The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-04-18
ALABAMA DOCTORS
THIRTY-THIRD ANNUAL CONvEN-
 TI0N OF THE ASSOCIATION.
About Ninety Phyaiciens of the state in Attendance, as We'll as Some of the Leading Specialists
 of the Nation.

Birmingham. April 17.-tspecial.)-. The thirty-thir annual convention of the State Medical Association of the State of Alabama was called to order armory at the city hall by President Eugene DuBose Bondurant of Mobile. The opening session was attended by of the State. and several widely known specialists from other States.
 The convention was opened with Pat by Dr A. pSnea er of whes Dr. Lewis C. Morrison of Birmingham delivered the address of welcome in behalf of the Jefferson County Medical said:
 Tn behalf of the Jefferson County Medical Society, it gives me great fese fn our state ao sr~e' we nave @ $ some of the noblest members of the medical profes- sion, and I greet you heartily. oxf With prSe achievements of this association during the past year. With our sister States on two side. toiling in the throes of chaos and panic rampant in the land, the lives and property of the citizens of Alabama were absolutely safe- the State appreciate how this result was accomplished? How many know that by reason of our organization and
 
 able and active men in each and every county in this State, who are pledged to guard and protect the health of their respective counties, and that these 335, who represent the brain. nerve and sinew of the medical profession of Alabama neither ask for nor do they receive directly or indirectly, a single ty or State. It was the harmonious workings of this machinery steered and directed by. the able brain and calm which enabled our. citizens to perform their usual avocations in security and which saved our State hundreds of thousands of dollars. Gentlemen, I county and city and to our homes and
 Hon. Henry B. Gray delivered the city of Birmingham It was expected that Mayor Ward would welcome the delegates. but he found this morning that he would be unable to attend the meeting.
 The annual message of Preident Eugene DuBose Bondurant of Mobile, was filled with expressions of delight during the past year. He referred to the advances made in the treatment of the various diseases, and especially of the epidemics which visited the State last summer.
 'sThe work last summer of the quar- antine officers in getting the yellow fever out of the State, and keeping it out, shows that competent men did va liant service in their profession. All conditions were in favor of more yell low fever in the southern part of Ala bama than ever before known, and l am glad to state that by our energetic efforts and the efforts of the quaran- tine officers employed to help us. we soon got rid of the dreaded disease. By the same efforts the fever can be kept under control during the coming sum- nd VIA U ~ all preparations made to begin viz orous fight as soon as is necessary.
 T heartily commend the members of the medical profession of the State for the nti-tuberculosis campaign made during the past year. We have learned to fight that disease. and to prevent it. and I was glad to see that so few deaths resulted last year from it and that there were such a few new cases. The treatment of tuberculosis Is rapidly coming to be generally suc- cessful and I trust that a few years will bring the time when the white plague" will be extinct. It is heredi- tary and contagious, and must be guarded against by all. but if prop erly cared for can be got under control before it proves fatal.
 T recommend that the Medical As- sociation of the State of Alabama pub- fish and own a medical journal, to be devoted to the progress of the organi- zation, and to be strictly for the mem- bers at large rather than for the dis cussion of any branch of the profession or clique that may originate. We need a medical journal of this kind and it will prove to be one of the most bene- ficial branches of our work. It will bring us closer together and keep US all posted on what the others are do- ing. Let 1t be for the medical associ- ation of the State. and it will bring results. We should have competent editor and manager, whose duty it would be to receive contributions from frnn ar the treatment of the various diseases and epidemics, and the responses these diseases give in the different sections of the State.
 we should do away with the coun- ty boards of examiners. We have a competent State board of medical ex aminers. an dthere is no use for man he already holds a State certificate. Such action has been taken by the medical fraternites of other states, saves time and red tape, and there is no one Of us who can afford to lose any of our time. The county certifcates are wothless unless one holds the state certificate also. and I hope this body will take such action that will abolish the county boards. T recommend that <the basis of rep resentation in the State conventions be guided according to the membership of the county organizations rather than as it has in the past. Heretofore each county organization has been allowed two members, and some of the counties have eight or ten members while others have several times that numbr. That is not right. and until we make the change l suggest you will find that the best results will not be obtainable This rule is in force in most of the State organizations of the United States"
 The report of Dr. W. H. Bell of Har- grove. senior vice president of the as sociation, giving the advancement made by the various county medical societies during the past year. was re- ceived It showed that in most of the counties of the State the membership of the societies had greatly increased and that the general attendanc was very much better than in the past It showed a smaller percentage of illegal practice and n-members than the re- port of last year. It showed that the State association now has eight hun dred and twenty-6ne members in thlr- ty-three counties in the State, an in- crease of seventy members over last var There are 1905 legal physicians in the State.
 pr. Bell recommended that com mittee be appointed to work to try to secure an appropriation from the next legislature sufficient to build ana maintain a pathological laboratory for the benefit of the physicians of the
 pr Louis William Johnston of Tus-