earlier meetings of this Association, and the consequent general awakening of attention to it throughout the whole profession, has resulted in so completely reversing the former state, that we now rarely see the name of an American writer appended, merely as an editor of a foreign work; while the medical press of our country literally teems with original medical works of high merit in every department of medical science. And not only so, but the shelves of the laborious practitioners of our humane art, throughout the whole country, now contain three American to one foreign work, especially in the departments of practical medicine, surgery, and obstetrics. And whoever examines the series of published transactions of the Association will not only find a number of essays which, for scientific merit, would do credit to the investigations of any other country, but they will find much additional evidence. that attention has been directed to most important inquiries concerning the causes and prevalence of epidemic diseases; the influences of topography and climate on endemics; and the nature and therapeutic value of indigenous articles of the materia medica, not only among our own members, but also throughout many of the State, county, and district medical societies in every part of the country.

Socially, the success of our organization has been all that the most ardent could desire. It has not only removed local prejudices and sectional jealousies, but it has awakened every where the most liberal hospitality, and the most cordial friendships. It has, indeed, made neighbors and friends of families whose homes are a thousand miles apart; while it has infused new life into many old State and local societies, and stimulated the profession to the formation of many new ones.

From a deliberate and candid examination of the whole past history of the Association, with a full appreciation of the embarrassments arising from short annual sessions and imperfect arrangements for the transaction of business, I am fully satisfied that, so far from having proved a failure, it has made such substantial progress in the accomplishment of every important object of its creation, as to afford the fullest assurance of its final complete success. Hence, instead of entertaining doubts, or yielding to feelings of hesitation or discouragement, every friend of the social organization of the profession, and every advocate of advancement in its educational, scientific, and literary interests, should give it his most cordial support. Instead of abandoning the work of twenty years past, merely because it is not yet perfect, true wisdom would dictate the

careful removal of such hindrances and imperfections as time and experience have developed, that the great and important work itself might be pushed more rapidly to completion.

Having carefully and anxiously watched the progress of this Association, from the incipient steps of its organization to the present time, I trust those assembled on this occasion will pardon me, if I devote the remainder of this address to a brief and explicit. statement of those measures which seem to me sufficient, if judiciously executed, to insure its complete success and perpetuity.

Although it is apparent that most of the evils and embarrassments, which have attended our past meetings, have arisen from an attempt to crowd a consideration of the educational, scientific, and social interests of the profession into the short space of three or four days, yet it is by no means desirable to abandon either of these interests in the future. The exact and all important desideratum needed at this stage of our progress is such an apportionment of time to each of these interests as its relative importance demands; and the time allotted to each so systematically used as to develop the highest degree of efficiency in the results. To have a time and place for each legitimate interest, and to keep each in its place, is a matter of paramount importance in an organization so extensive as ours. Happily the arrangement for attending to the scientific interests of the Association in sections, first carried into effect in 1860, and the amendments to the Constitution adopted in 1864, have removed all impediments to the adoption of a most complete and efficient plan of operations at each annual meeting. Let the morning sessions, of moderate length, be devoted to the general business of the Association and the consideration of all matters relating to medical education, together with the simple presentation of all scientific reports and papers by their titles, that each may be referred to the section most appropriate for its consideration. Let all the afternoons and evenings, except one evening of each session, be set apart exclusively for the consideration of the scientific interests of the Association in the capacity of sections. This would leave only the one evening of each session to be devoted, in a formal manner, to purely social interests. To some, this limited time may seem insufficient. But if we remember that all such, as are more interested in sight-seeing and mere social intercourse than in the advancement of science and literature, can gratify their preferences at any part of the meeting without interrupting either the general sessions or the sections, it will be conceded that the time.

specified is quite as much as the relative importance of the interest to be served requires.

But the arrangements for that evening should be such as would permit the most free and cordial intercourse. A public hall should be provided in which gentlemen and ladies could mingle and promenade freely; where each could seek out his old friends and make the acquaintance of new ones; where wit, repartee, and, if need be, songs, sentiments, and speeches could be made to enliven the evening. A simple stand might be placed in some corner, where all who wished could obtain a dish of ice cream, strawberries or other fruit, and a cup of coffee. But there should be neither ostentatious show, nor rich viands, nor strong drinks, for the acknowledged guardians of the public health should not, especially in their highest representative capacity, themselves publicly violate the plainest laws of hygiene.

