FORMATION OF THE STATE MEDICAL SOCIETY.

Pursuant to a call made by a large number of physicians in various parts of the State, a meeting was held at the Medical College of the University, March 30, for the purpose of organizing a State Medical Association. H. Taylor, M. D., of Mt. Clemens, was called to the chair. On motion, Drs. Andrews, Shank and Brownell were appointed a committee to report a constitution, whereupon the meeting adjourned until 2 P. M.

At 2 P. M. the meeting was called to order, Dr. Taylor in the chair. The committee then reported a constitution for the adoption of the meeting, whereupon the house proceeded to adopt it article by article.

It was moved and carried that a committee of five be appointed by the chair to nominate officers. The chair appointed Drs. Pitcher, Shank, Brodie, Andrews, of Paw Paw, and Arnold, of Monroe, as the committee.

The committee reported the names of Geo. Landon, M. D., of Monroe, for President; J. Paddack, M. D., of Pontiac, for Vice President; E. Andrews, M. D, of Ann Arbor, for Secretary; and S. H. Douglass, M. D., of Ann Arbor for Treasurer. These officers were then ballotted for and declared unanimously elected.

The President then appointed Drs. Stebbins, of Detroit, Arnold, of Monroe, and Shank, of Lansing, as the Censors of the Society. Dr. Brodie offered the follow ing resolution, which was adopted:

Resolved, That this Society call the attention of the profession to the necessity of maintaining a Journal within this State, and that it recommends its members to use their best efforts to sustain and support the one about to be published under the title of the "Peninsular Journal of Medicine and the Collateral Sciences."

Drs. Leland, of Detroit, Paddack, of Pontiac, Andrews, of Paw Paw, Taylor, of Mt. Clemens, and Beach, of Coldwater, were chosen delegates to attend the meeting of the National Association at N. Y.

It was moved and carried that any one of the delegates may obtain a substitute, provided he be a member of this Society, and that the officers shall furnish him with the proper credentials.

Dr. Taylor, of Brooklyn, was then appointed a committee to investigate the subject of Meteorology, and to report at the next annual meeting.

Dr. Patterson, of Tecumseh, was appointed to report on the epidemics of

this State.

Dr. Taylor, of Mt. Clemens, was appointed to report on the geographical distribution of diseases in this region.

It was moved and adopted that during the coming year any regular physician recommended by a member of this Society may become a member by paying the initiation fee and subscribing to the other regulations.

It was also moved and carried that the Medical Ethics of the National Medical Association be adopted by this Society. The following resolution was then offered and adopted:

Resolved, That the proceedings of this meeting be published in the first number of the Peninsular Journal, and that a copy be sent to every regular physician in the State, and that the sum of fifty dollars be appropriated to the Journal for the said purpose.

The Society then adjourned.

L. S. STEVENS, M. D., Sec'y pro. tem.

ARTICLE I.-Method of conducting post mortem examinations in cases of suspected poisoning. Br S. H. DOUGLASS, A.M., M.D., Prof. of Chemistry, Phar. and Med. Jur. in the University of Michigan.

Considering the extent of ignorance that prevails in the medical profession upon the proper mode of conducting post mortem examinations in cases of suspected poisoning, in which legal investigations are to follow, a few plain instructions may not be amiss to our readers.

The laboratory of the University of Michigan is the natural centre for the State, to which packages for analysis in such cases would be directed. Several years' experience in connection with this laboratory shows the fact that scarcely one in ten of these packages come to hand in such form and through such channels, as that the chain of medical evidence would be complete in a case of criminal prosecution. This ignorance of the profession is in some measure excusable, upon the ground that the books are comparatively silent upon the points to which we refer. The evil arises out of a want of attention to what might appear to most persons, upon first thought, as simple and unimportant particulars. It should, however, always be distinctly borne in mind, that in all criminal prosecutions where doubts can be thrown around a case, (and the counsel are not usually slow in the introduction of these doubts,) the prisoner is to have the benefit of them.

When called to make an examination in a case of suspected poisoning, we should first inquire whether it is to be made under the direction of the proper authorities, i. e. a Coroner's Jury or Prosecuting Attorney. If the body has been already buried, and is to be exhumed, the examination is best made in the open field. It is only necessary to remove the lid of the coffin without removing the remains. But before this is done all persons not officially present, or who are not to be used as witnesses, should be removed at such distance as that by no possibility they can clandestinely introduce any substance that may afterwards embarrass the analysis, or lead to false conclusions. This accomplished, we may safely remove the lid and proceed to the examination. We should first carefully inspect the exterior of the dry unusual appearance should be noted, such as the expregigil of the unce, appearance of the skin, state of decomposite. These exterior These exterior arances may furnish but slight evidence, if any, Appley must, nevertheof 281904" less, be noted, for in the indicial investigation they will most certainly be subjects of inquiry. The jury and counsel are, unfortunately, not usually versed in Toxicological senare depare to place undue importance upon these exterior appearance. For this reason, or perhaps in part from a morbid curiosity, they not unfrequently form the great body of the medical evidence. The witness who has not carefully examined the case in this respect, acquits himself but poorly. The counse! in the cross-examination, always ready to take advantage of his apparent ignorance, press him with vexatious questions, the jury lose their confidence in him, and he retires from the witness stand with little credit to himself or the profession he represents, even though he may have aequitted himself honorably in the judgment of that profession.

