' The 
Inaugural Address before the 
Medical Society of the 
State of New York. 
BY ( 
A. WALTER SUITER, M.D., 
HERKIMER, N. Y. 
REPRINTED FROM TRANSACTIONS, 
1892. THE 
INAUGURAL ADDRESS 
BEFORE THE 
MEDICAL SOCIETY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK. 
BY 
A. AV ALTER SUITER, M.D., 
HERKIMER, N. Y., 
PRESIDENT OF THE SOCIETY. 
REPRINTED FROM TRANSACTIONS, 1892. 
PHILADELPHIA : 
WM. J. DORNAN, PRINTER. 
18 92. THE INAUGURAL ADDRESS 
DELIVERED AT ALBANY, FEBRUARY 2, 1892, AT THE OPENING OF THE 
EIGHTY-SIXTH ANNUAL MEETING, BY THE PRESIDENT, 
A. WALTER SUITER, M.D., 
HERKIMER, N. Y. 
Mr. Vice-President, Permanent Members, and Delegates: 
By the exercise of that prerogative which, by your very generous con- 
sideration, has been temporarily reposed in me, it now becomes my 
duty, as well as my great pleasure, to bid you welcome to this, the 
eighty-sixth annual meeting of the Medical Society of the State of 
New York. I would be insensible, quite, to the commonest feelings 
of gratitude of which the human mind is capable, did I not, with 
eagerness, avail myself of this opportunity to convey to you, in the 
most becoming language at my command, some estimate of my high 
appreciation of the very distinguished honor which, by your suffrages, 
you have been pleased to confer upon me. Double force attaches to 
the meaning of my words, when considered in connection with the fact 
that I have always represented upon this floor a constituent society 
which, although active, vigorous, and enthusiastic, is yet small and 
unpretentious when compared with many of the numerous and influ- 
ential organizations within the jurisdiction of the Chair. In express- 
ing, as I do, my sincere and cordial thanks for my elevation to this 
exalted position, I desire at the same time to manifest a hope that I 
may have so deported myself, and so conducted the administration of 
the Society's affairs, that I may have the satisfaction to meet and to 
merit, at the termination of my incumbency, the approbation to which 
a good and faithful servant is always justly entitled. 
My first duty, under the By-laws, is to direct your attention to the 
present condition of the profession of the State. At this time that 
duty is a very pleasing one; for we are convened under circumstances 
most propitious for the welfare and progress of the interests to which 
we are devoted. At no time in the history of this organization has its 
material, moral, and scientific condition been more prosperous and 
promising. It is by no means optimistic to say, that all signs seem to 
indicate that we are entering upon a new era of progress and reform, 
and that, as a Society, we are more firmly secured in our status, as the 
universally recognized moral and legal exponent of the medical pro- 
fession of the great Empire State of New York. I am happy to be 2 
able to state that there is good reason to believe that the time is not 
far distant when the dissensions in regard to ethical questions, which 
have served to sever profitable associations and old-time friendships in 
the profession, will be relegated to the oblivion to which they most 
properly belong. Codes of ethics are fast growing to be considered so 
objectionable, in a practical sense, that the time must soon come when 
prescribed rules for the personal conduct of men, reputably far above 
the average in education, intellect, and gentlemanly instincts, will be 
a thing of the past, unworthy of a place in these days of advanced 
and rapidly advancing civilization. The signs are propitious that the 
obscuring clouds are fast breaking away, and that the dawning of a 
better and brighter day is at hand; and it needs no prophet to foretell 
the benefits which will be, thereby, vouchsafed to the noble science to 
which we devote our lives and best efforts, and to our suffering fellow- 
men. Our membership is increasing as rapidly as the limits of the 
By-laws will permit; and, by your Treasurer's report, you will be 
informed of a considerable balance to the credit of the Society. 
It seems necessary, however, to call attention again to some circum- 
stances connected with the publication and sale of the Transactions: 
As is well known to many of you, there is a large accumulation of the 
Transactions for previous years at present in the hands of the Treas- 
urer. It is an annual expense to the Society to keep possession of these 
volumes in the way of rent and insurance, and it is desirable to make 
such a disposition of them as will be most useful to the profession-as 
they increase more and more in value with the lapse of time; they are 
simply invaluable to the student of the progress of medicine in this 
State. During the current year your Secretary issued a circular, which 
was sent to the Secretaries of the County Societies, in which the offer 
was made to send, gratuitously, as complete a file as possible to every 
society which had subscribed for its quota for the years 1890 and 1891. 
