History of medical practice in Illinois - Bushnell Historical Society

Organization of State Medical Society 47County was the chairman, who was also a warm friend of the measure. TheCommittee reported favorably on the law, but on the vote on the final passage,it was lost." Most of the members of the legislature had never heardof such a law. The examples of New York and Pennsylvania had not beencalled totheir attention, and the reason most gave for voting against itwas that "there were not a sufficient number of persons inthe State interestedin the matter to secure its enforcement."Dr. Stormont included in his report several requests and recommendationsin the form of resolutions: (1) That the Committee be continued andanother effort be made to have the law passed at the next session of thelegislature; (2) that the Committee be required to prepare a copy of theuniform Registration Law, which was to be published in the ensuingvolume of the Transactions of the American Medical Association so "altered,if in their judgment it may be necessary, as to conform to the peculiarpolicy of our State;" (3) that the Committee be instructed to transmit acopy of the memorial to every local Medical Society inthe state for signatureand transmission to the legislature, and (4) that every physician inthe state be requested to explain to his immediate representative and senatorthe objects and workings of this law and urge him to vote for it. 3This insured constructive work and a growth of unity and political influence.Dr. Stormont evidently had spent time and money of his own onthis project since no expense account for his work appeared in the annualreport, nor did he ask for any financial assistance; only for approval andbacking from all members of the Society and a unified action before themembers of the Illinois legislature.Another important resolution was presented to this House of Delegatesrelative to activity in the field of public health. Dr. A. Hard of Auroraoffered an interesting "Preamble" for consideration which stated that thedecennial census authorized by the Constitution of the United States wasto be taken the next year,i860. He stated that, if properly conducted, thissurvey would afford an opportunity of acquiring a vast amount of scientificand medical statistics which could be gathered with no additional expense.It was recommended to the State Society that a committee be appointedwhose "duty it shall be to use all proper means to secure the appointmentof competent medical men to take the census of i860 in the State of Illinois.And also to recommend what statistics ought to be taken for the benefit ofscience and health, other than what is already provided by law." No action3According to the present Director of the Department of Public Health, these recordsof births, marriages and deaths are still imperfect. The method of recording and keepingstatistical data was brought before our 1947 legislature for consideration. The foot wasin the door in 1859, and the interest of the profession was being aroused individuallyand collectively.