IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) L signifie 'A SUIVRE ", le symbols V signifie "FIN". Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre film^s d des taux de reduction diffirents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul ciich6, il est film6 d partir de Tangle supdrieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images nicessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mdthode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 ADDRESS DKUVERKD BKKORK THE ST. JOHN MEDICAL SOCIETY, AT ITS A ^' n; i; A L ME K T I X (i , FEHIIUARY 13. lWi',>. I!Y JAMES SINOLAIE, M. D., RECORDING SBCRETARV. ^.Mililisljfii Itif \\)t hnt\\\. SAINT JOHN, N. H. : PRI.NIKI) BY IJAKNES A^D (•0:S[1'AjS;Y, fUlNOE WILLIAM STKKf:T, 1862. ADDRESS DKLIVEUKD BKKOKK THE ST. JOHN MEDICAL SOCIETY, AT ITri ANJS U A L MEETING, PEBKUARY 13, 186-', BY JAMES SINOLAIE, M, J)., UECOnDlNn 3ECUETARV. I ^.^Iilisjipli III; tljr |nriptt|, SAINT JOHN, N. B. : PKINTED BY BAKNES AND COMPANY', I'KINCn WILLIAM STREET, 1862. ADDRESS. ME. PEESIDENT AND GENTLEMEN, Members of the St. John Medical Society i In com}»liance ■witli a resolution ado])tofl at a recent meeting of tlio Society, I proceed to atteiii]»t the fulfilment of a task M'hicli, for reasons wliicli 1 need not enumerate, ought to liav3 been imposed elsewlicre. Indeed T can ac- count for the peculiarity of your choice only on the ground that, from the nature of his duties, a Secretary may bo supposed to possess particular advantages in forming an estimate of the conditicjn, ju'ogress, and prospects of the body in which he holds office. The intention of the resolution referred to, was, I pre- sume, that a slatoment should be made of the principal events that have occurred in the Society during the past year, and that any suggestions which might arise from a consideration of its past and present positioii should belaid before you, with a view of furthering the objects for the accomplishment of which the Society has been organized. In connection with th.cse i)oints, therefore, I beg leave to submit the foUov.-ing Keport : — At the last Annual Meeting, the Society consisted of thirteen members ; sini'e that time, the name of one member lias been erased from the roll of the Society, and the names of three new members have been added. At the present time, therefore, the Society consists of fifteen members. Several changes have been made during the past year in the C:!onstitution and Bye Laws of the Society. Among others, the annual fee required of country members has been reduced to two dollars. Two additional offices also have been created, namely— those of Yicc President and Cor- responding Secretar3\ Since the last annual meeting twentj'-three regular meet- ings have been held. On two occasions the Society failed to be constituted for business, the nmnber of members present not being sufficient to form a quorum. Tht! snhjocts brought ft)rin!tlly before tlio Society for UiscnssioTi, durin<; the \>ai^t ynv, were— Or^canic; disoascs of tlie lieart, Aneurism of the 'J'horueic Aorta, the Coiiiieetion of Convulsions with hirgc hwscs of P.lood, Illoodlettitig In Infhimrnatory Affections, Nature and Treatment of Inlhim- mation, l)ys])epsia, Ei)i(lemics, Cause of Spread of Cholera and Yellow Fevar, Conditions f{ivorin<,'thc si»read of Cholera, Ulceration of the Stomach, Infliimmation of the bladder and its Treatment, Intestinal Worms, Uterine Ifemorrhage, Ifoojung Cough, Jaundice, Functions of the Liver, (Junshot Wounds, rhysiology of the Ganglionic System of Nerves. A few actual cases of disease have been reported, and se- veral recent morbid specimens were laid before the Society. In thus briefly revicM-ing our position during the past year, the question naturally arises. What has been the suc- cess Of our Society ? The object of the Society, as expressed in the Constitution, is the improvement of its meml)ers in medicine and the auxiliary sciences. In estinuiting the degree of improvement that may have been attained, it is unfair to take into consideration oidy the amount of infor- mation actually imparted durin;,^ the meetings of the Society, lias not some one of us been led by some casual remark, or by the startin.g of some ap])arently uninteresting question in the Society, to enter \i\m\ some new path of enquiry which has conducted him to conclusions the most unexpected and satisfactory? Has not the discussion of a subject occasionally obliged some of us to furbish uj) old stores of knowledge which had become rusty from disuse ? Have there not been instances in which we had supposed that we were pretty thoroughly acipiaintcd with