I would recommend that authority be given to send such a file to each 
of the societies subscribing for its quota of the Transactions for 1892. 
I would further recommend that the Secretary be authorized to offer a 
file of these copies to all the public medical libraries in the State. A 
commendable change was instituted by the Committee on Publication, 
in omitting the long list of deceased members from the Transactions 
of the present year. This list has, heretofore, been published from 
year to year at considerable expense to the Society. It was thought 
that the " In Memoriam " page would fully meet the purpose, espe- 
cially in view of the fact that a recently enacted rule requires that 
biographical notices for publication in the Transactions shall be pre- 
pared. As there has been no formal action by the Society on this 
point, I would recommend that the Committee on Publication be in- 3 
structed to omit, hereafter, the list of deceased members from the 
Transactions. 
Since the gavel fell, one year ago, several important events have 
transpired, to which it is now my duty, and unfeigned pleasure, to invite 
your attention-all subjects for congratulation, indicative of progress, 
and fraught with exceeding interest to this great organization. 
Medical Education. 
In this deliberative and parental medical body, officially intrusted, 
through its constituent organizations, with the high privilege and duty 
of protecting the interests and guarding the welfare of the profession 
of this great State, the subject of Medical Education can never be 
considered trite or commonplace, and must ever occupy a prominent 
position among the topics to which it is the duty of the presiding officer 
to direct the attention of this Society at its anniversary meetings. It 
can be truly said, that of all the high trusts committed to our charge, 
none has ever presented to us problems of deeper or more abiding 
interest. " What is well begun is half-done," and it is of paramount 
importance that we should guard well the portals of admission to the 
profession. 
For the double purpose of interesting and informing those of you 
who have not especially considered the subject, and the placing on 
record by this Chair of existing facts, I desire to call to your attention, 
briefly, some points chiefly quoted from the admirable report on medi- 
cal education and medical colleges, issued by the Illinois State Board 
of Health, and compiled by Dr. John H. Rauch, its distinguished 
Secretary. There is the greatest reason for congratulation in the con- 
templation of the material and rapid advancement which has lately 
been made in the line of medical education, and in the elevation of the 
standard of requirements for license to practise in the United States; 
as it can be easily shown that far greater progress has been made, in 
these respects, during the eight or ten years last past than for any 
period of fifty years in the nation's history. Apropos of that fact, 
observe the following statements: "There are now 148 Medical Col- 
leges in the United States and Canada-135 in the United States and 
13 in Canada. In 1882, the number of colleges requiring certain edu- 
cational qualifications for matriculation was 45 ; in 1886,114; in 1889, 
117 ; in 1890, 124 ; in 1891, 129. In 1882, the number of colleges 
that required attendance on three or more courses of lectures before 
graduation was 22 ; in 1886, 41; in 1889, 47 ; in 1890, 64 ; in 1891, 
85. There has also been a gradual increase in the duration of the 
lecture terms from an average of 23.5 w^eeks in 1882 and 1883 to 26.3 4 
weeks in 1890 and 1891. In 1882 and 1883, there were 8 colleges that 
had but 16 weeks. The number of colleges having terms of 6 months 
or more is now 111. In 1882 and 1883, the number was 42 ; it was 
49 in 1884; 50 in 1885; 52 in 1886; 55 in 1887 ; 63 in 1888 ; 66 in 
1889, and 76 in 1890." 
It is extremely gratifying to me to be able to present to you these 
facts, and to note in addition that the American Medical College Asso- 
ciation, the National Institute of Homeopathy, and the National 
Eclectic Association, have each adopted a requirement, to take effect at 
the beginning of the present year, of a four years' course of study with 
three annual courses of lectures of at least six months' duration* 
Quoting again from the report already mentioned : " There are thirty- 
four colleges that now," or will with the present year, " require four 
years' study and three courses of lectures; eleven that now or will soon 
require four years' study ; four that will soon have four courses, and 
seventeen that will require three courses of lectures in the fall of 1891 
or 1892, exclusive of those having that requirement now." It thus 
appears that the number of colleges in the United States that require 
but two courses of lectures, which up to 1868 was uniformly the cus- 
tom, has been brought down to the comparatively low figure of twenty - 
<one, and there is the best reason to believe that by the end of the 
present year more than one hundred of the colleges of the United 
States will have a requirement of four years' study and at least three 
courses of lectures. I am informed that during the past year two 
medical schools have changed their curriculum to a four years' graded 
course of study, viz., the Harvard Medical School of Boston and the 
Medical College of the University of Pennsylvania. It is also stated 
that the University Medical College of New York City is about to 
abandon the didactic lecture system of medical teaching and inaugurate 
a scheme of teaching by recitations, which is a reform movement in 
medical education long since proposed and much to be commended. 
