History of Fairfield County, Connecticut

Imbued with the historical traditions of their jire- decessors, and tracing tlie paths they have trod, emu- lating their good example, it should become more and more the resolute purpose of the Fairfield County bar to so walk in the light of their i^rofessional teachings that when they are called to follow them to that ui)per court, and file their judgment-roll of the great trial of life with that .Supreme Judge from whose bar they can take no appeal, — ■ "Thou go not like tlio quarry-slave at night Scourged to his dungeon ; but, sustaineil ami sootlicd By an unfaltering trust, ai'proach thy grave Like one who wraps the drapery of his conrh About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams." CHAPTER III. MEDICAL HISTORY.*-THE AGHICULTURAL SOCIETY. MEDICAL HISTORY. Tun records of the Fairfield C<mnty Medical 80- ciety, as they exist to-day, begin with the year ISij. No mention is made in them of any previous date, excepting that in 1826 it was " Voted, To pay the clerk for advertising medical notice for the last five years and a record-book for said society, amounting to six dollars and twenty-five cents." But the asso- ciations of the several counties in the State were formed at a much earlier period. The New Haven Medical Society was in existence in 1784 as " The As- sociated Facultj' of New Haven." The movement which ended in chartering the Connecticut Medical Society was initiated by the New Haven society. The New London County JMedieal Society was then in existence, for a re[>!y from it on the granting of a charter for the State society bears date " New London, April iO, 1784." In Fairfield County, however, no medical society existed previous to the chartering of the Connecticut Medical Society. (See "Historical Account of the Origin of the Connecticut Medical Society," by Henry Bronson, 51. P., " Proceedings Connecticut SIcdical Society," 1873, p. 199, and "Blakeman's Address," 185;!.) To give importance to the movement and weigiit to the apiieal for the charter of the Connecticut society, which met with opposition from the State Legislature, several distinguished and influential physicians from other counties were admitted to membership in the New Haven County Society. Among these were Amos Mead, of Greenwich, Joseph Trowbridge, of I>anbury, and James Clark, of Stratford ("Bronsou's Address"). The desired charter was obtained in 1792, and this year may be regarded as the first of the existence of the Fairfield County Medical Society. Dr. Rufus Blakeman, of Greenfield, president of the Connecticut Medical Society in ]8o3, made the subject of his address " The Early Physicians of Fairfield County." In this he states that the Fair- field County .society united, with a commendable zeal, with those of the other counties in an application to the Legislature for the charter of the State society. Candor and consideration of all the statements found compel the assertion rather that several distinguished physicians of the county were among the petitioners, but not any organized society from this county. Dr. C. W. Chamberlain, of Hartford, secretary of the State Medical Society, has very kindly furnished a copy of the proceedings of the society for the year 1853, so that, fortunately, we are able to produce the interesting address of Dr. Blakeman in full. « Contributed bj N. E. Wordin, M.D., of Bridgeport. 24 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT. Tlic i)ur])<)se in forming tlicse several societies (for tliey mlist in a measnre be considered togetlier) was " to adopt sucli measures for the future regula- tion of our salutary art as shall effectually support and countenance merit and discountenance ignorance and presumption," " the encouragement of an accu- rate study in the tlicory and practice of physic and surgery," "to collect and preserve useful papers rel- ative to tlio practice of medicine." It was their purpose then, as it is ours now, to keep our great and sacred «r.t mcdendi above the plane of an ordinary business which advertises and solicits trade, to protect and Iielp its own members, and, so far as possible, to educate the public and protect them from charlatan- ism. They recognized the benefits to be derived from association and discussion, the contact of mind with mind. Individual inlluence is like the tap of a tack- hammer; a united society deals the pouderous blow of a sledge. Everything tended to encourage their coming together. Consultations could not be very frequent ; libraries were small ; there was no medical college in tlie State. The first meeting of which we have the records was held at the house of Silas Camp, in liridgeport, on tlie third ^Monday of April, 1825. I can find no trace of the previous records by inquiry of the former secretaries. The meetings at that time were held annually at dift'erent towns in the county indiscriminately, — sometimes at the houses of persons who were not members, sometimes at inns. For in- stance, in lS2fi they met at the house of Levi Ed- wards, Esq., in Monroe ; in 1827 at the house of Ephraim Knapp, in Bridgeport (Knapp's Inn); in 1S.'