a subject, and yet, on listening to the remarks of another, have wc not discovered that there were points which wo had entirely overlooked, and which we afterwards attended to in our private studies? But, in addition to the infc^rmation thus directly impart- ed, or acquired privately in conse(|uencc of suggestions thrown out in the Society, we ought not to overlook tlie fact, that a certain amountof intellectual exertion has been called forth by our discussions. The value of tliis result is 5 I so ijonerally ignored that I wioli to draw towanlft it cfipcclal attention. Many ^Kirsons in the deliberations of jissocia- tions like onrs, eeo notliinfi; valuable save tlioeonununication vi' bard praetical facts. Tacts, say they, ciMistitnte kiiow- ledii;o. It should, however, be borne in mind, that the liunian intellect does not fulfil its desij^n by aeting merely as a passive receptacle of facts communicated from without. Factsare, in themselves, but crude material ; and it depends upon the qualities ami pre])aration of the mind M'hich receives them, whether they shall remain in their primitive, undeveloped, and comparatively valueless condition, or whether they shall be so elaborated and vital ixi-d as to form a part of the living organism of truth. And let us be well asfured that the mental ])rocesse8 by which these cft'ects are produced, are not conducted by blind and un- erring machinery, such as that employed in factories, by which the most uninstructed and unskilled laborer may, by turning a crank, convert the rudest substances into a polished fabric. The operations of the miiul more closely resemble the work of the seal engraver, an artificer who lias hitherto found no labor-saving and infallible machine to relieve him of tlic necessity of bringing to his l)usine6s a degree of skill, which can be acquired only by long and severe practice. If this vIcm* of intellectual operations be correct, it will bo perceived how necessary is mental exercise in order to the attainment of die'strength and skill recjuired to sift and interpret facts, to arrange them in scientific order, and to arrive at the great princli)le8 of which these facts may prove to be the exponents. And in so far as this point is concerned, I claim that our Society, while it is far removed from the character of a mere debating club, properly constitutes a mental gymnasium ; and that sub- jects even of trifling import in themselves introduced into our Society, may in this way become eminently useful. I need hardly point out how much mental training and exercise are needed in the medical profession. Notwith- standing the many great and sublime physiological and pathological principles evolved during the last half century, no inconsiderable portion of our knowledge yet remains in 6 acnuleand ieolnted ctings during the past year, only fourteen mectiugs wc.o held i togcllier ly iutur- T!;s of dis- itndc, to a course »ccasiuiis, entiinent cncli call •ego their I favoi' of >ut wliicli a promi- dcprivcd )rufessiou heritage the most eke out from the 1)0 fairly jrganixed ges have }mplatcd. , through c pcrma- ay not be and more itod from igc in its existence ■„he data somewhat an ordeal r o^' City or during On the nic(!tings \-cvo held during liie .year ending February ISOl. Again, had the quorum remained during the past year as it stood durmg the year previous, the same number of reguhir evenings ol meeting would have passed without a quorum in both years. The average attendance during the past year was perhaps as large as could reasonably be expected from the comparatively small number of City members and the frequency with which the meetings wei-ehcld. Still, a firm determination on the part of cacli member to occupy his ])laee at the meetings of the Society as regularly as circum- htances will possibly permit, would in all probability pro- duce a somewhat liigher average. Doubtless there is not a gentleman connected with the Society who, if it were exposed to sudden danger, would not promptly rush to the rescue. ]3ut Societies like ours rarely die of acute disease. They perish generally through a slow and insidious decline. Member after member fails, from one cause or another, to keep alive sufficient interest to attract liim strongly to the regular meetings. His attendance becomes desultory, and at^length ceases. For a time, the few who continue to lioid the welfare of the organization deeply at heart, rally round the itiding object of their hopes, but even their courage at length fails, and the deserted thing miserably perishes. Our Society as yet prominently presents no such un- toward symptoms. On the contrary, it possesses many