History of Fairfield County, Connecticut

» "Violations of the by-laws of the Connecticut Medical Society, or of the rules and rcpulations passed by the county associations in conformity with the by-laws of the Slate society," are now tried according to rules of Sec. 7, ch. iv., by-laws of the Connecticut Jiledical Societv. iMEDICAL IIISTOIIY. were adopted, the tullowiiiL' resolves were passed, which seem to have beeu t'ur tliat purpose : " liesolre Jiyst . — That any I'hytioian who iiinlen-liarges his neiylihor in liis iK'ighlH>r'K vicinity witli a view to snjiplant sai'l neighhor or otlier- wiao tu intt*nni>t liis hn:-int*sii jnstly iJfM'i\i-s to lit* ilisiv.si'cctcd hy overy . uielnher of our S^iciety. *' Hemh-f ^roml. — Tliat opiiiione on cases of disease shall, unless other- wise ajrreetl in consultations, he considered as sacred, not to he divulged. " n^:it/Ue Onrd. — That an uniform rate of charging he desirahle, to whidi when estahlished hy vote of onr Society, every niendicr shall adhere, on penalty of heing .adjudged hy the Standing roniuiiltce as to them shall he deemed just and proper." They pre.served the discipline laid down, expelling such ivienibers as they considered unworthy. Dr. Blakenian, in his address of 1853, spoke of a repugnance to taxtition at that time as .somewhat characteristic, and as having been a development of their professional jirogenitors. It gave dissatisfaction in 1703, it was the cause for exi)iilsion of members in the middle of the century, it is a iiukiiiiiiii tippni- hrium in LSSO. At the meeting in Greenfield, April IS, 1,^4;), it was *' V'e/ef/, That memliers of the Fairfield County Medical Society who have lefused, and persist in refusing, to pay their taxes and attendance on medical meetings are disregarding the true interests of the profes- sion, are unworthy of meinbershii", and this Society would instruct the Fellows to nuike applicalion to the State C'i>nvention to he hnlilcn in Hart- ford in May next for their discharge from this Society. "i^tso/cet/. That if such discharge is procured for any such deliuiinent memhers, the Clerk he dirCL-ted tu notify each one so discharged, st.itiog the cause of expulsion, and also tliat the Clerk transmit to each default- ing memher a copy of the aln>ve re=olulions. "Samucl BE-VCU, Oerl.'' In 18.51 a list of the names of ten ''non-paying members" was presented, and they were expelled, some of them being prominent in the society. Their opinion of a newer sect — those who hail climbed u\> some other way — is tersely expressed, April 10, 1S50 : ** ro/e(7. That Hom"T?opathy he regarded as Quackery. "To/c*/, Tliat the Clerk puhlisli proceedings in several juipcrs cf this County." Some of the members strayed from the fold and went over to the opposition. At the .same meeting in which the ten " unworthy" members were proposed for discharge (Aiiril 10, 1.S51 1 it was 'Mo(.r?, That Prs. Deniiison, .\yre3, and Northrop, reported to have practiced Ilonio'opathy, if on investigation he so found to transgress the rules of the ^ledical Society hy such irregular practice, he hy the ahove committee [the Standing Committee] cited to appear at the next annual meeting of this Society and answer to »'' ii regularity in practice." At the next annual meeting the several cases were carefully considered. It was "unanimously voted that their names be, each of them, erased from the books of Fairfield County Medical iSoeiety and dis- missed from the said Society." At this meeting in 1851 there seems to have beeu much discipline to enforce. Besides non-payment of fines and irregular practice, there was undercharg- ing. It was " Votetl, Thai where.v, complaint lia\ iiig been made of 7ni<hi'rli<ir(ie3 hy physicians practicing in iieighh<.rliood of other phy^i.-iaiis with the apparent design to supplant their neighbors, therefore " VoUtl, That to the pri.:e coninninly charged for asiiiglc visit b,. added for each visit twelve and iuie-h;df cents per mile fi.iJ' travel f.>r each mile traveled after the first mile." But iliscipline was only a casual thing forced on them by neglect of the law-< wiiicli governed the body. What was done at the gatherings of these men? The following "Rules of f)rder" were adopted April 14, 1853, from report of the committee tippointed for that purpose : " 1st. The Jlecting shall be , ailed to order hy the ('I..rk, and imme- diately thereafter the Chairman stiall !«■ . Imscn by ballot. "2d. Klecliouof Clerk. " 3d. Reading the Minutes of tlie l.ist .Session. "4th. Ailmission of New ^lembers. "otli. Election of Fellows to the State Convention. "Cth. Flection of Deleg.ates to the .Vmeiicau Medical .\^s ui iti..n. "Till, .\ppointnient of Cominittees. "8th. Re.adingof Ois^crt.atioiH. "'.ith. I'nfinislied Uiisiness. "loth. Uepoits of Committees, which sliall be male in the Orler of Al>pointliient. "Utli. New Business. " IJtii. Appointment of Dis^ertator. "Kltli. -Vppointnieut designating the I'lace of .