{() at tlie h(mse of Widow Huklah (iregory, in Trumbull. The eastern jiart of the county had the greatest number of meetings, and Levi Edwards seems to have been the most popular host. Between 1826 and 1834 they assembled four times with him. From 182.5 to 1859 the following places were iiivored respec- tively with gatherings of these men: Bridgeport, 14; Monroe, 6; Greenfield, 4; Fairfield. 3; Weston, 2; Xorwalk, 2 ; Danbury, AVestjiort, Redding Ridge, and Trumbull, each 1. In 18.59 it was decided that the places for meeting should be confined to Danbury, Bridgeport, and Xorwalk in order. This plan con- tinued until, in 1878, Danbury not being considered sufficiently accossiljle, lier name was left out and Bridgeport and Xorwalk now divide the honors. Xo list of memliers appears until 18-56. A change in the manner of choosing delegates or fellows to rep- resent them at the State Medical Society rendered necessary the making of a list at that time. Hitherto these delegates had been chosen or elected by the society. In 1856, at the City Hotel, Bridgeport, " Dr. Blakennin moved the following: ' lirsolced, That a committee of three be appointed to arrange the names of members in such order as they may judge proper, and that hereafter the names of five present at u meeting who stand first in the list be considered nominees or fellows in the year 1857 and the five subsequent for 1858 ; and so on, proceeding from year to year.' " Drs. Xoyes, Blackman, and Hubbard were appointed, and they reported the names a-s here ar- ranged: David H. Xash, John A. McLean, Joseph JI. French, George Blackman, Samuel Sands, Lewis Hurlburt, S. P. V. R. Ten Broeck, Moses B. Pardee, Frederic Judson, W. B. Nash, Rufus Blakeman, (u'orge Dyer, N. D. Haight, E. P. Bennett, David S. Burr, Robert Hubbard, James Baldwin, H. L. W. Burritt, Ira Gregory, Noah A. Lacey, Samuel S. Xoyes, H. N. Bennett, Elijah Middlebrook, Lewis Richards, Samuel Lynes, Justus Sherwood, Amos L. Williams. The same method of appointing fellows is still in vogue. The by-laws of the Fairfield County Medical So- ciety appear on the records as adopted April 17, 1826. As they indicate the sentiment of the men of that day, their purpose and their thought, it may be of in- terest to our readers to copy them entire. They are as follows : *' Ist. That no person shall become a member of the Fairfielil Connty Medical Society unless he receive two-thirds of the votes of the meeting before which he is proposed ; except such as the Law makes members, of course. " -M. That the Moderator and Clerk be chosen by ballot ; also the Dele- gates to the Convention. '*3d. That tlicre sliall be three members designated by vote to read dis- sertations at the succeeding meeting next after being appointed, and being so appointed, and having not declined, shall read a dissertation on penalty of one dollar to be forfeited to our Society and collected by the Clerk." (This was raised to five dollars in 1870, and in ISTi the by-law was repealed in tulo.) " 4th. Tlio first business after orgauizins shall be to hear a dissertation from one of the tliree appointed for that purpose. " olh. No member of this Society shall (but by absolute necessity) meet with and consult a practitioner in medicine or surgery unless he is or has been a regular member of our Society and been honorably discharged ; at any rate, in other respects being equal, a member of our Society shall always be preferred. "lith. That a Standing Committee of three be appointed annually to report upon all crimes and misdemeanors that may be committed by any member of this Society against any article contained iti their by-laws, and that the Society act upon it as they may deem expedient. "Tth. That any member shall have the liberty to file his accusation against another member to one or more of the Standing Committee, whoso duty it shall be, if two of said Committee think it expedient, to Bunimons the delinquent to appear and to notify the accused to meet the County Sleeting, where the subject shall be tried and deterniined. A copy of said accusation ami notification shall be left with the accused, or at his hist usual pl.ace of abode, at least sixty days prior to the trial. The accuser shall also make, or cause to bo made, service and return to the county of said accusation and notice.* " .sth. That any person in our Society who pretends to or uses any nos- trum or secret medicine, and refuses to give a receipt in full to any mem- ber of this Society when requested, shall be expelled. "9th. That when a new Clerk of oiir Society is chosen, it shall be the duty of bi:^ predecessor to deliver over to him all the records and papers appertaining to said ollico. " t'ote((. That the foregoing articles be adopted as a code of by-laws for this Society this 17th day of Ai>jil, A.n. 1820. "Attest: "John Jvdsox, C7i(nVm«». " KL1J.VU MlDDLEBUOOK, Clerks The society was in part for the protection of its own members. At the meeting in which the by-laws