Our medical charities : an address delivered at the Annual Meeting of the Birmingham and Midland Counties Branch of the British Medical Association June 26th, 1877 / by Sampson Gamgee.

  • Gamgee, Sampson, 1828-1886.
Date:
1877
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Our medical charities : an address delivered at the Annual Meeting of the Birmingham and Midland Counties Branch of the British Medical Association June 26th, 1877 / by Sampson Gamgee. 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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    Gentlemen, I very deeply feel the honour you have conferred on me, and the confidence you have reposed in me, in electing me your President. I am no less conscious of weighty responsibility in endeavouring to discharge the first duty of this office, in the delivery of the Annual Address. The presence of the representatives of the press at these yearly gatherings, while contributing very materially to their dignity, and widening the scope of their usefulness, adds to your President’s responsibility. It is a valuable privilege to have an opportunity of influencing public opinion, on subjects which possess more than a technical or strictly professional interest; but the duty is a delicate and onerous one, of having to speak on behalf of a Society which, like this Branch of the British Medical Associa- tion, consists of 336 members, and, with scarcely an exception, includes all the leaders in the profession in Birmingham and the surrounding district. My predecessors in this Chair have acquitted themselves with so much ability and discretion, and have addressed you on such a variety of subjects, that it is no easy matter to select a fresh one, and to treat it in a manner worthy of the occasion and of you. So broad is our science, so rich in lessons is our practice, so fertile and ennobling is the history of our great profession, that it would be possible to choose more than one theme for an hour’s discourse, whi ch might possess general interest, and admit of treatment on broad principles, without the trouble and risk of treading the rugged path of controversy. The selection of a neutral or conventional topic, and the dealing in bland generalities, would have this amongst other considerations to recommend it; that as these annual gatherings, after the transaction of necessary business, are festive in their scope, it is more natural, and far less troublesome, to be convivial than to be thoughtful. So unremitting is our work that it is pleasant to forget the hum and grind of the mill, and to enjoy the greeting of old friends and making new ones, to cement and multiply those moral bonds which make us better and happier men. I would not yield to the youngest amongst you in love for a hearty laugh. I am looking forward to our annual dinner with equally keen