PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS,

DELIVERED BEFORE

THE MONTREAL MEDICO-CHIRURGICAL SOCIETY ON OCTOBER 18TH, 1878.

BY HENRY HOWARD, M.D., M.R.C.S., ENG.

Medical Attendant to the Longue Pointe Lunatic Asylum, P.Q. GENTLEMEN, CONFRERES, MEMBERS OF THE MONTREAL MEDICO-CHIRURGICAL SOCIETY,-It is hardly necessary for me to assure you of my deep gratitude for the high honour you have conferred upon me in electing me your President for the ensuing year. Yes, Sirs, I feel it to be a very great honour, I feel that no greater could be conferred upon me by my confreres than that of placing me at the head of a society that is recognised as representing the Medical profession of this city, and indirectly, the profession throughout the Dominion of Canada.

But while I feel proud of the honour thus conferred, I feel somewhat humiliated by the conviction, that I have been chosen by this society, not because of my ability or talents; not because there are not men amongst you who stand head and shoulders over me in the knowledge of medical science; but because from your kindness of disposition, your truly liberal spirit, so well becoming members of your most liberal profession, you thought it meet to pay a tribute of respect to so old a member of the profession, to so old a friend-for many of you I have known from early childhood.

Ours is a profession that receives but few honours from either hereditary Sovereigns, or the sovereign people, for, when honors are distributed, very few fall to the lot of medical men. I speak of honours: I might go further and say seldom do we even meet with gratitude. We may labour mentally and physically, from youth to old age, to attain the knowledge of assuaging pain and suffering in others; to restore to health the sick and dying father of a family, or the mother prostrate with disease; we may by our tender, watchful care and skill, dry the eyes of

the heart-stricken mother by restoring to her tender embrace the child that she hung over for weeks, hoping against hope; we may restore the raving maniac from a state worse than death, to be again clothed in his right mind. We may burn the midnight lamp, and literally wear out our lives in discovering natural laws, that society may reap the benefit; all these things, and much more, may we do, but let us not in return expect any honour from society. It is not for those things that society with a generous, I might almost say, with an insane, impulse, rushes forward through her thousands of representatives to feast her heroes. No, gentlemen, society's heroes perform a different sort of deeds, are a different stamp of men than those to be found in our liberal profession. Therefore it is, gentlemen, as in the present instance, so very pleasant, knowing that we differ from that stamp of men, to receive honour from men who give it to none except those whom they believe to be worthy recipients, and in honouring whom they honour themselves; and I hope and trust that this kindly and liberal spirit which prompted you to elect me as your President, may always shine out clear and brilliant in the actions of the members, collectively and individually, of the Montreal Medico-chirurgical Society.

Gentlemen, the first notice I had of the bonour you had con ferred upon me was given me by my friend and first Lieutenant, your Vice-President, Dr. Ross, who, after congratulating me and witnessing my surprise, brought me back to myself by reminding me that I was in duty bound to give a presidential address. I began to consider what I would say, what I would talk about. I thought to myself it will be no time to speak of mental science, and even if it were, I am afraid that I have from time to time rather bored the society with that subject. So I made up my mind to make a few remarks more applicable to the time and circumstances. It has been a matter of regret and surprise to me to see how seldom our regular meetings are attended, with some honourable exceptions, by the older members of the society. It is hard for me to find a cause for this coldness. Of course, I can only judge of others by myself, and as for me, I look forward to our regular meetings with as great

pleasure as the young man or maiden looks forward to the ball and dance. And although I have been a student all my life, and have laboured hard for forty years to keep pace with the progress of our profession, yet have I never attended one of these meetings, that I did not return home a wiser and a better man. I say better, advisedly, for the more we increase in wisdom the better must we be; and very much of this wisdom have I learnt from, to me, very young members of the Profession. But if the older members feel differently from me, which I very much doubt, then they should attend these meetings that by their presence they may give encouragement to the younger members to persevere in their work, to hold fast to scientific truths, and not to be disheartened; to tell them that the hard thorny road they are travelling has been trodden by themselves, and that if they had reached the goal for which they had laboured, it was by hard work and after repeated failures. I say, if for no other reason than these, the older members of the society who have so justly earned their recognised honours, should give us, at least occasionally, the light of their countenance. Consequently I do hope and trust that during the year we have entered upon, we shall have a better attendance at our meetings from the older members of the society.

