Cortland Evening Standard, Monday, June 26, 1899.
MEDICAL SOCIETY.
BEGINNINGS OF THE ORGANIZATION IN CORTLAND COUNTY.
Paper Read by Dr. F. H. Green at the Recent Annual Meeting—Notes Gathered from a Package of Early Records and Documents of the Society.
The following paper read by Dr. F. H. Green of Homer at the annual meeting on June 8 of the Cortland County Medical society was based upon notes from a package of early records and documents of the society which he had recently found:
MR. PRESIDENT AND GENTLEMEN OF THE SOCIETY—Three years ago I had the honor to present to you a historical sketch of the lives of the founders and some of the other early members of the society. To-day I wish briefly, and from the nature of the subject in a somewhat fragmentary manner to give a few notes from the records and doings of those men whom we have been taught to honor as pioneers in our profession, men who were contemporaneous with, and in some instances received instruction from, such teachers as Dr. Benjamin Rush, often spoken of as "the father of American medicine;" Dr. Physic "the father of American surgery;" Dr. Shippen, Dr. Wistar and other worthies long since gone to their reward. The recent finding of a bundle of yellow and time-stained documents long since forgotten is my excuse for asking your attention for a short time to things of early days.
Ninety years have passed and gone since a little company of physicians met at the hotel of Captain Enos Stimson now the Hotel Windsor in the town of Homer, and there under the provisions of a law passed by the state legislature in 1806 relative to the formation of county medical societies organized the Cortland County Medical society which for nine decades has kept its organization intact and maintained an active interest in its meetings to the present time. The names of these men were Lewis S. Owen, John Miller, Luther Rice, Elijah J. Wheeler, Robert D. Taggart, Ezra Pannel, Allen Barney and Jesse Searl.
At that meeting Dr. Owen was chosen president; Dr. Miller, vice-president; Dr. Taggart, treasurer; and Dr. Searl, secretary, the latter holding that office with the exception of three years down to 1825 when he was succeeded by Dr. George W. Bradford who was secretary of the society till 1870 or a period of forty-five years—truly a noteworthy record! Between 1808 and 1843 ten different members held the office of treasurer when Dr. Bradford was chosen treasurer, acting as such in connection with the secretaryship till 1870 and as treasurer alone till 1881—a period of thirty-eight years.
Of the eight founders three doctors, Searl, Miller and Taggart, had become members of the Onondaga County Medical society before Cortland county was set off from Onondaga. Dr. Searl was one of the founders of the Onondaga county Society in 1806 and Drs. Miller and Taggart joined a year later, 1807; the three withdrawing as stated in 1808 to participate in the founding of our society. At the first meeting a resolution was passed assessing each member 50 cents for the purpose of purchasing a book for the secretary's office, etc., and a committee consisting of Drs. Miller, Pannel and Barney was chosen to prepare a set of bylaws and report at the next meeting which was according to the resolution passed "to be holden [sic] at Capt. Enos Stimson's tavern on the third Wednesday of October at 1 o'clock in the afternoon." No meeting, however, was "holden" at that time, as the secretary notes under that date that there was "no meeting by reason of nonattendance." Indeed in many places through the book the fact that no meeting was held is noted in these quaint words, "There being a deficiency in members to form a quorum no meeting was holden."
At a meeting held May 17, 1809, however, the committee "exhibited," as the secretary notes, a set of bylaws, "the discussion of which was postponed to the next annual meeting." At the same meeting Dr. Mordecai Lowe "exhibits a diploma from a medical society in the state of Vermont and was admitted a member of the society." The president was requested to "deliver a dissertation on some medical subject or exhibit some other useful performance" at the next meeting.
At the following meeting in October, 1809, the president Dr. Lewis S. Owen, ''agreeable to previous resolution" delivered a dissertation on "The Effects of Oxygen Gas in the Blood," this being the first paper ever delivered before the society.
Dr. Owen continue in the presidency' of the society till 1820 when he was succeeded by Dr. Miller.
At the meeting in October, 1812, this resolution appears:
Resolved, That the money now in the treasury shall be laid out for a skeleton when the president, vice-president and secretary think proper."
Throughout all the society's meetings embraced in the period to which these notes refer, the keynote, if the word may be permitted, was, "down with quackery," and as early as 1813 at the June meeting we find the following resolution which was adopted:
Resolved, That all empirics or practitioners of physic and surgery in this county who are following those professions without legal license shall be subject to the penalty of the law unless they obtain license by the time of the next anniversary meeting of this society and that the secretary give notice of this resolution to all such illegal practitioners."