I am of the opinion that many of us will live to see this system univer- 
sally adopted and practised by medical colleges, and that the didactic 
lecture course of instruction will be a thing of the past, not at all con- 
sistent with the marvellous advancement and improvement in all other 
educational methods. A dozen years or more have passed since the 
following remark was made in an editorial article of a prominent medi- 
cal journal: " The idea of the American student ever being obliged to 
devote himself to five years of useful and practical study is beyond the 
dreams of the most hopeful optimism." Can it not be said, in view of 
the recent events, and the auspicious advances and prospects in medical 
education in this country, that the ideal implied by this remark may 
yet be reached ? 5 
The Medical Examining Boards and Licensing Bodies, which act 
independently of the schools of instruction in the United States, have 
reached the number of thirty-two, controlling, it is stated, " the recog- 
nition of diplomas in an area"embracing about 41,000,000 people," 
and, without doubt, within a very few years, the divorcement of the 
licensing from the teaching of physicians will have been attained in 
every State and Territory in the Union, the anticipation of which fact 
has probably served as the most potent factor to bring about the 
present promising prospect for the elevation of the standard of medi- 
cal education. Many of these Boards have been in operation for 
several years, and the recorded results of their examinations amply 
demonstrate the feasibility of the system and the wisdom of the inno- 
vation. For example, let me invite your attention to a summary of 
results, based upon the reports of six of the States of the Union, 
showing the percentages of rejections of applicants for licenses to 
practise: "Of 1183 graduates of colleges in the United States the 
percentage rejected was 24.09 per cent.; 19 graduates of Canadian 
colleges, 31.57 per cent.; 15 graduates of foreign colleges, 25 per cent.; 
108 non-graduates, 62.03 per cent." It is pleasant to observe that the 
percentage of rejection among the graduates of the American colleges 
was somewhat lower than that of those of Canadian and foreign 
colleges. 
The law establishing and regulating the Examining Board of this 
State went into effect on the first of September of the'year just passed, 
and I refer to it with unbounded satisfaction. The subject was exten- 
sively considered by my distinguished predecessor in his inaugural 
address one year ago. He gave you a detailed statement comprehend- 
ing the history of the reform up to the passage of the Act, and called 
your attention to the duty of the Society under its provisions, viz., the 
nomination of suitable candidates to the number of fourteen or more, 
from which nominees the Board of Regents of the University were to 
select the seven members of the Board, who represent the Medical 
Society of the State of New York. From the nominations presented 
by the Society, the Regents of the University made the following 
appointments (the term of service of each member being determined 
subsequently as the law prescribes) : For three years, from September 
1, 1891-William Warren Potter, of Buffalo; William S. Ely, of 
Rochester; Maurice J. Lewi, of Albany. For two years-William 
C. Wey, of Elmira ; George R. Fowler, of Brooklyn. For one year- 
Eugene Beach, of Gloversville; J. P. Creveling, of Auburn. The 
preliminary meeting of the Board was held in Albany, July 11, 1891, 
at which time an organization was effected, and two examinations of 
candidates for license have already been held under the Act. It is 6 
proper to state that the three Boards are acting in perfect harmony, 
the members of each being actuated by a desire to further in every 
way the intent and purpose of the law. It seems quite probable, that 
practical experience will, in due time, demonstrate the inutility of 
having three separate Boards, and present indications point to the 
probability that they will eventually be consolidated into a single 
Board. 
Under the provisions of the Act, two of the members of the Board 
will retire on the first of September in the present year, and it will 
accordingly become necessary at this meeting for the Society to make 
two or more nominations to the Regents of the University for each 
vacancy. It will be recalled, that at the last annual meeting a special 
committee was appointed, with instructions to report nominees for the 
original membership in the Board. Your President has been informed 
that a large number of prominent members are of the opinion that, 
since the nominations are for the purpose of filling vacancies simply, 
the selection of them should be made by the nominating committee, 
and reported to the Society for ratification in the same manner that the 
officers of the Society are chosen under the By-laws. These proposi- 
tions are submitted for your information only, and without especial 
recommendation from the Chair. It seems, however, that the disposi- 
tion of this important matter should engage your thoughtful attention 
as early in the session as may be practicable, and I would so recom- 
mend. 