features indicative of a vigorous vitality. One of the most convincing and cheering signs of its being destined to a long and prosperous existence, appears in the warm and unflagging interest which has been taken in its welfare, ever since" its origin, by those of its members who arc the farthest advance'd in the practice and the honors of the ju-ofession. To find tr.c more youthful mena)ers regular in their attendance, and aixxious to further the interests vi' the Society, is of course praiseworthy, but Is nothing be- yond what is expected of young men eager for the conflict of opinions, and solicitous to derive advantage from any l>raoticnl hints that may be thrown out on bubjcofs with v^Wuh tl.'/y niMv be sUpjiosed t... ha\c nt bcot but htth 10 bevund a tlieoivticHl acquaintance. J)ut the case is very different vitli those wlio luive already borne the burden and heat of tlie day, ^vhose ears have long ceased to tingle at the sound of a new medical theory, for whom the busy Btrifo of tongues has well nigli lost its charms, whose cliief business in the Society is to Impart rather than to receive, a!id whose chastened sense of propriety impels them, instead of giving a loose to their own passions, to moderate excite- ment in others. To these gentlemen, the)-efore, whose disin • terested zeal has done so much towards cherishing and sustaining the Society, the gratitude of the younger mem- bers is justly and in an especial manner due. Feeling hopeful, then, that our Society presents as yet no evident symptoms of dissolution, we may proceed with the more cheerfulness to inquire M'hether its efficiency may not be increased. It may be a question whether some variety in our mode of conducting the exercises of the Society would not render our meetings somewhat more lively and interesting. Our Constitution certainly gives ample scope in this matter. Lectures, essays, addresses, readings, discussions, and con- versations are all allowable modes in which the time of the Society may be em]>loyed, though we liave hitherto limited ourselves chiefly to the method of formal discussion. With regard to the various modes specified, sjome difficulty may be experienced in apprehending the points of distinction between some of them. If each mode possesses characters distinct from the others, it were better that they should be pointed out, and that all the machinery over which the constitution gives us control should be put into cnero-etic action. To effect this object, it may be a question for the Society to consider, whether, in addition to the ordinary meetings of the Society, the adoption of a system of quar- terly meetings may not be of service. For each of these meetings the Society might ajipoint a carefully M-ritten paper, to 1)e prepared by some one of the members, the subject being either left to the choice of the individual, or determined by the Society. By this means the even tenor our tcnii iuontlily Hirelings would be ajiTccably varied. o It Agjiiii, if Hoine systt'iu of reporting aotnal capes at our ordi- nary meetiiiffs were adopted, and nrgontly insisted on, the value of our Society as a guide in ])racticc would be mate- rially enhanced. U may also be a point to conaider whether the delivery of an annual address might not with advantage he made the duty of the retiring I'rosidcnt. Whether a social gathering of some kind, of the members of the Society, at the end of the year, be advisabh; or practicable, the Society is best able to determine. The wisdom of the Society has in no case been more appa- rent than in its adoption of a (^)de of Ethics. Its value has already been felt in preserving harmony in our Society, and it will doubtless be experienced more and more, and per- liaps in a wider sphere. If the pecuniary condition of the Society shoidd at any time warrant the undertaking, the general distribution of the code, so that every medical practitioner in the province should possess a copy, would do much towards upholding the ])urity of the profession. To another of the internal regulations of tiie Society, I would wish to draw attention. It will be remembered that a resolution was adopted at one of our meeting, to the effect that city members absenting themselves, without suthcient cause, from the meetings of the Society for a speciiied time, sliouhl ipso facto ceni^oio be members of the Society. Now, it is evident, that if our Society is intended to be purely a Avorking Society, a Society calculated simply for mutual improvement in scientific knowledge, the fewer barren branches that encumber the stem the better. I think, however, that it is not, and has not ever been, intended that the