Many other resolutions similar in purpose were passed at subsequent meetings.
At a meeting "holden Jan. 25, 1815, at David Jones' inn," a resolution was passed that "no skeleton be purchased, but that the money in the treasury be appropriated for the establishment of a medical library," and a committee consisting of Drs. Miller, Lynde and Owen was appointed to select and purchase books and draft bylaws for the regulation of such library and submit them at the next meeting.
At the annual meeting in October of the same year as the above meeting, the place this time being designated as "David Jones' coffeehouse," the bylaws referred to at the last meeting were "discussed and adopted," and Dr. Lewis Owen was chosen the first librarian of the society. A librarian's book was bought in which, besides a list of the books purchased was a debit and credit account for each member so that when a book was drawn, the name of the book and its cost was put down on the debit side and on its return the borrower was duly credited with the same. During the library's active existence more than 100 bound volumes were purchased, consisting of the standard medical textbooks of the day and for a period of many years the American Journal of Medical Sciences and other medical journals were taken.
The library continued to increase and flourish until about the time of the outbreak of the civil war, after which time interest in keeping it up-to-date seems to have flagged owing doubtless for one reason to the growing multiplicity and increasing cheapness of medical works and magazines.
Under the state law one of the duties of county societies was the registration of medical students on their commencing the study of medicine, the examining of students as to their fitness to practice "physic and surgery," and to issue diplomas to those who showed the required fitness. In the bundle of brown and time stained papers above referred to are several papers carefully folded and marked on the outside "declaration of A. B. or C. D. as the case may be." These were the declarations of students of medicine whom on "having presented to a majority of the censors of the society satisfactory testimony that they have studied physic and surgery as directed by the statute and who upon due examination by the censors, having their said qualifications certified in such manner as directed by law" were admitted to practice on signing the following declaration: "I, A. B., do solemnly declare that I will honestly, virtuously and chastely conduct myself in the practice of physic and surgery with the privileges of exercising which profession I am now to be invested; and that 1 will with fidelity and honor do everything in my power for the benefit of the sick committed to my charge." There are also with these papers a number of certificates from different physicians certifying as to the time which certain students have studied medicine in their offices.
Another interesting manuscript is a long letter written under date of July 9, 1810, telling of the course of instruction at the College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York. The letter was directed to Dr. Lewis S. Owen, president of the society and appears to have been written by one William Thompson, a former medical student. As was the custom in those days the letter had to serve as an envelope also, and had been sealed by a wafer while in one corner was marked the amount of postage due, the same being 20 cents. The letter closes with this post scriptum: "As I feel myself under peculiar obligations to your society for their politeness to me I should be glad that if perchance a useful idea should be found in this communication that they might profit thereby. Please to recommend me to each of them who would willingly hold me in remembrance and accept for yourself assurances of my best wishes that your usefulness may extend not only to the world but likewise to yourself."
This is, I think, aside from the bound records, the earliest manuscript in possession of the society. The earliest document of any kind that I have been able to find in the societies' papers is a printed circular dated July 15, 1808, or nearly a month before this body's organization and was addressed "to the presidents of the medical societies in the several counties of the state." The circular was sent out by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of New York and was an announcement of the faculty and proposed plan of study. The circular is signed by Nicholas Romayne, president, who at the third meeting of the New York State Medical society became the president also and continued in that office for two ensuing years. Professor Romayne held the chair of institutes of medicine in the College of Physicians and Surgeons. The circular further says "It is proposed that the medical societies in every county in the state shall each of them designate a student of medicine of good moral character, of promising talents and of diligent habits who shall be admitted to attend all the public lectures given in the college the ensuing year free of expense," and from frequent allusions in the society's minutes to students in this institution it is evident that the society took advantage of the offer; indeed the writer of the letter above alluded to, appears to have been one of those designated by the society to receive such free instruction. The circular closes with the statement that "all students who have attended two sessions at this college and passed the usual examinations to the satisfaction of the professors will receive the degree of medicine from the Regents of the University of the State of New York of which the governor of the state is always ex-officio president." It is noteworthy that no degree of doctor of medicine can now be obtained in this state except on the sanction of this same body of Regents. It may be remarked in passing that this printed circular also bears a charge of 20 cents postage from New York.
Another circular from the same college and dated Sept. 17, 1810, announces that the Regents have established the price that lectures shall be given at in the college and that the privileges to students recommended by presidents of country societies are no longer in force, but this last regulation seems to have also been done away with later on and the first order re-established, as the society records, in after years point quite clearly to students who have been recommended by it to this college for free instruction.
