Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-02-04
DOCTORS BANQUET
COUNTY MEDICAL AS.
ISOLATION ENTERTAlNs AT
BALLlNGALL HOTEL.
Brilliant and Enjoyable Event-NearIy
Seventy-Five at the Tables-Splen-
did Menu Followed by Bright and
Entertaining Toasts.
From Fridays Daily.

medical association, accompanied by
their wives and friends, enjoyed a
splendid banquet last night in the din
ing room of the Ballingall hotel. The
banquet was the annual affair of the
association and covers were laid for
about seventy-ive.
The dining room during the evening
presented a handsome appearance. The
banqueters were seated at six tables
DR.. Murdoch Bannister, president of
the association, and presiding officer
during the evening sat at the head
table and opposite him sat DR.. A. o.
Williams, the POSTMASTER for the oc.
casion. Those who responded to the
tcasts were seated at the various ia.
bles throughout the room. Carnations
were the favors and they added a very
pretty dash Of color to the gowns of
the women and the attire of the men.
Good Cheer Prevailed.
Good cheer and the best of feeling
and good humor prevailed. The menu
was of the best and the courses were
served quickly and in the Ballingall's
usual efficient amer
Toasts Were Suggestive.
"The Diet of Worms" How to Live
Long and Prosper" There Are 9th.
ers, Sausage" and a number of other
equally suggestive titles formed the
toasts for the evening. The responses
were bright and entertaining and while
not strictly confined to the five minute
limit announced the evening did not
drag. though the speaking was not fin.
ished till IL o'clock.
A jolly Toastmaster.
DR.. Williams, as POSTMASTER. was
easily the star Of the occasion. Others
on the post prandial list made single
speeches that were bright and enter.
tanning but the POSTMASTER was called
upon to perform that duty just twelve
times and he did not fail in any case
to turn a point on the unfortunate one
who was called to respond.
Two Not Present.
DR.. b. Vance, of Eddyville, and
DR.. g. III. Young, of Bloomfield, two
of the speakers, who were to respond
to the toasts, "Lightweights in the
Medical Profession" and "Utile Cum
Dulce' respectively, were not present
DR.. S.. A. Spilman was unexpectedly
assigned to the first and the second
was omitted.
ID A Time Honored Custom.
"It is a time honored custom which
we have" said DR.. Williams in opening
the second part of the entertainment,
"of meeting once q year, enjoying a
banquet. exchanging notes and of talk.
ing over what we have learned during
the year. He then graphically told
how DR.. Vance had lost his way on his
journey to the banquet and assigned
the topic "Lightweights in the Medical
Profession" to DR.. Spilman.
Not Noted for Stature.
"Ottumwa physicians are not noted
for their stature or their weight" said
DR.. Spilman and he glanced suggest.
lively to the portly proportions of the
POSTMASTER. 81 am speaking of avoir.
dupois,' he added. "As a profession
we are particularly harmonious. We
are noted for our fraternity. This is
indeed a good thing for it gives us a
better standing and it makes our pa.
tients think more Of u.s."
The doctor then told a humorous
story upon himself to the effect that a
certain woman had declared she
would not let DR.. Spilman treat a cat
for her." To a friend who was lament.
ing this harsh criticism of a physician
and surgeon whose reputation was
state wide the doctor had replied that
she should not feel so badly about the
matter for he was not a "cat doctor"
"Diet of Worms"
The topic, "The Diet of Worms
was a very productive one, bringing
forth some witty comments from the
toast master regarding papal bulls and
a learned and ingenious treatment
from DR.. L. j.. Baker who made the
response. Ignorance of the laws OF
health cause many Deaths said DR.
Baker, and he proceeded to illustrate
his statement. A few of the statements
made by the doctor in his paper are
as follows: Every form of life is
correlated to some other lower form
Whenever one form of life has com
pleted it's cycle of life it is discontin
ued and it's elements appear again in
a higher type.
Were it not for the various species
of worms there would be no means fol
growth in the vegetable world to furn
ish food for the animals that furnish
us our soups and roasts. The vege
table world is dependent upon worms
and their value is believed to come
largely from the acids formed in theil
stomachs during the process of diges
ton.
while it is not improbable that
all lower forms of life are dependant
upon the higher forms for life it is
certain that the higher forms could not
exist but for the lower"
Long Life and Prosperity.
'The best way to secure long life is
first to secure long lived parents ant
grandparents" quoted DR.. Williams
in introducing DR.. L. ]. Lambert OF
How to Live Long and Prosper" DR.
Lambert admitted that life did no
seem to lovely nor the desire for long
life so desirable after listening to the
previous discussion of the suggestive
topic. AS he warmed up, however, the
feeling wore away and he told of sew
eral ways of attaining that much
longed for end.
"Read the read how