As was to have been anticipated, several attempts were made in the 
last Legislature to nullify the operation of the law or render its pro- 
visions nugatory, but I am happy to be able to state that, thus far, its 
main purposes have not been materially interfered with. An amend- 
ment, passed by the Legislature, became a law May 4, 1891, to the 
effect that the requirements of the Medical Examiners law shall not 
apply to students who matriculated before the 5th day of June, 1890. 
This amendment was opposed actively by your Committee on Legisla- 
tion and many of the prominent members of the Society, in the belief 
that it was an effort to weaken the effects and purposes of the Act. 
An attempt was made to pass another bill, the effect of the operation 
of which would have been to completely supersede the existing law, 
and restore to the colleges the licensing power. I am pleased to state that 
the proposed measure was not reported by the committee to which it was 
referred. It may be expected, however, that similar attacks will here- 
after be made by the opponents of the law, which consideration leads 
me to the belief that it is my official duty to advise, that the Com- 
mittee on Legislation should be instructed to carefully watch the 
progress of events in that direction, in order to be constantly prepared 
to make a proper defence. 7 
State Medical Library. 
A former President, somewhat more than a decade since (Dr. George 
J. Fisher, 1875), made the following reference, which is especially 
interesting at this time: "What we want, as nearly as I am at present 
able to understand our necessities, is a large public medical library, in 
every way freely accessible to the entire profession of the State." He 
then called attention to the opportunity afforded by the building of 
the new State Capitol; to the fact that the State Library would there 
" find a home," and recommended that an effort be made looking to 
the establishment of a medical department of the State Library, sug- 
gesting that the annual appropriations for the latter be " supplemented 
by the profession through the State and County Societies." 
The subject received some thought and attention at the time and 
periodically since, but no definite effort was made until last year, when a 
bill was introduced into the Legislature, in accordance with a resolution 
passed by the Society. This bill passed both houses, and was approved 
by the Governor on May 21,1891. The Act provides " for the accept- 
ance and care, by the Regents of the University, of the Medical 
Library donated to the State by the Albany Medical College," consist- 
ing of 5000 volumes, and the sum of $5000 was appropriated for 
necessary expenses of shelving, cataloguing, and otherwise providing 
for the same. We thus have a nucleus started for the establishment 
of a public medical library, which will doubtless, by subsequent appro- 
priations and contributions, continue to grow in extent and importance, 
until it will eventually become one of the most valuable institutions of 
the kind in the country. Under the provisions of the law it will be 
open at all times, and accessible to every physician of the State. It is 
further provided that books may be loaned therefrom to all accredited 
physicians under proper regulations and restrictions, the only fee 
required being the necessary expense of transportation. This is a sub- 
ject upon which both the profession and the public are to be congratu- 
lated, and I take great pride in placing the facts in your possession. 
It must be observed, however, that the end is not yet reached-in fact, 
but a beginning has as yet been made. There must be a constant 
watchfulness exercised by the Society, through its Committee on Legis- 
lation, to keep alive and foster the interest already awakened ; and to 
invoke and, if possible, secure the aid of larger appropriations from 
year to year to meet the demand for the growth and usefulness of 
such a library, which is made necessary by the constant and voluminous 
increase of medical literature. To that end I would recommend and 
urge that the Committee on Legislation be instructed to propose to the 8 
Legislature now in session, and earnestly favor by all possible means, 
an increase of appropriations for the present year. 
The Pan-American Medical Congress. 
My judgment leads me to state that by far the most important and 
far-reaching event during the year was the conception and inaugura- 
tion of the Pan-American Congress of Physicians and Surgeons. It 
is by no means an exaggeration to say that no greater or more compre- 
hensive scheme has ever been attempted in this or any other country 
in the history of medical organizations. To some extent, perhaps, the 
suggestion of such an organization originated from the ideas advanced 
along the lines proposed in the efforts which have been made, for some 
time past, in the direction of establishing reciprocal relations, in a com- 
mercial sense, by our Government with those of Latin America and 
the provinces upon our northern boundaries. However that may be, 
the cardinal purpose of the project is to bring into fraternal relation- 
ship all the organized medical bodies of this vast Western Continent, 
including the contiguous islands--a scheme never before conceived or 
attempted. Some idea of the magnitude and comprehensiveness of this 
great enterprise may be obtained by a simple reference to the fact that, 
after an extensive correspondence conducted by the projectors with a 
view to acquiring a consensus of opinion as to the feasibility of the 
proposition, nearly one thousand medical men, distinguished in their 
respective districts and countries, representative of nearly if not quite 
all the medical organizations of North and South America and the bor- 
dering islands, have accepted with great enthusiasm positions as mem- 
bers of the Committee on Organization and its Auxiliary Committee. 