opemtions of our Society should be con- fined within strictly circuinscril)ed limits. On the contrary, I believe that it is' the ardent wish of every member of the Society, that its influence should be exerted in every pos- sible manner that may honestly contribute to the prosperity of the profession. There can be little doubt that the Society, by the adoption of wise and liberal measures, may exert a directly beneficial influence beyond its own limits ; but it must firf5t occupy a position that will command attention. Numbers then become of some importance to 12 m. A^ii'ulti, iiijv usflul n-sults aribiii-i- IVum the r.etiou of the Soeiefy are more likely to reach individuals connected, liowever looiioly, with us, than if they be entirely detached. Under tlie.se circumstances, then, it may be a question whether it would not be wise to allow a certain degree of laxity in our internal regulations in favor of members whose attendance may l)e, even to a great degree, irregular. If a definite lijnit to the for])earance of the Society is desirable, it might be arranged with reference to pe<;uuiary contingencies. In considering tlie propriety of extending the operations of the Society beyond the limits prescribed by the strict letter of the Constitution, the objects to be attained should be clearly determined. A few hints are all that can be attempted on the present occasion. The relations subsisting between the profession and the public, in this province at least, are not so satisfactory as could be wished. Probably at the present time the profes- sion generally does not hold the coiifidence of the public to so great an extent as it did a hundred years ago; cer- tainly «ot as it did in the earlier days of our race. At all events, hm few of us at the present day stand a chance of being elevated to a scat among the gods; or of listening to the sentiment which Idomeneus utters in relxTence to Machaon : A wlso plivsician skilled our wounds to heal, U more ttuui armies to i1ie public weal. Pope's Horn. xi. 036-7. The causes of this withdrawal of public confidence are numerous, sonic <.f them lying at the door of the profession, others the natural results of the varjing conditions of intel- lect among the people. So long as men remain in ignorance of nature's laws and operations, their imagination revels in tall sorts of absurdities and impossibilities. The line which separates the natural from the supernatural is dimly or not at all perceived. A people in this condition are ever ready to ascribe more than mortal powers to any one clever enough to excite th,"ir easily excited wonder"; and knaves m «re always in ubimduiu-c to coutributu in tluH way to their gnititication. The dawn of intellect produces a reaction. False pretensions are now occasionally discovered in those previously pronounced infallible ; and a distrust of the old gods is engendered, as wild and irrational as the previous brutish credidity. Nature comes at length to be recognized to some extent as working in accordance with uniform laws. The idea is novel, and is seized wdtli avidity ; and in t;lie absence of a liigher and a correcting knowledge, and witli a sliarp look out still for wonders, the most fanciful hypo- theses, founded on the merest shadow of fact, are undoubt- ingly received, and embraced as sublime and universal truths. Now, howeviT humiliating the acknowledgment may be, it is neveilheless true, that, in medical matters at least, manv even of the most advanced portion of mankind hav.eaiot yet attained beyond this very moderate degree of mental il'luminafcion. Hence we find crowds of quasi- «dueated n^en and women, at the present day, spurning the modest welcome of sober philosophy, and flying to the im- pure embraces of impudent delusion, and finally oscillating in a state of helpless perplexity between one extreme of abfeurdi'tv and as-iother. It avjdls but little to inquire whether some one is not to blame for this Mifortunate state of aftairs. Instead of deal- ing in useless recriminations, let us rather endeavor to discover and «i3ply a means of cure. In the absence of a correct appreciation of the great general principles by which nature is governed, the people must at least be trained to exercise a faculty which nature has given to all, but which few use, or know how to use— the faculty of common sense. It is incredible how entirely the exercise of this faculty is suppressed by the public in questions relating to the healing art. It is difficult to believe that individuals, even though they are incompetent to decide between what they call ersons, otherwise ratiuiml enough- at all events in no danger of niistiil