That part of our proceedings which has been the subject of most serious complaint, during the last few years, has related to the consideration and final disposition of such reports and papers as related to the scientific and practical interests of the profession. And it may appear to many that the time which has been indicated as proper to devote to those topics is still wholly inadequate for their proper examination and disposition.

If, however, all such papers and reports are called for and referred to the appropriate sections, before the close of the first morning session, as they certainly should be, it is confidently believed that adequate attention could be secured for every subject properly presented for consideration. If the order of business is so arranged as to accomplish this, the several sections can commence their work on the afternoon of the first day of each annual meeting, thereby securing from three to four full afternoons and evenings for their important work; and if all the sections are properly organized and the subjects for consideration judiciously distributed among them, it will be equivalent in practice to a multiplication of these three or four afternoons and evenings by six, or a practical extension of the time devoted to the scientific interest of the Association to three or four weeks.

And in this connection I wish to call your serious attention to the more complete and efficient organization of these subdivisions of the Association. As each section is authorized to choose its own officers and adopt its own rules of action, their existence should by no means be regarded as ended at the adjournment of each annual

session. But a President and thoroughly qualified Secretary should be chosen for the entire year, and each section should adopt a system of well-considered rules which should govern the reading, discussion, and final disposition of all reports, papers, and questions. that legitimately come before it. Among the rules thus adopted should be one requiring every report and paper to be so far complete, at the time of its presentation, that if deemed worthy of publication it can be passed from the custody of the section directly to the Permanent Secretary, without being detained by the author for either revision or completion. Another should peremptorily forbid the reference of any report or paper on a scientific or practical subject, to the Committee of Publication, until the same shall have been sufficiently examined by the section to know its length, its actual contents, and the number and character of the illustrations, if any, that are to accompany it. If there should happen to be more papers referred to any one section than could be fairly examined during the time the Association is in session, such surplus papers should be referred to judiciously selected sub-committees, with instructions to complete their examination and report on the same to the Permanent Secretary within thirty days after the adjournment.

The adoption of such rules, and the rigid adherence of each section to them, would accomplish two very important objects. First, it would more effectually guard against burdening the Association with the publication of matters appropriate only for the pages of an ordinary medical periodical, and would secure the Committee of Publication against unnecessary delays in the reception of such matter as should be actually designed for publication in the Transactions of each year. Second, by rendering it certain that every report or paper properly prepared, and presented in time, would receive a fair hearing and consideration, a very much larger number of writers and investigators of ability would be induced, annually, to present the products of their labor for the consideration of the Association.

Permit me to make one more suggestion in relation to the sections, namely, that each section should be provided with either a skilful secretary or a professional reporter, who, in addition to the simple record of proceedings, should preserve a correct summary of all discussions on scientific questions and papers, and report the same to the Permanent Secretary, that so much of it as shall be of importance, may be published in connection with the papers to which it might relate, in the Transactions of the Association. This would

not only preserve many valuable facts and observations in a small compass, but it would present a strong additional inducement for the most active and experienced minds in the profession, to attend and participate in the doings of the sections.

I hope the foregoing suggestions will be regarded as worthy of a prompt and careful consideration by the several sections at our present session.

I would also suggest to the Association the propriety of dispensing with the appointment of a long list of special committees annually, which seems to have served little other purpose than to advertise the names of those receiving the appointment; and, instead thereof, allow each section annually to select such subjects for investigation, and appoint such committees to investigate them, as they may deem most profitable. This need not interfere in the least with the reception of voluntary communications on any subject in the same manner as at present; and yet I am confident it would insure the selection of more important topics, cause them to be more equally distributed among all the important branches of medical science, and secure their more prompt and thorough investigation.

It should be a leading object of the scientific department of our Association to awaken and foster in the profession an active spirit. of experimental research and of rigid deductive investigation. It should also exert an important influence in directing such researches into the most profitable channels, by more carefully selecting the most appropriate topics for investigation from year to year.

If each section, now provided for by our by-laws, would perfect its organization, and designate two or three important topics for investigation the coming year, it is certain that it would give to the scientific interests of this Association a scope and efficiency far superior to the present or any previous methods of procedure. It has also appeared to me that such a change might be made in the mode of disposing of the papers presented to this Association as would liberally encourage contributions and yet greatly increase the scientific character of our annual volume of Transactions. According to my views the volume of Transactions published to the world, by such an association as this, should contain no papers except such as embody a complete deductive review of the topics discussed, developing and establishing important rules of practice; or the results of such well-devised series of experiments or observations as clearly indicate a positive addition to our stock of knowledge