It is designed to hold the Congress once in four years (although it is 
now believed that the interval between the Congresses will eventually 
be changed to three years), and the city of Washington has been 
selected as the place for the first meeting in 1893. The Congress will 
be divided into twenty-two sections, each having a chairman, several 
vice-chairmen, and secretary, and two assistant Spanish-American, or at 
least Spanish-speaking, secretaries. These sections will represent all 
the principal and special departments of medical and surgical science, 
including naval and military hygiene and quarantine. The official 
languages will be English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese. The 
general officers of the Congress have already been chosen, and consist 
of a president, vice-presidents (one from each State and Territory of 
the United States, and one from each of the countries represented), a 
secretary-general, a treasurer, and a board of seven trustees. The 
Congress has been legally incorporated, and the Congress of the United 9 
States will be asked to patronize the project and grant an appropriation 
to assist in defraying the expenses of the entertainment of the foreign 
guests and its maintenance. 
Early in the year your President was requested to nominate to the 
Secretary-General an Auxiliary Committee, with a representative from 
each of the constituent societies of the Medical Society of the State of 
New York. Accordingly, a list of fifty-six names was sent, and I 
have the pleasure to state that the nominations were all accepted and 
appointed as the Auxiliary Committee for the State of New York, the 
President of the Society being the ex-officio Chairman. The Committee 
on Organization, comprising one representative from each State and 
Territory of the United States, and one from each-the United States 
Army, the United States Navy, and United States Marine-Hospital 
Service, met in St. Louis, Mo., on the 14th of October last. Your 
President attended that meeting and served by proxy as the represen- 
tative of the State of New York. At that meeting the plans weie 
further advanced, and the general organization made complete. 
It is especially gratifying to me to call to your notice the advanced 
position already taken by the Medical Society of the State of New 
York in this stupendous enterprise, and to state that a considerable 
number of its most prominent members hold important official positions 
therein. It only remains now for me to recommend, in view of the 
facts which I have in this necessarily somewhat detailed manner pre- 
sented for your consideration, that some formal action be taken by the 
Society looking toward the encouragement of this great scheme and 
the ratification of the steps already taken by your President in a 
semi-official capacity. 
Increase of Membership. 
Very much has been said from time to time on these occasions by 
my predecessors, and many recommendations made, in the matter of 
the adoption of means and measures for increasing the membership in 
the Society. I, also, have something to say touching that subject. I 
quite agree with the following sentiment, expressed by the distinguished 
occupant of this Chair in 1888 : " The easier membership becomes the 
less it is prized. When anyone who chooses can become a member of 
a society the honor attached to membership ceases. Double or treble 
the membership and the abler and better men will lose their interest 
in its affairs and absent themselves from its sessions. Increase the 
quantity and you will lower the quality." These are expressions which 
may be regarded as axiomatic, and are so pertinent that I think you 
will pardon me for their repetition. I believe that if you should deter- 10 
mine to " let down the bars," and thus lower the standard of admis- 
sion, the results would be unsatisfactory in the extreme ; the premium 
for excellence and disinterested service would be removed, and the 
natural trend would be to reduce our status to that of the voluntary 
associations, which are essentially non-representative in character. It 
is a well-established principle that that honor or privilege is most 
appreciated that calls for the highest standard of excellence, and is, 
therefore, most difficult to obtain. 
The original design of the law which gives to this Society its cor- 
porate existence was to constitute a representative medical body de jure 
and de facto, and in it at the time of the passage of the Act were vested 
certain powers and privileges, by which all other organizations were 
made subsidiary. Of course, Acts subsequently passed have more or 
less modified our position in that respect, but we must of necessity 
maintain the standing and relation which we have always occupied so 
far as we are permitted so to do. Any other course could not but be 
one of retrogression, and tantamount to a surrender of the position 
which we have always maintained in the minds of the profession and 
laity as well. 
