The First International Congress of Gynaecology and Obstetrics : delegate's report to the New York Obstetrical Society.

  • Edebohls, George M. (George Michael), 1853-1908.
Date:
[1893]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The First International Congress of Gynaecology and Obstetrics : delegate's report to the New York Obstetrical Society. 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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    Among those whom I can at this moment recall having had the pleasure of meeting were Robert Barnes, Alban Doran, Engelman, Goodell, Berry Hart, A. Martin, Parvin, Saenger and Spencer Wells. Only one or two of the eight gentlemen who figured on the pages of the official Journal of the Congress as delegated by the Government at Washington, and neither of the official delegates of the American Asso- ciation of Gynaecologists and Obstetricians, were present. The Amer- ican Gynaecological Society had neglected to send delegates. In fact the entire United States of America were represented by less than a dozen physicians. The representation from other countries, however, outside of Belgium and France, seemed equally poor as far as quantity was concerned; the quality, however, was unimpeachable. The reception accorded foreign members was most hospitable, hearty, and need I add, polite, in view of the fact that the cousins of French- men were the hosts. Visitors were made to feel at home and taken care of from the moment of their arrival. The hotel accomodations were good and abundant, the cholera scare reducing the number of strangers in town to below the usual figure. A more delightful and suitable place for such a meeting than the city of Brussels can scarcely be found. The attractions and sights of the city are of a superior order; indeed the writer does not know of a city of the same size anywhere that can offer as much in this respect. The meetings of the Congress were held in the Falais des Academies situated in the finest, healthiest and most fashionable and aristocratic part of Brussels. The elegant hall, decorated with fine his- torical mural paintings by Slingeneyer, was of the correct size for such a meeting, fitted with the comforts necessary to render a stay enjoyable, and possessed the proper acoustic qualities. The postal telegraph and other arrangements in the building were complete. The exhibit of instruments was located in other rooms of the Palais des Academies which thus formed a complete home for the Congress and all its appurtenances. I he proceedings opened with a reception of welcome offered by the Belgian Society of Gynaecology and Obstetrics to the members of the Congress and their ladies. This reception assumed the form of a Raout- Concert and took place in the Palais de la Bourse on the evening of September 13th. Its informal sociability, the absence of the stiffness too often noted on such occasions, and the geniality of our hosts admirably fulfilled the purpose of this social gathering. At its close, and before the first scientific meeting was held, the