In addressing the younger members, I would most respectfully suggest that they should attend these meetings a little more punctually, and that they should show a little more enthusiasm in all things connected with their profession. The assembling of ourselves together, and exchanging our views on scientific subjects must be of great benefit to us all, and particularly so to the young practitioners, who thus learn from the experience of their elders. Besides they become not only better known to one another, which has its advantages, but they are observed by the older members, who note if that they are working men, and remember it at a convenient season. Again, associating with men presumably of more knowledge and experience than ourselves, smoothes off the rough corners of our nature, and makes us have more charity and kindly feelings, not only to one another, but towards the whole human race. Yea,

even to the very worst samples of humanity. It also makes us humble in our own estimation, which is a great step towards acquiring knowledge. There are thousands upon thousands of persons who don't know enough to know their own ignorance. Had these persons associated with men of intellect and talent, they might be very different from what they are, narrow-minded bigots, prejudiced fanatics, the betes noires of society. You see, then, that we derive many advantages from associating with cne another. I felt much disappointed that I was not able to be present at our annual meeting, particularly as I wished to hear the resume of the procedings of the past year from our very able retiring President. I hope, gentlemen, that during the year upon which we have entered, we will make it a rule never to adjourn till we have arranged who shall read a paper on the ensuing evening of meeting. I would beg of the young men not to be backward in this particular. A young man will find it a great means to improve himself in medical science, to carefully record his cases, and prepare from them a paper to be read before this society. Another important subject, indeed one of the greatest interest to us all, is that of pathology. I have a very lively recollection of the pleasure we received, and the instruction derived from the many pathological specimens brought before the society, at different times, during the past year. May I hope that there will be no lack of pathological specimens during the present year.

I wish, gentlemen, that in one respect I could inspire you, and the whole Medical profession throughout the world, with my conviction that there is no profession, no calling in life, more high or more honourable than the Medical Profession. What higher course can a man pursue than the study of man? To study him anatomically, physiologically and pathologically, from the time of his conception to the time of the "puling infant," and from that time through all the stages of his existence till, in old age, he returns to his second childhood, and passes out of this world as unconsciously as he entered. into it; or, if conscious, looking back on his life as a dream, and looking forward to another life where he shall attain to the

happiness he has so long dreamt of. Who can take so high and so exalted a view of the Creator as he who daily studies the works of His hands in the anatomy and physiology of man? Physically and mentally, surely to us of all others, come home the words of the Psalmist: "We are fearfully and wonderfully made." And as we study the anatomy and physiology of the lower animals, comparing each with its kind, and comparing all with man, our wonder is the more in creased at the grand perfection and design of creative power. And it belongs to the medical man, gentlemen, to go still further-to examine the flowers of the field and all the fruits of the earth, and all the minerals contained within the bowels of the earth, and by his knowledge to adapt them for the use of man. In fact the medical man is the student of nature, and of all natural laws. How then can he he other than liberal in all his views? How can he help taking the widest and most exalted view of the great Creator and the widest and most charitable view of the creature? When the medical scientist has heard that a man has raised his hand to take away the life of his brother, his first feeling is regret for the murdered man, his second thought is as to what there is peculiar in the mental organization of the murderer, that he should commit this crime against God and society. He, the mental physiologist, knows that there is something wrong in the mental organization of the murderer, whether he be the victim of hereditary taint, or of evil associations. And, although he does not deny the right of society to take means to protect itself, yet, with the knowledge he possesses, he is compelled to make all the allowance he possibly can for the unfortunate criminal. And if it be possible to show that he acted under an impulse, which his will could not control, whether that impulse be an insane or criminal one, and when he hears men in their just and righteous indignation, cry out for the life of the criminal, and quote the law of Moses: "Whoso shedeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed," he answers, ONE greater than Moses, when He held the first inquest upon the murdered ABEL, did not take away the life of the fratricide Cain. Nay, not only so, but He set his mark upon him, that no man should dare to take