The exterior of the body having been carefully inspected, we proceed to lay open the abdomen and secure, first, the stomach and its contents. This is effected by passing a ligature around either extremity and removing it entire. In as much as the mucous surface cannot be examined without a sacrifice of its contents, it is better to defer such examination until such time as the analysis shall be made. Second, portions of the small and large intestines. These should be secured in the same manner, that is, by ligature, before removal. Third, portions of the liver, spleen and kidneys.

Having removed these articles, the question arises as to what disposition shall be made of them. This is an important consideration in which the profession are very liable to err. A specie jar should be procured, and its cleanliness secured by washing in pure water. The material introduced, the top may be secured by a piece of wet bladder or clean oil silk firmly stretched and tied. The ordinary tin cover may be placed

over all. In doing all this the contact of the material with any substance not known to be clean should be carefully avoided. Thus we should particularly avoid allowing it to come in contact with the lid of the coffin or the coffin itself, for the brass or German silver nails with which it is made contain arsenic, and sometimes other poisonous elements. The nails have been placed in circumstances the most favorable for rapid corrosion, and mere contact of the wet material might communicate sufficient arsenie to give an arsenical reaction. If the jar is designed to be conveyed to a distance for the analysis of its contents, the cover should be secured by the private seal of the person making the examination, and placed in the custody of the proper officer, who should deliver it in person to the chemist. After securing the above articles for chemical analysis, Mr. Taylor gives the following general instructions for extending the examination: "1st. Examine all the important organs for marks of natural disease; and, 24, To note down any unusual pathological appearances or abnormal deviations; although they may at the time appear to have no bearing on the question of poisoning. It is useful to bear in mind, on these occasions, that the body is inspected, not merely to show that the individual died from poison, but to prove that he has not died from any natural cause of disease. Medical practitioners commonly direct their attention exclusively to the first point; while lawyers, who defend accused parties, very properly direct a most searching examination to the last mentioned point, i. e. the healthy or unhealthy state of those organs which are essential to life, and with which the poison has probably not come in contact."

When all these precautions are taken the chain of medical evidence in most cases may be said to be complete. It is much to be regretted that the course we have indicated is not often followed. Thus, the examination is usually made in the presence of an indiscriminate crowd of idle spectators; the exterior appearance of the body is not observed; the stomach is laid open and the contents lost; for the purpose of removing the stench (or possibly to embarrass the analysis) some chloride of lime is added; instead of the clean jar to secure the material, it is wrapped in several newspapers, thus allowing the printer's ink to impart a fair share of its antimony, zinc, lead, and arsenic; no means are taken to preserve the identity of the material. Being too foul to be taken into the interior of a house, it is left in a tin pan or old platter in the open field for hours together, in the keeping of the crowd. It is not sent to the chemist by special messenger, but by express or by some chance person who may be passing that way on his route to California, or some distant or unknown point. He leaves it at the depot or in the hands of the runner for the hotel, who after having satisfied his curiosity as to the contents of

the "newspaper," conveys it to the chemist. The chemist makes his analysis, and in the judicial investigation all these facts are made to appear-a multitude of doubts and uncertainties are thrown around the case. The prisoner is to have the benefit of these doubts. The strongest circumstantial evidence has satisfied the public of the guilt of the accused, and yet he is suffered to go at large, for the evidence of the chemist and professional man proves utterly worthless against such an array of doubts, arising from a want of attention to a few apparently unimportant particulars in the first examination.

Dr.

We cannot close this article without alluding to one other circumstance. The medical profession are a truth-loving profession, never neglecting or refusing to make post mortem examinations when it is requested without remuneration, and in all doubtful cases being the first to request the privilege, provided death has not resulted from violence. This laudable love of truth often leads them to make examinations of the kind we have described, without considering that the examination once made, they may be compelled to expend their time and money in attendance upon the courts as witnesses, without compensation. Now, this is all wrong. Smith, in his " Analysis of Medical Evidence," makes the following very proper remarks: "For my own part, I have no delicacy as to the expression of my persuasion, that the power which assigns us over to the public prosecutor, whenever he may please to want us, from a notion that he has a right to the unrequited exercise of our best energies; and that under circumstances the most repugnant to our feelings as men, the most perplexing to our resources, the most hazardous to our reputation, and often the most dangerous (in various ways) to our personal safety-that the power is oppressive." The profession, in the cases we described, have the remedy in their own hands, to some extent at least. Let them apply it before the post-mortem examination is commenced. Our gentlemanly Emeritus Professor once gave the following advice to a graduating class: "When called upon by courts of law or juries of inquest, where questions relating to insanity, legitimacy, and murder by poison are involved, you should, in consequence of the skill required and the time employed, demand an adequate honorarium."

ART. II.-The Batttle with Quackery-Tactics of our Warfare— The Plan of the Campaign. By CORPORAL BULLHEAD, of the Army of Quack-Killers.

It is a fact at once laughable and lamentable, that with learning and truth to sustain, a common cause to defend, and a common interest at