History of medical practice in Illinois - Bushnell Historical Society

Organization of State Medical Society 83Another resolution stated that "we believe that the sanitary interests ofthe people of the United States can best be served through a Departmentof Public Health, with an enlightened and responsible head, and that weas an organization and in our individual capacity will, at all times, use allproper means in our power to cause Congress to enact a suitable law orlaws for the accomplishment of this object."For the first time in the history of the Society, mention is made of incomefrom commercial exhibitions at a state meeting. Dr. E. Ingals, Chairmanof the Committee on Arrangements, reported in detail that "the entireexpense of the meeting has been $ 175.00. We have received from exhibitors$144.25, leaving §30.75 to be paid out of our Treasury to cover the expensesof the meeting." No mention is made relative to the names of the firmswhich exhibited in 1893, and no mention is made of the products shown tothe 450 physicians in attendance at this annual meeting.The list of delegates to the American Medical Association containednames well known in Illinois medicine: Frank Billings, N. S. Davis, D. W.Graham, John B. Hamilton, Frank P. Norbury, Nicholas Senn, W. H.Veach, J.F. Percy, etc.The Society was growing. For the first time in its history the supply ofpublished copies of the transactions was exhausted before the next annualmeeting; 400 copies had been printed at a cost of $590.47.The Newberry Library had by this time developed its medical department.Dr. E. Fletcher Ingals, in his Presidential Address before the Society,reported that "in this library all the books we need will be provided if weask for them intelligently. I am informed by Dr. G. E. Wire, Superintendentof the Medical Department, that there are already in the library thousandsof unbound monographs and pamphlets too numerous to number, andover 10,000 bound volumes."In a scientific paper, Dr. Nicholas Senn summed up the general feelingof the profession when he opened his paper by saying: "We live in an ageof great unrest in medical literature. Books written only yesterday are oldtoday."1894— DecaturThe President of the Executive Committee reported at the first session ofthe 1894 meeting in Decatur that "the program for the session was preparedand a copy mailed to all members of the Society." The agenda was packedwith scientific papers and economic problems; the interests of the memberswere going far afield, and local, state and national activities were crowdingfor discussion and consideration.The number of Assistant Surgeons in the Army was to be reduced "below90," and the Society considered that such a reduction in medical personnelwould "impede the administration of the army medical department and