I am led to refer to this topic somewhat at length, because there still 
seems to exist a growing sentiment in the direction mentioned, and I 
am deeply impressed with the idea that there are no exigencies in our 
present condition of prosperity (both in attendance and influence) 
which demand anything like the wholesale bid for membership which 
has recently been made by another great representative organization 
in this country. However, the proposition to make all presidents of 
county societies ex officio delegate members presents some commendable 
features, and I would renew that recommendation, with this provision : 
That instead of being made delegates with the right of succession to 
permanent membership, they be admitted to membership causa honoris, 
and serve as such during their incumbency of the presidency of the 
Society to which they are accredited; and that they be meanwhile 
entitled to the same rights and privileges conferred upon permanent 
honorary members, elected in accordance with Section V., Chapter I., 
of the By-laws, which rights and privileges are described in Section 
III. of the Articles of Organization. 
A suggestion has been made to me during the adjournment, which 
appears to have, at least when considered in the abstract, sufficient 
importance in this connection to justify its being brought to your 
notice. It is, that all honorably discharged surgeons, who served in 
the volunteer service of the War of the Rebellion in New York Regi- 
ments, and attained the rank of Major, be declared eligible to honorary 
membership; and that by making formal application, and exhibiting 11 
the proper credentials, they may be placed on the list of honorary 
members, if no objection be made. If this subject is deemed worthy 
of consideration by the Society, it appears that it would be well, first, 
to make inquiry as to the number which the passage of such a by-law 
would admit; and second, as to the feasibility of requiring that all 
such applicants be members of county societies in affiliation, and also 
to ascertain the facts regarding their geographical distribution. I 
submit this proposition without argument or recommendation. 
Abuse of Medical Charity. 
It appears to me that the urgency of the situation demands that I 
shall make a brief reference to a topic which has many times been, to 
a greater or less extent, considered in this presence. I refer to that 
constantly increasing evil-the abuse of medical charities. I have to 
characterize it as one of the most vexatious and difficult questions of 
our time. When the fact is considered, that it is reported that in the 
fifty hospitals and thirty dispensaries of the city of New York, there 
were, during the year 1890, something like 550,000 patients treated 
gratuitously, which is nearly one-third of the entire population of that 
great metropolis; and a fair estimate shows that quite 20 per cent, of 
those receiving the benefits of the charities mentioned, falsely state 
their condition in life, and resort to various tricks and devices to effect 
their purpose to profit by them; and that, per consequence, a large 
class of deserving and worthy medical men, struggling for the neces- 
saries of life, are indirectly suffering untold injuries thereby, I truly 
believe that no excuse need be offered from this Chair for constant 
agitation of the subject, until some material and legislative means 
shall be sought and obtained which will serve to correct the abuses, and 
confine this practice within the legitimate lines originally intended. 
Two classes are particularly injured by this unfortunate condition, 
viz., the struggling young practitioner, and the charitable patrons of the 
institutions themselves. In recent years many efforts have been made 
by the officers of these hospitals and dispensaries to remedy this evil 
by a combination of interests and the institution of private examina- 
tions to ascertain the true financial condition of the applicants, but the 
rivalries and jealousies among them, and the great competition to make 
the greatest showing of results, in order to keep up the charitable in- 
terest of the wealthy patrons who support them, have served to nullify 
all such efforts and defeat the accomplishment of the laudable pur- 
pose in view. It seems that nothing short of positive legislative enact- 
ment will avail to restore the proper status-such legislation, in fact, as 
will make it a misdemeanor with a proper penal consequence, in the 12 
same manner that " false pretence " in relation to property is made a 
penal offence by law. It is understood that a bill has been, or will be, 
introduced in the present Legislature which will comprehend the facts 
which I have presented, and I do not doubt that this Society will see 
its way clear to offer to it the great influence of its moral and material 
support, and to that end I would recommend that the Committee on 
Legislation be instructed to assist the progress of the measure. I would 
further recommend that some expression be formally made by the 
Society at large before its final adjournment in favor of the passage of 
such a law. 
Index Catalogue of the Library of the Surgeon-General's 
Office, and the Medical and Surgical 
History of the War. 
The Library of the Surgeon-General's Office in Washington is, with 
one or two exceptions, the greatest collection of medical literature in 
the world. An idea of the immensity of this collection may be con- 
veyed by the statement, that there were upon its shelves at the end of 
the last fiscal year (June 30, 1891), 101,969 volumes and 155,321 
pamphlets, besides copies of all the medical journals of the world. 
