Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-06-07
JEFFERSON CLASS
RECEIVES DEGREES
Major General Ireland, Famous
Alumnus, Speaker at Brilliant
/, College Commencement

medicine made by American army sur
geons were rocouutcd here today by
Major General Merritte W. ireland,
surgeon general United States army.
General ireland was the chief speaker
at the ninety fourth annual commence
ment of Jefferson Medical College at the
Academy of Music. The honorary
degree of doctor of laws was conferred
upon him by the institution, which
ralims him among its most illustrious
alumni as a member of the class Of
1891
similar degree was conferred upon
Vice Admiral Albert Gleaves, United
states navy. and DR.. Duncan l.. Des
pard received the degree of bachelor
of science. The degree Of doctor of
medicine was conferred upon 142 mem
bers of the class of 1919.
Alba Il. Johnson. acting president of
the college, presided. Or. Ross V.
Patterson. dean Of the college. awarded
prizes for mcritorious work Many noted
physicians from various parts of the
country attended the exercises
General Ireland's address assumed
unusual interest because of its revcla
tion of many discoveries in science and
medicine hitherto kept secret through
tho CXigrncies of war. It's title, "Thc
Progress of Medicine in the Twentieth
Century, permitted the speaker to re
count the general advances made in
scientific medicine and surgery during Tn,
In t,,.. 40, Al.
change of trend from treatment to pre-.
vcntion of infectious diseases.
Don't Know Actual Causes
"Wc know" he said, "that mala .
rial fever and yellow fever are trans
mitted by different species of mosoui-
toes; that typhus fever and trench
fever are transmitted by lice: vet we
do not know the actual cause of yellow
fever or of trench fever. If we can
prevent yellow fever. typhuS fever and
trench fever by destroying the insects
which transmit them it is plain that We
need concern ourselves little about the
organism which causes the diseases" "
Describing experiments in physical
chemistry, he said, mincralogists are
now making by experimental processes
rocks. cements and even precious
stones. This progress, General Ireland
described. as IAN attempt to get an
swcrs from nature by experiment and
to initiate nature in applying the
knowledge thus gained"
Aside from this" General ireland
continued, ''Somp very important ad
,auces have been made in experimental
and professional medicine through this
war. We know more about the Ciffer-
pnt war ncuroscs. which 60 under the
name of shell shock. about those effects
of gunshot wounds Of peripheral nerves
which Mitchell, Moorehousc and Keen
! first described during the Civil War,
about functional heart disease. about
the toxic and parasitic jaundices.
Pneumonia Control in Sight
The various pneumonias attacking
men in our army camps have been in
vcstigatcd by McCallum and Cole, ant
Cole has differentiated no less than foul
different pneumonia producing organ.
isms. Better control of the pneumonia
problem is in sight New modes of dis
ease, such as trench nephritis. trcncl
fever and the five Cay fever of the east
ern front have created new problems
THE Transmission of trench fever by
lice has been proved. The effects o
poisonous gases on the lungs, eyes, skin
and other parts of the body constitute
almost new department of medicine
War Helped Announcements
$50 also the physical and PATHOLOGY
cal effects of aviation. Vaccines hav,
been administered simultaneously fo
several diseases. sometimes five at
time. Much has been done in recon
structivc surgery of the chest. wount
shock and wound treatment. The sur
geon has gained an experience in wount
infection which never could have beel
acquired in civil practice. The new
antiseptics devised by Dekin and Carre
can now be tried out in city hospitals
A surgical principle has been evolved
namely, excision of devitalized tissues il
wounds made by large MISSILES ~
General Ireland then serally de
scribed the steps by which malaria, vel
low fever, typhoid, trench fever an,
hookworm disease have been traced [,
their sources or virtually conquered.
Suggests Yearly Quarantine
OF. yellow fever General Ireland sait
that the time had passed when th
United States from New York soutl
should be subjected to yearly quaran
tine on account of this disease. H
referred to the work and discovery o
Major Walter Reed in virtually safe
guarding the canal zone against yellow
fever ''as one of the proud accom-
plishments of the profession which
will live in history.
"Immunization against typhoid fevel
has been one of the great triumphs o
medicine" declared the speaker
"While not as spectacular as the elm
ination of yellow fever from this hem
isphere, it will have far reaching eff
feet on the control of disease through
out the entire world" He showed b,
figures that the disease had been re
duced in the United States army from
2S2 cases, with twenty two deaths il
1909, with an army of SS,07T men, t,
a negligible quantity in the world war
How trench fever was conquere,
through research committee heade,
by Major Richard p. Strong, L. s. A.
after British effort had failed, was de
sCribed. "The work of this commission
added another bright page to American
medicine" said General Ireland.
Praises Rockefeller Institute
Hookworm disease has dissppeare
from Porto Rico, the island is tenfol
,;ohor aud tho nhvsical anda rd of IL