Thursday Afternoon. The President called the Society to order at 3 P. M. On motion of Dr. DRYSDALE, Drs. D. S. BOOTH, of Illinois, D. E. BYRD, Arkansas, B. S. WOODWORTH, Indiana, were made members by invitation. The following invitations were read :— To the State Medical Society of the State of Pennsylvania GENTLEMEN: The Medical Faculty of the University of Pennsylvania respectfully and cordially invite the members of the State Medical Society of Pennsylvania, now in session, to visit, at any time convenient to themselves, the new medical hall and its museums at 36th and Woodland Avenue, West Philadelphia. Very respectfully, R. E. ROGERS, M.D., ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA, The members of the Medical Society of the State of Pennsylvania are respectfully invited to visit the Museum of the Academy during their sojourn in the city as frequently as may be agreeable to them. The Museum is open daily, Saturday and Sunday excepted, from 10 o'clock A. M. until six oclock P. M. Admission will be obtained by exhibiting the certificate or card of registration as a member of the State Medical Society to the door-keeper. This invitation is cordially given by direction of the Academy. I have the honor to be, very respectfully, etc., To Dr. Wm. B. ATKINSON, W. S. W. RUSCHENBERGER, President of the Acad. of Nat. Sci. of Phila., in behalf of the officers. Permanent Sec'y of the Medical Society of the State of Pennsylvania. The stated meetings of the Society are held every Tuesday at 8 o'clock P. M. On motion both were accepted and thanks returned for the courtesy. Dr. STETLER, of the Committee on Unfinished Business, reported as follows: The Committee on Unfinished Business respectfully report, that they have examined the minutes of the last meeting of the Society, and find but one item of unfinished business claiming the attention of the Society. It is a proposed amendment of the Constitution, offered by Dr. S. D. GROSS, two years since, and is as follows:"Resolved, That this Society meet hereafter in every alternate year at the city of Harrisburg, during the biennial session of the legislature of the State, and in the interval at any other town or city it may select for the purpose." JNO. G. STETLER, On motion the report was received and the Committee were discharged. The amendment was then taken up, and negatived. Dr. HIRAM CORSON offered the following: Whereas, At a stated meeting of this Society, held in the city of Erie, in 1869, a Report on Infanticide, prepared by Dr. ANDREW NEBINGER, and by him read before this Society, was refused admission to the Transactions of that year; and Whereas, There is no precedent for the rejection of a report presented by one who has been regularly appointed to prepare it; and Whereas, This Society has declared by printed notice in the Transactions of every year since the year 1853, that it does not indorse or sanction by its authority the facts or opinions contained in any address or report, as inserted in its published Transactions; and Whereas, Dr. NEBINGER was regularly appointed to prepare the report to be read at that meeting-and that report has since that time been read before the Philadelphia County Medical Society, and by it been published for the use of its members; and Whereas, At the meeting of this Society at Pottsville in 1875, a resolution to have the report published by this Society for that year in its Transactions was unceremoniously disposed of by motion to lay on the table, when nearly all of the delegates were unacquainted with the facts of the case; and Whereas, nearly every Medical Society in this State has since that time had opportunity to examine the report, and the members thereof are prepared to speak of its merits or demerits, and Whereas, The crime of infanticide is said to be on the increase, and cases occasionally occur when men claiming to be physicians are found to be implicated in the crime, and it becomes this Society therefore to speak with no uncertain voice in relation to it: Therefore, Resolved, That the Report on Infanticide, presented by Dr. ANDREW NEBINGER, to this Society at the meeting held in Erie, in 1869, be referred to the Committee of Publication with instructions to publish it with the Transactions for the present year. This was discussed by a number of members. The Committee of Publication called attention to the fact that if this were published it would establish a bad precedent, inasmuch as it had already been published by another body. The resolution was adopted. Dr. JOHN CURWEN offered the following: The Committee appointed to prepare a memorial in favor of a hospital for insane criminals respectfully report that the bill and memorial were presented to the Legislature, but the bill was reported back by the Committee with a negative recommendation without giving any member of the Committee an opportunity to explain its provision or the necessity for the measure. On motion the Committee were discharged. Dr. CURWEN also reported as follows: The Committee to prepare a memorial for a hospital for the insane of the counties of Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Lehigh, Montgomery, and Northampton prepared a memorial (a copy of which is herewith presented for insertion in the Transactions), and also a bill for the erection of a hospital, but owing to efforts made in another direction the bill was kept in the hands of the Committee to whom it was referred. Another project was, however, passed, originally including the counties of Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery, and to these