Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-06-02
DR.. Keen's Address.

He said the question has often been asked,
what becomes of the medical students?"
According to the Investigations of noted
English surgeon, out of 1000 students, 60
per cent achieved success varying from dis
tinguished to fair; IS per cent, very limited
success or entire failure, and % per cent
either died or left the profession. In his
own observation, covering a teaching eX-
perience of forty years. DR.. Keen said that
he had more or less accurately observed
the careers of about 1880 medical students,
and the results of his inquiry have been
about the same as those obtained by the
English surgeon.
The speaker said. however that he had
never known a man to fall of achieving an
honorable, or even enviable, success who
had the four essential characteristics of good
moral character, good manners, perSe-
verance and studiousness. The first char
acteristic. said DIR. Keen, is the foundation
of success in every department of life, and
without it man ought not to succeed.
Good manners are especially necessary to
the physician, because of the nature of his
work.
In illustrating the value of perseverance
the speaker related incidents in his own
experience and those that had come within
his personal observation. He urged the
young men to keep always in mind Emer-
sons admoniton: Make yourself neces-
sary to the world and mankind will give
you bread
Dr. Keen spoke of the rapid strides being
made in the medical profession and of the
great opportunity for study and research
opened to the young physicians. He urged
that they improve their spare moments
with study and investigation and that they
keep abreast of the times. In conclus- on
he said:
you are about to join a great and noble
profession whose value to the community
is beyond estimate. The lives and happi-
ness of the community you serve will be in
dc nar ha ant
trust Indifferent to whether you add to
your knowledge as the science progresses
or remain a fossil of the year 1908, ind fer
ent to the death of defenseless youth and
hoary age. of the bread winning father, of
the tender, care-taking mother of the low
ing and beloved child whose untimely death
leaves a scar on the heart which all the
waters of Lethe cannot efface?
Ravages of Disease.
1.-The whole world has been moved within
the last few weeks by an atrocious massa-
in Kischeneff, and the press and the
platform have been right in their denunc. a
tions of such crime The slain and the
injured 1t is said, number nearly 000. But
where has voice been raised in indignant
protest against the massacre of 80. 600 per-
sons in the year 1902 in the United States
alone by typhoid fever-a preventable dis
| ease. which ought to be stamped out and
practically could be stamped out were a
proper water supply and proper sanitary
| precautions taken? Have you heard any
national denunciation of the massacre last
! year of $4,000 persons in the United States
| by tuberculosis. another disease which, If
| not absolutely preventable, could be re-
| duced to a minimum by proper sanitation
"Our ears have been deaf. our eyes closed
| and our minds dulled to this horrible state
| of affairs because forsooth. we are used
| to it, How often in my clinic at the JEFF
| ferson Hospital. my house surgeon reads
to the class the history of patient after pa
| tent l hear this startling statement: "A.
! b. act %. had the usual diseases of child
| hood" as If disease ought ever to be
| usual Moreover those of whom this is
said have recovered from The usual dis
| eases of childhood. but those who have
| fallen in the holocaust from measles,
| humps. chickenpox, whooping cough, scar
! let fever and diphtheria have passed beyond
| any clinic or any history. This field alone
! is a splendid opportunity for fruitful work
| ir this fair twentieth century just opening,
! and If you do your duty and the rest OF
/ our profession do theirs, long before its
| end such a history will state that "A. B.,
act. %. had the usual health of childhood.
for the now usual diseases will be Danish
/ ed. Happy childhood will be free from
| their assaults and health instead of sick
ness will be the standard. 1t is mark OF
! low grade of civilization that any disease
should be usual. 1t reminds us of the days
| before Jenner when almost everybody had
smallpox and its victims were numbered
by the hundreds of thousands.
Soon may the happy day come when the
| only two causes of death will be accident
and old age. when the surgeons will only
| be called upon TO remedy the, injuries in
ficted by the first. and the physicians only
service Will De to assist at our entrance into