This magnificent storehouse of literature is the property of the people 
of the United States, and should be made in all respects available and 
useful to them. 
A number of years since, Congress passed an Act authorizing the 
compilation and publication of a carefully indexed catalogue of all the 
titles of the works therein contained. The publication of this work is 
in progress, and the twelfth quarto volume has been issued. In these 
twelve volumes 137,578 titles are indexed, and it will require four or 
five volumes, I am informed, to complete the work. The Act which 
authorized its publication provided but for a limited number of copies, 
and prescribed the manner of their distribution. They have been sup- 
plied to certain libraries and individuals in such an imperfect manner 
as to be practically inaccessible to the vast majority of the members 
of the profession. The original plates from which the work was pub- 
lished are still preserved, and I am informed by the distinguished 
author and compiler, that additional copies can be published for the 
small sum of $2.00 per volume. It is understood that a movement is 
about to be made to petition Congress for an appropriation to defray 
the expense of the issuance of a suitable number of additional copies, 
in order that this monumental work may be made as accessible as it is 
useful. I would earnestly recommend that in view of these facts, this 
Society pass a resolution memorializing Congress upon this subject, and 13 
requesting that the appropriation and the authorization be made. The 
same remarks and recommendations apply with equal force to the 
publication of the Medical and Surgical History of the War of the 
Rebellion, the distribution of the original copies of which has been 
even more unsatisfactory to the profession. 
Uniform Date of Annual Meeting of County Societies. 
A very misleading and seemingly unnecessary discrepancy has been 
observed to exist for many years in the list of officers of county socie- 
ties, as published from year to year in the Transactions. In many 
instances, the list of officers published are those elected for the year 
preceding the publication. This leads to much confusion and incon- 
venience, and is entirely due to the fact that there is no uniformity as 
to the date of holding the annual meetings by the county societies, 
many being held just after the Committee on Publication receives the 
lists from the several secretaries. 
It is quite proper that attention should be given to this circumstance, 
and I therefore recommend that the By-laws of this Society be so 
amended that all constituent societies shall be required to hold their 
annual meetings on a corresponding date, at such time of the year as 
will enable the Committee on Publication to receive the lists of officers 
and members in proper time to correctly publish them in the Transac- 
tions. I would suggest that a date be fixed upon not later than the 
15th of May. There is another reason worthy of mention for which 
such an amendment is desirable, viz., that communication with county 
societies could then be had regarding matters considered or passed 
upon by the State Society at its annual meeting, before the publication 
of the Transactions, a desideratum which is often of manifestly great 
importance. 
Arrearages of County Societies. 
It is quite well known to you all, that several county societies in the 
State have either disbanded or had no representative relations with the 
State Society; not having for some time past been represented here, 
they have become in arrears as to yearly dues. In several instances it 
has come to the knowledge of your presiding officer, that representation 
and active participation would be resumed by these societies, if they 
were not restrained by the necessity of liquidating their indebtedness, 
which, in a few instances, has grown to somewhat forbidding propor- 
tions. Under the By-laws no authority is given for the remission ot 
such dues upon any consideration. It has seemed desirable, and to the 
interest of the Society, at times, that some latitude should be given the 14 
principal officials of the Society in this respect, and I accordingly re- 
commend that the President, Secretary, and Treasurer be authorized, 
by an amendment to the By-laws if necessary, to exercise their judg- 
ment, jointly, in such circumstances as a sub-Comitia Minora; and 
empowered to adjust with county societies which are in arrears for 
more than two years. I would also recommend that the same authority 
be given these officers in the case of members who are in arrears. 
Necrology. 
I greatly regret that I am compelled to state that the necrological 
record of the past year is painfully long, and I refer to it with a sense 
of profound and abiding sorrow. Since the adjournment one year ago, 
one honorary and sixteen permanent members, all distinguished for 
the noble and generous deeds which ever characterize the true physi- 
cian's life, have been summoned to "that stirless rest, that change 
which never changes," " that awful gulf no mortal e'er repassed," and 
have gone to meet the reward which, we hope, is prepared for such as 
they. Mournfully I place on record here their names, ages, and the 
dates of their death, and proudly offer for emulation the example 
presented by their honorable, devoted, and useful lives: 
Dr. Henry I. Bowditch, honorary member, Boston, Mass., died 
January 14, 1892, aged eighty-four years. 