Another old document bearing the date 1809 is sent out by the State Medical society to the county societies urging them "to examine and record the various productions of vegetable nature throughout the state and to investigate the several subjects connected with the mineral kingdom, with the formation of the earth and the aspect of its surface." Also "to collect and record such historical facts as are connected with their respective counties and all such other circumstances as will elucidate the history of the state." The circular closes with these words, "The Medical society of the State cannot conclude this circular communication without affording assurances of their perfect disposition to promote the respectability of the several county societies and to exert their efforts to support the dignity of the medical profession." The circular is signed by Nicholas Romayne, president, and John Stearns, secretary, and was the first of many of similar import sent out in later years to promote a higher standing of excellence in the profession.
After six years of existence with several meetings omitted on account of a "deficiency of members to constitute a quorum," at an annual meeting held Oct. 20, 1814, it was, "Resolved, That in the future the meetings be only semiannual and annual," and this order of things was continued down to September, 1888, when after a period of seventy-five years the original plan of quarterly meetings was again resumed and still continues in force.
At the next meeting in May, 1820, this entry occurs:
Resolved, That J. Searl procure parchment and print diploma blanks for the society, about $2 worth."
It may here be noted that Dr. Searl in 1812 purchased and assumed the editorship of the Cortland Repository, at that time the only paper published in the county and continued as its editor and proprietor till 1825.
During the thirties the society was especially active in the suppression of quackery and for several years during that period it was customary to choose an attorney as counsel for the society and in some years two were chosen.
On May 16, 1827 we find this preamble and resolution:
WHEREAS, There has been a pretended Indian doctor, a great impostor in this vicinity for some time past and suit was commenced by Dr. Riggs against said impostor for a breach of law of this state for the regulating the practice of physic and surgery and a fine of $25 was imposed upon said quack, therefore voted, that the society give Dr. Lewis Riggs their sincere thanks for the independent and honorable course taken by him in prosecuting and driving the above mentioned impostor from this vicinity."
While the society was ever mindful in suppressing all irregular practice as far as possible and was active in furthering the intellectual and scientific requirements of its members, it was also mindful of its material interests and as early as 1829 we find a fee bill adopted which in many respects does not differ materially from that in use at the present day, and in 1841 another and more lengthy one was adopted preceded by the following preamble and resolution:
WHEREAS, The duties of the medical profession are generally arduous, important and responsible and,
WHEREAS, Much of our professional attendance and counsel is wholly gratuitous and,
WHEREAS, The rate of medical, surgical and obstetrical charges or fees in this vicinity are and ever have been low and unproportionate to the expenses of living and amount of labor required and lastly,
WHEREAS, A great desideratum for medical gentlemen is, or ought to be, to elevate the character and standing of the profession by attaching a sufficient value to his services and not rendering our noble profession a mere mechanical occupation, therefore,
Resolved, By the members of the Cortland County Medical society this day convened that we will adopt the following as a list of charges for our professional services and we hereby pledge ourselves in all cases to abide by this rate so far as our individual circumstances will permit.
Some of the services charged for are not usually called for in the practice of the present day. For instance, we find such charges as these: "Bleeding in office, 25 to 50 cents; cupping in office, 50 cents to $1; extracting a tooth, 25 to 50 cents; emetic or cathartic, 25 to 50 cents; bleeding, emetic or cathartic in office and counsel for regimen, etc., 50 cents to $1; first visit, investigation and counsel in a village in a medical case, 75 cents to $1." In but one instance is the fee for a service put at a greater figure than by the present fee bill, that one being for lithotomy, the minimum charge being $100 and the maximum $250. Operation for aneurism is put at $30 to $200. Under the fee bill of 1829 a charge of 25 cents is made "for venesection in arm and 50 cents for same in jugular vein or temporal artery; for an epispastic, 25 cents."
There are in these pages of the bygone past many other matters of interest, but I have already far exceeded my allowance of time and space in this rather wandering sketch of some of the transactions of the society's early days. If I have helped to keep alive the memory of those progressive medical men of the early part of the century now closing I shall be satisfied for any labor made in collecting these notes. From a small beginning we have become an established, and I may say, an important association and if we adhere closely to the examples of our fathers in the profession, in their earnest, persevering efforts for the promotion of medical science and literature, it is not too much to say that we may hope for as long and honored a future as we have had a past.
F. H. GREEN, Homer, N. Y., June 8, 1899.
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