the counties of Lehigh and Northampton were subsequently added. This bill authorizes the Governor to appoint commissioners for the selection of a site for the counties named, and appropriates $25,000 towards the purchase of a site. Your Committee on this subject ask to be discharged from the further consideration of the subject. On motion, the Committee were discharged. Vice-President Dr. NEBINGER in the chair. Dr. CURWEN called the attention of the Society to the number and condition of the insane poor in the different counties of this Commonwealth east of the Allegheny Mountains. From returns made to him by the Directors of the Poor of the counties named, it appears that there are seven hundred insane (355 men, 345 women) in the different poor-houses of these counties, and that in all these counties, with that large number of insane, there is only one poorhouse which has a resident physician, and that the insane in the other poor-houses are visited "twice or three or four times a week, or when required by sickness," by the visiting physician. He urged that the attention of the community be called to this state of affairs, and that an effort be made to arouse those most interested to give greater means of exercise, recreation, and treatment to all this class in a measure commensurate with the advanced views now prevalent on this subject. On motion of Dr. GREEN Dr. CURWEN was requested to prepare a further statement, to be issued at once, and published in the Transactions, together with the memorial above mentioned. Dr. J. L. ATLEE, of Lancaster, read an obituary of Dr. EDWARD WALLACE, of Philadelphia, and offered the following, which was unanimously adopted :: Whereas, In the dispensation of Providence, our late fellowmember, and President of the Society, Dr. EDWARD WALLACE, of Philadelphia, has been removed from the sphere of his usefulness, be it Resolved, That the Society has heard with much regret of the death of Dr. EDWARD WALLACE, whose sterling qualities as a man, and scientific acquirements and skill as a physician, commanded our respect, while his gentle manners and amiable disposition secured our affection. Resolved, That these resolutions be entered upon our minutes, and communicated to his family. Dr. DRYSDALE offered the following, which was unanimously adopted : Whereas, Much of the efficiency of this Society is due to the manner in which the Permanent Secretary has fulfilled the duties of his office, which occupy much valuable time, and which are onerous; and believing that it is but fair to recompense him, as is done by similar bodies, for his time and labor in preparing our annual volume of Transactions, and in performing other duties; and that an incentive should be offered him to continue his valuable labors; therefore, be it Resolved, That the Treasurer be instructed to pay him annually the sum of three hundred dollars, commencing with the present meeting. Dr. W. H. WINSLOW, of Philadelphia, offered the following: Whereas, It is a well-known fact that students of homoeopathic physicians, as well as many of those of the regular profession, are permitted to graduate at our medical colleges, often without any certificate of three years' study being demanded, and, when so demanded, the status of the signer is not determined; therefore, be it Resolved, By the Pennsylvania State Medical Society, that this condition of affairs shall be explained, by committee or otherwise, to the Deans of our medical institutions, that so grievous an evil may be remedied. After some discussion, on motion, it was indefinitely postponed. Dr. LEE read his report as Treasurer, showing a balance of $1072.68. It was received and referred to the auditors, Drs. STETLER, TURNBULL, and TAYLOR. On motion of Dr. POLLOCK, the Committee on Medical Legislation was continued. Dr. ATKINSON, Chairman of the Committee of Publication, read his report, which was received and ordered to be entered on the minutes. June 1, 1876. The Committee of Publication respectfully report that they had printed 1300 copies of the volume of Transactions for 1875, at an expense of $1252.48. Of these they have distributed To County Medical Societies . To Medical and other Journals To State Boards of Health and Health Officers To State Medical Societies WM. B. ATKINSON, Chairman, Respectfully submitted, Dr. LEE moved that the Committee on Medical Legislation be directed to confer with the College of Pharmacy on such points as touch the prescribing by druggists. After some discussion, this was lost. A petition from Dr. BUEHLER was offered, and Dr. J. L. ATLEE moved that it be read, which was lost. Dr. L. TURNBULL, Chairman of the Committee, read the report on the proper mode of administering anæsthetics. On motion, the report was referred to the Committee of Publication. Dr. B. LEE read the Address in Hygiene. On motion, it was referred to the Committee of Publication. On motion, the report was received and the Auditors were discharged. A bill from the Committee on Medical Legislation was presented, and was ordered paid. The Committee on Fees for post-mortems reported as follows: The Committee on Post-mortem Fees recommend the repeal of all special legislation upon fees for autopsies. Also, that the fees established by county medical societies be the standard of charges for professional services. Further, that a committee be appointed, of one physician from each censorial district of this Commonwealth, who shall procure the proper legislation (if possible) for the pur pose. S. M. ROSS, On motion, the report was adopted, and the Committee were discharged. |