History of medical practice in Illinois - Bushnell Historical Society

Obstetrics and Gynecology 219from purely selfish motives. However, the Board of Directors of the institutionwere sufficiently influential to overcome this resistance and thus theforerunner of the present Chicago Lying-in Hospital was established. Itsoon began to fulfill its important function in providing educational facilitiesfor the training of obstetric specialists.Specialty Societies. The necessity for a medical society was recognizedby these early doctors. The profession began to emerge from a heterogeneousmass of isolated practitioners, each doing what he could in generalpractice to meet the problems of his community, into a rather looselyorganized medical society. This afforded its members a forum to whichthey could bring their problems for free discussion, and where they couldreceive advice and inspiration from contact with their professional colleagues.The Illinois State Medical Society was formed (reorganized) in 1850with only about 30 members. In almost every year after its formation, aportion of the Society's program was given over to a report of a committeeon subjects related to obstetrics or gynecology or both. The chairmen ofthese committees varied widely in their knowledge of the subjects on whichthey reported. For the most part, they were busy practitioners who wereselected to give the report because of some real or fancied special knowledgeof the subject. Their remarks were confined for the most part to relatingpersonal experiences, usually a successful case report which would reflectcredit upon the author. A few, however, had a better grasp of the specialtysince they had traveled in England, France, Austria and Germany and hadbrought back some of the traditions and practices of European clinics.In 1878, Dr. William H. Byford, who was then a founder member of theAmerican Gynecological Society, called together at his home a group ofphysicians interested in the specialty of obstetrics and gynecology to organizethe Chicago Gynecological Society. This group included Drs. Byford,deLaskie Miller, A. Reeves Jackson, James H. Etheridge and H. W. Jones.The original members of this Society, in addition to those already mentioned,were Drs. Charles Warrington Earle, Henry T. Byford, Daniel T.Nelson, Henry P. Merriman, E. C. Dudley and E. W. Sawyer. For the firstfew years, meetings were held at the homes of the members and a presidingofficer was elected at each session. Five of these men attained the honorof becoming members of the American Gynecological Society, as were onehalfof the presidents of the Society elected in later years.When the Chicago Gynecological Society was organized in 1878, its membershipwas limited to 50 residents of Cook County and 10 non-residents.Candidates for admission were required to have engaged in the scientificand practical development of gynecology or obstetrics for five years. Theforemost teachers and research men of the specialty in this area have since