Evening star., 1913-06-16
American Medical Association
Opens Its Sixty-Fourth
Annual Session.
EXTENT OF "QUACKERY"
DEPL0RED BY TRUSTEES
Organization Growing Rapidly.
Members Divided on Secret
Division of Fees.

MINNEAPOLIS. Mimi. June l6.-The
sixty-fourth annual session OF the Amer
fcan Medical Association opened today
with the first meeting OF the house Of
delegates. DR.. Abraham jacob OF New
York presided. The meetings are held
I'm the library OF the main engineering
building at the University OF Minnesota
After the report OF the committee on cre-
dentials and the organization OF the
house, the reports Of the officers were
presented. The membership OF the aseo-
citation last year Increased from Sf,2S.
to 37.913, while the membership OF the
ffty-two constituent associations durinS
the year grew from 7O.O21 TO 70.S3s ac-
cording to the report OF Secretary DR..
Alexander Craig OF Chicago.
There are 2,OOl component county So
cieties. organized in 1851 counties in tbs
United States. The report Of the board
OF trustees showed the business OF the
association to be I'm a prosperous con
dition. Special attention was given 10
the work Of the Journal OF the American
Medical Association I'm investigating and
exposing frauds and nostrums.
Quackery Regarded as Serious.
The patent medicine business and
quackery has become so serious and
widespread that q worldwide effort Is
being made to curtail it," said the re-
port.
Representatives of the British gov
ernment have called on the American
Association to furnish data for use in
the investigation Of this subject by
British parliamentary committee. Aus
tralia and South Africa have asked for
data on the same subject.
The principal subject covered by the
report of the judicial council was its
investigation OF the secret division OF
fees and the giving OF commissions By
surgeons and specialists. These So
some sections OF the country, but not
in others.
In the New England states and In
the south it Is not prevale but is
found most frequently in the large
cities and the central states. Seventy
seven per cent Of those questioned re-
garding the practice considered ii un-
justif1able. while 1910 per cent said
that it was justifable and $50 per
cent were doubtful
Council on Health Reports.
The report Of the council on health
and public instruction. presented by
Dr. Henry B. Favill of Chicago. chair
man, recommended the appointment or
a standing committee on public educa-
ton in each state.
The press bulletin, according to the re
port, has been continued through this.
it's third year, and a weekly bulletin has
been sent to approximately 5000 newsps-
pers and other publications throughout
the year, this material being increasipgly
used by the newspaper publishers or the
country. There has been established at
the headquarters of the association in
Chicago a medico-legal bureau for the
purpose of drafting laws and compiling
authorities and references for the be neht
of those interested in public health leg
islation.
The committee on the prevention Of
blindness reported the preparation OF 4
model address on this sub ject, with l62
lantern slides to illustrate 1t. for use in
educating the public on the prevention
of blindness. A model law for consider
alton of the different state legislatures
has been drafted
Probing Mine Accidents.
The committee on resuscitation is pre-
pairing a report which will shortly be is
sued. setting forth the best methods Of
resuscitation to be used in mine acci-
denus This committee is now studying
the best method OF maintaining artifi-
cial respiration. the causes OF mine acci-
dents and their prevention.
The number Of medical colleges.
amounting to 166 in 1904. nearly one. alf
of the worlds supply, has been de-
creased to 10, mainly through the merg-
ing of small schools and the disappear
ance of commercial medical COLLEGES.
Marked Improvement In medical col
leges has been followed by an equally
marked improvement in the sta ndards
for admission to the practice OF medi-
cine in the different states said the
report of the council on medical edu-
cation.
DR.. George N Kober of Washington.
chairman of the committee on Red
Cross work. reported that Red Cross
for relief In times OF dis
aster had been organized IN NIFTY
seven counties in twentyfour states.
and that these committees were pre-
pared to undertake relief work at
notice.
Planning for a Monument.
Plans are being made TO erect a
suitable monument to the army and
navy surgeons, both northern and
southern, who were killed during the
civil war, according to the report sub
nitted by DR.. S. Weir Mitchell, chair-
nan of the memorial committee.
DR.. Isadore Dyer of New orleans.
chairman of the committee on the
of the Panama canal. rec
,fnmended that the association ASK
Congress to establish a permanent
monument in recognition of the SAM.
ary work done In the Canal Zone. ana
hat this monument take the form or
, hosnttal for tropical diseases, either
N the Canal Zone or In the nlted
states.