Medicine in the United States, and its relations to coöperative investigation.

  • Billings, John S. (John Shaw), 1838-1913.
Date:
[1887]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Medicine in the United States, and its relations to coöperative investigation. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    fact that gfovernmental health departments are tending to work in this direction is significant as to future coop- eration from such sources. In this connection should be mentioned the National Museum of Hygiene, which has been formed under the direction of the medical department of the United States Navy, which is now one of the most instructive collections of the kind in the world, and has also con- nected with it an excellent library and a well-equipped laboratory. Comparative and experimental pathology is also re- ceiving attention from the Government under the direc- tion of the Department of Agriculture, which is doing some good work in the investigation of the diseases of our domestic animals. Our investigators are, fortu- nately, not hampered by antivivisection laws, and there is little danger that they ever will be, for though we have our due proportion of fanatics and seekers of notoriety who wish to emulate the British Antis-, their true motives are so well understood that they have little power to do mischief. Of medical associations in the United States there are several classes. We have a few local societies, analo- gous to clubs in their organization, which own property in the form of buildings, libraries, etc., are somewhat con- servative in their selection of members, and are only to be found in large cities. Of these, the College of Physi- cians of Philadelphia is the oldest, and has the largest and best library and museum—it will celebrate the hundredth anniversary of its existence next year. In New York the Academy of Medicine, and in Boston the Medical Library Association, are of the same character, and, in general, each large city has a similar society, although as yet they have not become fully anchored and estab- lished by the acquisition of property. The second class includes local societies devoted to specialties, such as pathology, obstetrics, etc. These also are found only in large cities, and as yet are few in number. Four of them only have published transactions. Corresponding with these are national societies devoted to specialties such as gynecology, ophthalmology, surgery, pathology and clinical medicine, etc. These societies meet annually, elect their own members, exercising care in the selection, and publish valuable transactions. Another class is composed of the county medical societies, which strive to include all regular practitioners residing in their precincts. From these are sent dele-