Norwich bulletin., 1914-05-19

The Norwich Medical society closed annual meeting and banquet held at the Wauregan house and having ar attendance of 40 at the gathering. This included several delegates from New London. Willimantic. and several guests.
 The guests were Major Hadlai A. Hull of New London states attorney, and Col. Charles w. Gale of this city and the delegates were Drs. Oliver Winship and Daniel Sullivan from New London and Dr. w. F. Heating from Willimantic
 The business part of the meeting was soon over and by 8.30 the doctors were ready to sit down to the banquet in the big dining room of the hotel.
 Officers Elected.
 In the business meeting. the presi- dent, Dr. H. H. Howe of Yantic pre- sided, and the election of officers for the next year was the principal mat ter.
 The following were elected: Presi- dent, pr. James J. Donohue; secretary and treasurer, Dr. Lester E. Walker.
 For the banquet the tables were set in the form of a hollow square within which was pyramid of psalms and on the tables were baskets of cut flowers. In the hands of the capable staff of the hotel the banquet was ex- peditiously served and when the time for the post prandial exercises arriv- ed, Dr. Howe, the retiring president filled the place of toastmaster in an admirable manner.
 The Doctor and the Law.
 He first introduced Major Hull for an address upon the Doctor and the Law.
 Major Hull assured his hearers that he was convinced that the medical profession was distinctly keeping abreast of the times. He felt that he had to make the confession that the medical profession had outstripped the legal in this respect.
 In an illustrating way. States Attor- ney Hull took up matters of court procedure and rules of evidence upon the points of reasonable doubt, char acter. appearance of the accused on the witness stand, testimony of wo- men. dieing declarations and other points Among some of these he found things that were illogical and not con tributive towards the ends of justice. It is in failing to remedy this condi- tion that the legal profession has not kept up to the times, but there is a growing feeling in the highest legal minds to get away from these illogi- cal conditions.
 Taking up the matter of medical ex- pert's where three doctors may be found to give one opinion and three an entirely different opinion, and where the public is always disposed to cry "Oh. they've sold out" the states attorney said that he felt like coming to the defence of the doctors for he pointed out that parralel conditions could be found in supreme court de- cisions where in bench of nine judges, with the same facts before them, five judges would sometimes be four minority opinion. He be- lieved that the cases where doctors sold out were fully as rare as where the high courts sold out. He indicat- ed how the hypothetical questions submitted could be so framed as to bring out two different opinions.
 A brief discussion upon Major HulPs address was conducted by Dr. Rush w. Kimball and Dr. H. M. Pollock.
 Travel Talk.
 Travel and the Traveller was the toast to which Col. Charles w. Gale responded in an interesting way with humorous incidents of trip he made on a coasting vessel a number of years ago. and also of incidents at Hong Kong. Manila, Tokio. Singapore and Mandalay.
 NtsftiH9 TnysiCidns opcdN
 Dr. Daniel Sullivan of New London took up the matter of testimony by medical experts.
 Pleasant responses were made by Dr. Oliver Winship of New London and pr. w. P Heating of willimantic, who were next called upon.
 The practice of Medicine.
 The Practice of Medicine was the toast for Dr. F. H. Linnell. who spoke of the self sacrifice and unremitting toll which comes to the fife of a phy- sician. which Is a profession which no one should undertake with the hope of large pecuniary reward. He enter tained his hearers with some of the amusing as well as some of the try ing experiences that come in the life of a physician.
 Sanatorium Superintendent.
 Dr. H. B. Campbell. superintendent of the Norwich state sanatorium, made response to the toast Fighting the Bugs, which he treated in an en- tertaining way by relating some incl dents that have occurred under his ob- servation.
 Then and Now.
 Dr. Anthony Peck, the oldest mem of the original members living. made response to the toast Then and Now He went back to the beginning of his entrance into the profession in Nor wich 37 years ago when he landed In Norwich from New York and footed it to Norwich Town in a snowstorm be- cause he arrived too early for the horse car line that was then in exist ence. He gave many interesting de- tails of the growth of the city since then.
 The old Physicians.
 Dr. Peck said he would speak from a text found in Genesis: There were giants in those days. and in this con- nection he gave brief sketches of the old medical practitioners of the town. Of them he said:
 There was Dr. Farnsworth, a man with the toughest kind of an exterior and the kindest kind of a heart:t a man of keen perception and ripe judg- ment; man in advance of his time. So Dr. Kinney has told me.
 Dr. Fuller was surgeon known for his skill all over Eastern Connecticut.
 Dr. Phinney was an ald-fashioned country doctor, an ex-army surgeon, IL " C.