Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-13
TALKED OTHEDOCTORS
PRESIDENTS ADDRESS TO LONG
ISLAND PHYSICIANS YESTERDAY.
Refers to Their Worth to the Public
and to the Work to Be Done
at Panama

President Roosevelt delivered a notable
address yesterday afternoon before the As
ISOLATED Physicians OF Long Island at Oys-
ter Bay L. 1. He discussed in the COURSE
or his speech. the relations physicians sus-
tain with the people OF the communities in
which they reside and the work to be done
by the medical experts In connection with
the construction Of the Panama canal. de-
claring that. despite all difiiculties on the
isthmus and here in the United States. the
canal would be success.
He referred to achievements of the sani-
tary engineers who cleaned the cities Of
Cuba for the first time in 400 years, and
closed by paying tribute to the services
of Gen. Leonard Wood. whose career a
military officer he said, was fouted by
some critics because he once had been
doctor
A majority of the 400 physicians in at
tendance reached Oyster Bay on special
train at 8 O'Clock The session ef the as
ISOLATION was presided over by DR.. Will
liam Savage of East Islip, the president
After the President had retired from
the hall. the association unanimously
elected him and Gen. Leonard Wood hon.
orary members Of the society.
Presidents Address.
The President said
'.Mr. President, Members Of the Associa-
ton. Friends and Neighbors:
Il needed no invitation to come before
you today. All needed was permission.
AS soon as learned that this association
was to meet in our village 1 felt that 1
must take advantage of the opportunity
to say word of greeting to you in per-
son.
"Of course. it is most needless to say that
there is not and cannot be any other lay
profession the members of which occupy
such dual position. each side of which Is
Of such Importance, for the doctor has on
the one hand to be the most thoroughly
educated man In applied science that there
Is In the country. and on the other hand. as
every layman knows and doubtless many a
layman in the circle of acquaintance of
each Of you would gladly testify the doc
tor gradually becomes the closest friend to
more different people than would be possi-
bic in other professions. The feeling that
a man has toward the one human being to
whom he turns, either in time OF sickness
for himself. or, what is far more important.
In the time OF sickness of those closest and
dearest to him, cannot but be of q peculiar
kind. He cannot but have feeling for
him such as he has for no other man. The
doctor must. therefore to the greatest de-
gree develop both sides of his nature. de-
yelop his nature along the two sides Of his
duties. although in the case of any other
man you would call him mighty good cit
izen If he developed only one side.
The Scientific Man.
class scientific man has a claim upon the
gratitude of all the country. The man who
is first-class neighbor and is always called
in in time of trouble by his neighbors has
an equal claim upon society at large. But
the doctor has both claims. Yet. in addi-
ton to filling both of these functions he
may fill many other functions. He may
have served in the civil war; he may have
rendered the greatest possible service to the
q
Take, for instance. just what is being done
| In one Of the great works of this country at
| the present time-digging the Panama ca
nal. That is work that only a big ma
| ton could undertake or that a big nation
could do, and it is work for all mankind.
| And the condition precedent upon success
IN that work Is having the proper type of
medical work as a preliminary.
That Is the first condition upon the
meeting OF which depends our success in
solving the engineering and administrative
problems of the work itself. I am happy
to say that the work is being admirably
done. and l am particularly glad to have
this chance of saying IT. Now and then
some alarmist report will come from PAN
ANA. Just couple of weeks ago there
seemed to be succession of people COM
Ing up from Panama, each one of whom
had some tale or other to tell. You will
always find in any battle, even If it is vic
torious battle, that in the rear you meet
a number of gentlemen who are glad that
they are not at the front; who If they have
unfortunately gotten at the front have
come away. and who justify their absence
from the front by telling tales of how
everything has gone wrong there.
Now, the people who flee from Panama
will carry up here just such stories as the
people who flee from the forefront of a
battle carry to the rear with them. The
people to whom this country owes and will
owe so much those who stay down
there and do not talk, but do their work,
and do 1t we'll
Troubles to Be Expected.
'Of course. in doing a great work like
| that in the tropics, In a region which. I'M
| til this government took hold of 1t. was
accounted to be a region exceptionally un-
healthy. we are going to have trouble. have
| some yellow fever have a good deal of
| malarial fever and suffer more from the
| latter than from the yellow fever although
we will hear nothing like the talk about II.
| We will have every now and then troubles
as regards hygiene, just as we will have
| trouble in the engineering problems. Just
as occasionally we will have trouble in the
| administrative work. Whenever one Of
these troubles comes there will be a large
number of excellent but timid men who
| will at once say what an awful calamity
| 1t Is, and express the deepest sorrow and
| concern. and be rather inclined to the belief
| that the whole thing Is a failure. 1t will
not be a failure. 1t will be q success, and
| 1t will be a success because we shall treat
| every little check not as reason for aban-
doning the work, but as a reason for alter
| ing and lettering our plans SO as to make
| 1t impossible that that particular check
| shall happen again.
| What is being done in Panama Is but a
| sample of the things that this country has
| done during the last few years. of the
| things In which your profession has been
! so prominent a part. Take what we did
| in Cuba, where we tried the experiment,
| which had not been tried for 400 years, of
cleaning the cities. One OF the most i'm
/ aR he uynr ~ Mr.
| government in Cuba was the work of ny
| giene, the work of cleaning and dislnfect-
! ing the cities so as to minimize the chance
| for yellow fever, 80 to do away with as
| many as possible of the conditions that
| told for disease"