The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-03-24
CLASS OF NEW DOCTORS
THIRTY-FIVE MEDICAL STUDENTS
RECEIVE THEIR DIPLOMAS.
commencement Exercises of Central
College of Physicians and Sur
geOns-Dr. Easfman's Talk.

At EngAsh's Opera House last night the
nineteenth annual commencement exercises
of the Central College of Physicians and
Surgeons were held, class of thirty-tive
receiving sheepskinss including two young
ladies' The Stage was tastefully set with a
conservatory backing, great pots of palms
towering above the platforms on which were
| seated the graduates wearing the regulation
black gowns and mortar boards. In front
of them sat the faculty. An interesting pro-
gramme had been prepared for the enter
tainment of the large audience. AS the cur
tain rolled up warm burst of applause
greeted the class. DR.. S. E. carp con-
ferred the degrees, speaking to the young
physicians of the duties of the professional
life they were about to begin. The address
of the evening was made by Dr. Joseph r.
Eastman, his subject being: THE Poor Re
lation of Science" Dr. Eastman had but
three hours for preparation, as he was called
on late in the afternoon, after word was re-
ceived that Prof. E. E. Montgomery. M. D.,
of Philadelphia, could not reach Indian
apolis on account of the floods. His speech,
however, was most entertaining, and his
witty handling Of charIatans of the medical
profession was greeted with much applause
In part he said:
THE more one contemplates the accumu-
lated knowledge of others concerning mat
tiers which interest him. and the more he
pursueS his studies within restricted lines,
the more difficult it becomes to select a sub
Ject which he may treat legtimately before
Such an audience as this. 1t is therefore,
With diffidence that / venture to ask your
attention to what you may term a homely
or haekneyed theme The man is fortu--
rate, indeed who has high conception of
his calling. In this respect, at least, as re-
CARDS the humanitarian aims of his profess
SIGN SIGN, the doctor is peculiarly favored A
the thoughts of every true physician, and
its ennobling influence insinuates itself into
his every act. sHe takes up his work with
conscious pride and with realizing sense
of duty. Often (oftener, perhaps, than gem
orally supposed), he is inspired by dignified
ideals and sustained in his career of great
responsibilities and unrewarded labors by
the approval of his own conscience.
MEDICINE AND SCIENCE.
EVERY now and then some honest man.,
in search of truth, wants to know if medi-
cine is a science, and sometimes physi-
clans, even intelligent physicians, discuss
the reconciliation of medicine with science
as If it were not res adjudicata-' Not in
frequently, from well-meaning skeptics, one
hears the intimation that medicine, though
rich as any science in theoretical knowl
edge, is behind the rest in practical realiza-
ed points the following two theses are pro-
pc sed: First, that medicine, apart from all
it's ancillaries, is science and respectable
as such. 1t is q sum of systematized
knowledge accumulated by experiment.
Second, that its practical service to hui
mainly is commensurate with that of chem
les, physics or any other science
Before the middle of the century now
drawing to close progress in medicine had
been the result of gradual evolution
sprung, not spontaneously. like Minerva
from the front of Jove, full panoplied for
war. it had unfolded slowly, so slowly that
its development could not be traced, except
perhaps, by one like Darwin, in whom ca
pacity for patient observation and philoso-
phic vision are combined. In latter de-
cades, however, advance has been too rapid
for appreciation. More progress has been
made in fifty years than had been made in
fifty centuries. In state of intellectual
giddiness we try to get a comprehensive
view of newer medicine, while each depart
ment opens it's apocalypse of wonderful dis
coveries. The question is has the advance
been along strict scientific lines? BY a Sc
ries of researches admirable for their pre-
cision, PaSteur demonstrated that the dis
ease-producing mtcrobe can be attenuated;
That Is to say, rendered incapable of c@us-
ing death, yet 1t can produce the disease, a.
disease sometimes so attenuated as to be al
most imperceptible Now the living being
which has suffered from this attenuated
disease is protected from it's more serious
forms, and, borrowing the word consecrated
by the immortal discovery. of Jenner, is
pelas, blood poisoning and hospital gam
creme consumed great per cent. of those
upon whom operations had been made, and
child-bed fever claimed an awful quota.
That time is now one of historic memory
Surgery, basing itself upon science, tri-
umphed over these destroyers, and they are
relegated to the past.
IF you concede to medicine place
among the sciences, will you concede also
that her methods are heightened and pure?
Charlatinism is perpetrated in her name
The quack and nostrum dealer stampede
the people with. trumpeting and flaming
banners, and under the pail of their deceit
are registered as doctoreS medcinae The
rubicund and unctious necromancer and Gil
Bias of pathy and icism enter the portals of
sweldom with subtle ways and sweet aphor-
isms to hypnotic and control, and under
the sign and token of a scientist of medi-
Medicine never owned this type nor any
like 1T which practices prestidigitation, not
medicine. Her servants have no tricks and
no cards up their sleeves. The purity of
medicine mas been assailed because she
vivisects, because upon her faithful fingers
a multitude of bigots detects the crimson
stain of ante-mortem blood shed in the vivi-
section of dumb animals. To any one whose
brain is less barren than those of a few be-
nighted congressman, who seek to lock the
wheels of medical progress with an anti
vivisection bill, it is apparent that for each
brute life thus sacrificed a thousand human
lives are saved. These experiments are
nearly always made upon brutes which
have been anaesthetized and, even if now
and then some pain is given, consider
whether the end don't justify the MEANS
PROGRAMME OF MUSIC.
During the evening very interesting
programme of music and readings was rem
dered. Among the numbers were the fol-
lowing:
Overture" Bandetenstrieche' .Suppe
Orchestra.
Piano solo-a. Caprice .............. Raft
b. ''Serenade" ....... Kroeger
Miss Laura Jones.
Violin solo-"Faust Fantastic. 49,. SaraSate
Mr.. McGibeny.
Musical reading-a. Candle Lightin'
b. '"The Tin Gee-Gee".
........................Ol Old English Ballad
Mrs. McGibeny.
Baritone SOLO" Dinah Doe. u. L. MolIoy
Mr.. John l.. Geiger.
March-"Stars and Stripes Forever .Sousa
The graduates We're: Misses Lille Alta
Crockett and Briggitta Elizabetha Malone,
and Messrs. George Andrew HILL Fred
Counselman Dilley, Granville Lesnar Old
ham, William T. Davis, c. f.. Daily Earl
Miller, Alexander T. Stewart, Maurice
Hansen, Charles Johnson. c. w. McCln-
took, w. r. Cravens Eddie De Baum Tllix-
tun, John Garrett Moir, James William
Birchfield, William Henry Larrabee, John
Milton Fouts, Roland r.. Blount. v Albert
Magenheimer, Eugene Buehler, Levi Roscoe
Ilyes, Harvey. Adams Moore, John Paul
Mylott, William c. McChesney, William