morning. There was a good at
tendance of members and much interest
was evinced in the proceedings. Among
the officers of the association present were
President D. A. Robinson of Bangor,
Vice President E. H. Bennett of Lubec,
Treasurer Augustus S. Thayer of Port
land, Recording Secretary G. D. Smith
of Portland, Corresponding Secretary G.
NJ Elliott of Brunswick, and Drs. c. o.
Hunt, Alfred Mitchell, B. f. Bradbury,
j. L. Bennett and W. B. Moulton of the
board of censors.
The morning session opened at ten
O'Clock with prayer by Rev. DIR. Burrage
of this city.
After the report of the treasurer, which
was received and referred, papers were
read on 1.-TWO unusual cases of nervous
disease by DR.. S. J. Basford of Bidde-
ford, on "The Bacterial Features of Ty-
phoid,'' by DR.. Charles D. Smith of Port
land, and on 'sResuscitation after Sub
| mersion."
| After adjournment medical and surgi-
cal clinics We're held at the Maine General
hospital. There was presented for con-
sideration list of Ill applicants for
membership of the association. only
twenty seven of them being acted upon at
the forenoon session.
During the morning session the follow
| ing were elected to membership: Drs. H.
q. Martin, Brownyille; B. F. Makepeace,
New Sharon; Fred W. Mann, Monticello;
A. H. Chamberlain, Foxcroft; John E.
Gray, Freeport; George E. Parsons, South
Penobscot; W. W. Thomas, Yarmouth
Vile; George A. Allen, Fryeburg; Leon
l.. Hall, Chebeague Island; James o.
Lincoln, Bath; Clara B. T. Weidman,
Rockport; O. A. Sprague, Turner; A.
P. Reed, Naples; D. B. Myrshall, Wood
fords; L. S. Lombard, Pleasantdale; H.
J. Binford, Mexico; j. H. Mansur, Orrs
Island Eben J.. Marston, Bath; Selden
F. Greene, Scion; R. L. Grindle, Mt.
Desert; VIM. B. Remission, Yarmouth
AFTERNOON SESSION.
| The association met at three o'clock.
The following were elected to member
ship: Drs. J. W. Strout, Rumford; f.
II. Badger, Strong; M. P. Judkins,
Rockland; F. III. Laughlin, Exeter; f.
G. Redman, Corinna; E. B. Silsby,
Cherryfield; j. f. Smith, Bangor; d. II.
Kelley, Mattawamkeag; George r. Hag,
gerty, Bar Harbor; G. H. Gibbs, Liver
more Falls; W. J. Pennell, Auburn; W.
| L. Merrill, Skowhegan; John E. Wads-
worth, Portland; Frank W. Morse, Port
land; E. H Brown, Harrington; Hannibal
Hamlin, Orono; d. S. Hunnewell, Madi-
son. Prof. f. G. Robinson, Brunswick
was elected an honorary member Drs. S.
A. Patten of Skowhegan and A. j.
Billings of Freedom were at their own
requests placed upon the retired list.
The designations of Drs G. P. Small
of Chicago and W. E. Baxter of Boston
were accepted.
| The president then delivered the annual
address, DR.. E. I'll. Bennett of Lubec,
vice president, occupying the chair:
Members Of the Maine Medical association
1t now becomes my duty as the presi-
dent of this association to remind you, to
use the words of an old song that cold
! Time has clipped the golden cord that
| bound another year." and to rehearse to
you in simple way the medical history
of the year.
The most important advance in medi-
cine during the year has been in the
direction OF serum therapeutics 1t would
| seem as ii line of investigation had been
entered upon that would prove as
productive of great results in medicine as
the study of bacteriology produced in
| surgery. If, as Jenner SO successfully
demonstrated, the human system can be
so fortified that it can resist the attacks
of such dangerous disease as small pox,
| lar process the system may be rendered
safe from the attacks of diphtheria,
| scarlet fever, measles, whooping cough,
mumps and other diseases.
The X-rays that were just beginning to
interest the profession at the time of our
last meeting, have come into such general
use during the year that it seems as if we
must have always known about them.
| Now about every hospital and many
private offices are supplied with apparatus
for making use of these rays in the ex-
animation of cases. Another practical
advance during the year has been the
substitution of formaldehyde for sulphur
for disinfccting rooms, and further no
history of the medical events of the year
would be complete that did not make
some mention that it was the semi-cen
tennial year of anaesthesia by means of
ether. Important advances have been
made during the last year in neuropa-
| thology.
We have about twenty medical societies
in the state. believe we ought to en-
courage in every way, the frequent
gathering together of the members of our
profession in such societies. not only for
the discussion of medical subjects, but al
so for the promotion of good fellowship
among physicians, a quality now too
frequently lacking to the detriment of
the good name of the profession
Some cities of the country have begun
to elect medical inspectors for the schools
This is an advance in the direction of
prevention that is to be commended.
President Robinson then gave a long
series of observations on the grand work
of the hospitals of Maine are doing, and
how rapidly during the past few years the
prejudices of going to them have. been
overcome.
| nd