Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-05-11
Great Achievements Of Past
Year Reviewed.
DISEASE ERADICATED
DIR. SATTERTHWAITE'S ADDRESS
TO THERAPEUTIC SOCIETY.
Annual Session Begins Today - Many
Papers to Be Read-Mem-
bership Increased.

The fourth annual meeting of the Amer
lean Therapeutic Society was begun at the
Raleigh Hotel in this city this morning. and
will continue with morning and afternoon
sessions until Wednesday morning The So
ciety is limited in membership to fifty ply
sicians who comprise the leading medical
teachers of the country.
The morning session today was preceded
by a short session of the board of censors
of the society. This board consists of Rey-
mold Webb Wilcox, NJ. D.; Eli II. Long, NJ.
D.. and d. DIN Leech, NJ. D.
The regular session of the society was
called to order shortly before 10 o'clock by
Thomas E. Satterthwaite, NJ. D., of New
York. There was not full attendance at
the initial session, which was opened with
prayer by the Rev. Thomas C. Easton, D.
D.. of this city. brief but cordial address
or welcome was delivered by Robert Rey-
burn. M D., president of the Therapeutic
Society of the District of Columbia. DR..
Reyburn touched interestingly on points in
the city to be visited. He told of the med
ical colleges and hospitals of the city and
also described to the visiting physicians the
District government, mentioning that the
8Oo.oO citizens had no voice in this govern
ment.
A response to this address was made by
Reynold Webb Wilcox, NJ. D., New York.
he said Washington was not in any sense
strange to the membership of the society
which he declared to be a native of this
city, having been born here rearly four
years ago. as the offspring of the local
therapeutic Society. The prosperity of the
society, he said, was evidenced by the fact
that one of the first things to be considered
at the present meeting would be to increase
the limit of membership on account of the
great demand for admission by desirable
persons. DR.. Wilcox congratulated the
local society on being the parent of the ma
tonal association, and congratulated the
national society on being once more In
Washington.
DR.. Noble P. Barnes, secretary of the So
ciety read the minutes of the last meeting
which was held in New York. The treas
urer's report. presented by Dr. John s. Nc
Lain. showed S237.S4 on hand.
DIR. George c. Ober. the curator of the So
ctety. facetiously complained that the or
ganizaton had mol property, not even a
gavel. for him to care for His office. he
ged that he be given the custody at least
OF gavel to keep from rust and thieves
protest was made by Secretary Barnes
that the society did. have gavel that had
been taken from Washington to New York
but had not been brought back.
New Members Elected.
The society then got down to business In
the consideration of the report of the board
of censors, presented by DIR. r. w. Wilcox
On his motion the limit of membership was
increased from fifty to seventy-ive, follow
ing which fifteen new members were elected
as follows:
DIP. Beynberg Porter, New York; DIR. Solo
mon Soils Cohen, Philadelphia DR. Will
liam James Morton. New York; DR.. Henry
Ling Taylor, New York; DIR. Russell A.
Hibbs. New York; DR.. Edward Bennat
bronson. New York; DIR. John Blake White
New York; DR.. Hubert Work. Pueblo, Col;
Dr. Carroll Everett Edison. Denver Col;
Dr. Edward j. keipe, Buffalo. N. Y; DIR.
Torald Sallmann. Cleveland, Ohio: DIR. Geo
r Butler. Alma, Mich; DR.. D. B. st. John
Roosa. New York; DIR. II. j. Garregnes
New York, and DIR. James Petersen, New
York. Reports of committees and euIo-
gies on John Thomas Winter, MD, LID,
and George E. Tyler, D., formerly mem
bers of the society who had died during
the year. were read, the first by DR.. How
ard III. Baker and the second which had
been prepared by DR.. Hall, was read by
DIR. Barnes.
Presidents Annual Address.
President Satterthwaite concluded the
morning session in the delivery of his an
nual address. which outlined in most in
teresting manner the recent advances in
therapeutics. He first defined the science
which included. he said the application of
any method or agency which might ameI-
iorate. cure or prevent disease
Viewed from this broad standpoint DIR.
Satterthwaite maintained that the most
brilliant achievement of the science in re-
cent years had been the practical suppress
sion of yellow fever in Havana by the
United States yellow fever commission. To
emphasize the Importance of this achieve
ment he reviewed briefly the history of
yellow fever in Cuba for the past 40 years
prior to 1901. not a month of which elapsed
he said without a yellow fever fatality in
the island The work of the yellow fever
commission began in 1900, when expert
ments with the mosquito theory were taken
up. After eight months of anti mosquito
work the disease disappeared entirely from
Havana, and for the fourteen months end
Ing January last not single new case has
occurred there, and this had also been the
record OF the present year. Havana, with
population of 2sJ,Coo. which had for ten
years prior to American occupation an
annual death rate of forty-five persons to
every thousand has had this death rate
reduced to twenty-five per thousand. the
record of the last full year of the American
occupation of the island.
. If such methods these could be put
into effect in Rio. Vera Cruz and other
south countries DIR. Satterthwaite pre-
dicted that yellow fever might be wiped
out entirely.
Cholera in the Philippines.
The progress made in fighting the cholera
epidemic in the Philippines was next refer
red to by Dr. Satterthwaite. This cholera
came from China, and had affected &C
cording to various estimates, from 100 OOO
persons TO double that number. Great
credit in fighting this disease he said, was
due to the American army of occupation.
Only Individual cases had occurred among
our men, and stringent quarantine and
other methods had been placed in force
with splendid results.
Turning his attention to the plague. DR.
Satterthwafte declared that this dread
scourge was now of practical interest to all
Americans since il had attacked our new
possessions and also reached the shores of
this country, so that grave epidemics with
In our borders were always possible
''As in yellow fever and cholera" con.
tinued DIR. Satterthwaite I'VE have prose-
cuted the study of the disease with unra-
hitting diligence. and equally with them
have had success"
Rats. he declared. were generally con-
sidered TO be the chief medium for the
spread of the disease, although 1t was held
that fieas might carry the plague from ore
rat to another. Ants also might be the in
termediate host, but not mosquitoes. The
disease can enter the system by the air