The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-05-31
SURGEONS BEGIN WORK /
AUsPICEOUS CEREMONIES ATTEND
THE FIRST MEETING OF THE
ASSOCIATION
WELCOMED BY GOV. VAN SAINT
President stone Delivers an Able
Address, Covering the Field
and Character of the
Fraternity.

The first session of the tenth annual
meeting of the Association of Military
Surgeons of the United States has been
held at the capitol building, and already
much work has been done. According to
the arrangement of the programme, Gen.
John F. Fullerton. chairman of the COM
mittee on arrangements, called the meet
ing to order a little after 10 o'clock. He
made no address himself, but proceeded
Immediately with the work in hand by in
Producing Gov. Van SAINT, who welcomed
the surgeons to the North Star state.
The governor referred to the old days
when he was a soldier himself, and said
that when he enlisted the examining sur
geon, instead of looking him over as he
had the rest, merely said: Pass along,
Sammy; you're all right" Among other
things he said:
81 wish especially to welcome the rep
reseptatives from the South. 1t seems
most appropriate on our great Memorial
day to tell the people from the South
that they are welcome AS a Union vet
eran I can say that whenever I go South
the best friend I find there is the grizzled
veteran that wore the gray"
In closing he said that "our welcome
is as broad as it Is wide"
Mayor Robert A. Smith, who was to
have delivered an address to the surgeons
welcoming them to the city, could not be
present, so Judge L. A. Jaggard was the
next speaker. He said that he had been
asked by the mayor to welcome the sur
geons officially to the city, and he hoped
they would make their stay a pleasant
one. Humor and pathos was alternately
threaded throughout tho speech and he
held the attention of every listener. He
knew that none of the surgeons would
hesitate to make himself at home be-
cause those who lived in this city never
stopped at doing anything they wanted
to do. DR.. Ohage for many years had
peen pushing away the mlsts of ignorance,
and DR.. Stone had. in open violation of
the law. been breaking trotting records
in St. Paul
THE PRESIDENTS ADDRESS.
The last speaker of the session was
President A. j. Stone. His address, in
part, follows:
1t is with great diffidence that 1 under
take the task of presiding over the DELHI
erations of this association, composed.
as it is, Of men whose reputation is CO.
extensive with scientific progress through
out the world, and I should indeed fall
ter did 1 not know the generosity that
invariably accompanies moral or mental
strength, and which will treat with
Ieniency any failure upon my part.
1t Is my pleasant duty to welcome
you to this state and city on behalf of
the members Of the medical profession.
ana can only regret that I have not
the Wit and eloquence of my predecessors
with which to convey to you the ad-
mlratlon which they have for your past
achlevenents and the personal love which
eney 1eei towards many of you for the
SelI-sacrlhclng devotion with which vow
nave proven your love for your country
as Wen as for your fellowman e~
IL is their pride that few from their
own NUMBER have proven their devotion
10 our nag by sacrificing in a modest wav
that which many of you have in 81 much
ruller measure, and as they realize moro
ana more the scientific value of the work
Whlch has been accomplished in the COM
ParauVely snort and bloodless war Just
passed they more willingly nav tribute To
the spirit which prompted the sacrjfier
In this body of scientists thew rec 9
nize the genius of organization and ap-
preciate the fact that to those who have
gained experience in the care of large
bodies OF men must they look for coun-
sci and advice in periods of widespread
epidemics, and especially to the members
OF the army, navy and marine hospital
service must they turn for guidance in
the event of the Introduction of Oriental
epidemic diseases.
1T is apparently paradoxical that the
and much more the practitioner than the
surgeon Of civil practice. But conpara-
lively small portion of the mortality of a.
modern war is due to wounds received in
battle, and the surgeon finds 1t necessary
to become sanitary expert as well as a.
surgical operator. 1t Is his duty to know
the best location for a camp with its
relations to a pure water supply, and
equally his duty to know how such SUD-
ply can be contaminated by the camp
and it's surroundings-and to SO advise
that the sanitation of the camp shall be
as perfect as possible. and his authority
should be such that only the gravest or
adverse conditions could overthrow his
dictum.
The experiments Of the surgeons OF
through the mosquito are carried two
diseases-one tropical and one almost UNI
Versal-and have also proved that the
carrier can be economically and effeetuEi-
ly dealt with. The most dreaded Of those
diseases Of the East has already knock
ed at our gates, and is now apparently
intrenched at our Golden Gate Compare
lively mild in form, confined almost en-
tirely to the Chinese quarter of San
Francisco, disease of low filth and vi
tally, yet it is a menace to the whole
nation.
Surgeon General Wyman, in his Won
pderfully exhaustive monographs report,
has pointed out the remedy. 1t is for the