Dr. Daniel D. Bucklin, permanent member, Troy, N. Y., died April 
9, 1890. 
Dr. G. L. Halsey, permanent member, Unadilla, N. Y., died Febru- 
ary 17, 1891, aged seventy-two years. 
Dr. George P. Salmon, permanent member, Hudson, N. Y., died 
April 11, 1891, aged sixty years. 
Dr. Paul H. Kretzschmar, permanent member, Brooklyn, N. Y., 
died April 27, 1891, aged forty-four years. 
Dr. Peter V. S. Pruyn, permanent member, Kinderhook, N. Y., 
died May 2, 1891, aged fifty-one years. 
Dr. Robert Frazier, permanent member (retired), Camden, N. Y., 
died May 10, 1891, aged seventy-four years. 
Dr. George N. Burwell, permanent member, Buffalo, N. Y., died 
May 15,. 1891, aged seventy-one years. 
Dr. B. Fordyce Barker, permanent member, President 1859, New 
York City, died May 30, 1891, aged seventy-three years. 
Dr. L. J. Ames, permanent member, Mount Morris, N. Y., died 
May, 1891, aged seventy-six years. 
Dr. Frank Hamilton Potter, permanent member, Buffalo, N. Y., 
died July 16, 1891, aged thirty-one years. 15 
Dr. John J. Flint, permanent member, Albany, N. Y., died July 
19, 1891, aged seventy-two years. 
Dr. Daniel Pardee, permanent member, Fulton, N. Y., died August 
25, 1891, aged fifty-seven years. 
Dr. Samuel Avery, permanent member, Phoenix, N. Y., died Sep- 
tember 20, 1891, aged eighty years. 
Dr. F. S. Greene, permanent member, Coxsackie, N. Y., died Sep- 
tember 30, 1891, aged seventy-one years. 
Dr. Nathaniel C. Husted, retired permanent member, Tarrytown, N. 
Y., died November 19, 1891, aged sixty-six years. 
Dr. Christopher V. Barnett, retired permanent member, Coxsackie, 
N. Y., died November 19, 1891, aged seventy-three years. 
Dr. Simeon Tucker Clark, permanent member, Lockport, N. Y., 
died December 24, 1891, aged fifty-five years. 
I cannot refrain from expressing an especial tribute to the memory 
of two of the distinguished decedents whose names I have read. The 
history of the lives and eminent services of Fordyce Barker and 
Frank Hamilton Potter will be their most enduring monument-one 
whom death overtook as he had rounded out the full measure of years, 
a giant in intellect, a paragon of geniality and character; and the 
other just as he was entering upon a most promising career in his 
chosen special work. Let us pause to drop a sympathetic tear upon 
their new-made graves, as we strive to imitate their virtues and achieve- 
ments. In due time during the meeting, and in accordance with the 
rule, memoirists will be appointed, who will prepare eulogies upon 
the lives and deeds of each of the deceased members, for publication 
in the Transactions. 
Conclusion. 
The Business Committee has prepared for your delectation and profit 
a programme which, by reason of its extent and character, has made it 
seem necessary to continue the innovation inaugurated at the last an- 
nual meeting, and has appointed a session for Thursday afternoon. 
But it must be said, that even with this prolongation of the meeting, 
the number of papers to be presented is so great as to require that the 
time allotted by the Committee for the reading of each paper shall be 
strictly observed. It will be my constant endeavor to act with prompti- 
tude and impartiality, and I earnestly trust that my effort in that direc- 
tion will not be misinterpreted, and that it will meet from the members 
of the Society an obedient response. 
I have to ask the pardon of the Society if I have seemed prolix and 
wearisome in making this somewhat extended address. I am quite 
certain, however, that the nature of the facts and circumstances pre- 16 
sented for your consideration, justify the taking of the time consumed 
in their repetition; and I think that you will agree that I have not 
in any manner departed from the scope and character, nor exceeded 
the limits, prescribed by the By-laws. I am also obliged to crave your 
generous indulgence for my inexperience and lack of parliamentary 
skill, and I desire to express the assurance that every member, and 
every measure (properly proposed), will at all times receive the most 
distinguished consideration from the Chair. 
My only remaining duty is, to make the formal declaration that the 
annual meeting is now in order, and prepared to proceed with the 
business to which it is committed.