\djouriinient for next Meeting." Dissertations bad been required frtim an early period in the history of the society (see By-Laws, Sec. 3). At the first meeting of which any record is extant Dr. Elijah Middlelirook, of Trumbull, read "A Case of Tettinus which ]irocce<led from a Wound of a Xail, which was successfully treated by Opium and Wine." Dr. L. Seeley, of We.ston, read a dis.ser- tatiou on " Hemorrhage in Typhus Fever." And so at every meeting for years one or more essays were read, to the profit and entertainment of the members. The subjects were sometimes assigneil, sometime-; left to the ojition of the writer. At the first meeting it was " ynte<l, That Brs. Parruck, Simons, and lioulding read Dissertations on any subject they choose. " Valtd, That Itr. Blakenian read a I>issertation on Con>titnti.)nal Peculiarity." But the sons gradually departed from the customs of tbiir fttthers. Am exchange of good wishes all around, a general discussion of medical topics, the ap- pointment of delegates and committees, the reading of papers voluntarily ])rort'ered, the discussion and dis- posal of questions of discipline, occupy now tlie hours, while a concluding dinner at the hotel sends each one home better actpiaintcd with his neighlioring brother and stronger ibr another year of service. The fellows are the delegates sent to the State so- ciety as representatives. In Fairfield County these were at fir.st chosen by ballot. In 1825 the men se- lected were Samuel Simons, of Bridgeport ; William T. Shelton, of Stratford: I'yrcnius II. Buolh, of New- town ; iind John Tomlinsoii, of Iluutingtou. In 1792 they were James I'otter, Thaddeus Betts, Ilosca Hurlburt, James Clark, Amos Jlead. A list of th(> fellows from Fairfield County from ]7'.l2 to our day may be found in the " rroceedings of the Connec- ticut Medical Society" for 1875, p. cxxxii. 26 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT. In 1847 the county society sent a delegate to the American I^Ietlical Association, or, as the records have it, tlie National Convention. Tlie choice fell upon Dr. Elijah Middlebrook, and the association met that year in Philadelphia in May. Appointments have been regularly made since. Delegates are appointed also to the society meetings of other States, — New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, five to the Ameri- can Medical Association. Tlie Connecticut Medical Society meets yearly, alternately in Hartford and New Haven. The records of the society have always been well kept since the year 1825. In 1845 a vote was passed to publish the proceedings in thesevcral papers printed in the county, but there is no evidence as to how long this custom was continued, or even whether it was ever in vogue. A copy of the essays ])rcsentcd was always re- quested to be lodged with the clerk, to be placed on file. They would be interesting reading to-(hiy, doubt- less; but, unfortunately, not one of them can be found. One is forced to smile at the absurdly small fees which these men received, and the nicety into which they divided the different departments of their busi- ness. Y'et the table was one of their own making, and must have been in some degree satisfactory. It artords a i>ithy lesson of the progress of the times. At the annual meeting holdcn at the house of Levi Edwards, Esq., of Monroe, April 20, 1829, it was " Voted, Tliat tho following services and medicines shiill not be ren- dered nor furnished fur /t-iw sums tliitn nrc devignntcd, — viz.: DIueding, iiO cts.; CnUmrlic, 12 ctw.: Emetic, H» ct*.; Visit, 17 ct>*.; Travel, iwr Jlile, 17 ctfl.; Ubstotiic Cose, S2.6t»,— Iiistniniental, S4.l)(i; Kxtmcling Tooth, 12 cts." The society has now no fee-table, the <Hfterence in the size of the towns having rendered such a plan very impracticable. In the cities the local societies, which are entirely independent of the county organization, adopt such lists of i>rices, and in the more rural districts every man is a law unto himself. They denounce<l all irregularities in practice. On the temi)erance question they gave a no less certain sound. At the Washington Hotel, in Bridgeport, on April 21, 1828, it was "Vottst, Thai tho following preanihle nud rcikjlutlons be ndu|ited, — viz.: "ntiertaM, in our opinion, intcmi>emiiro is the moat Imse, gencml, dan- gerous, nnd demorall/ing evil in our couutr}- and il^ suppi-ession the lui-wt hi Ih> deiiirtil ; lliereforo, '* IttmArrtl, Ist. Thiit we highly nppruvo of tho ncttvo and humane ox- cMl>msof tho Anio:icnn Tem|H)mnco Society, mndo iind now making, to uIToct tho fuimo. " Jte*4rrtU 2d. Tlint In uur uplnton the use of anient spirit does not prevent iho Imbibing cuntogiutis dL-nraHiM, but 'jrncraUjf tho synteni more RUtceptlblc to their Influence. " Ite»i4rttl, 3d. That In our opinion the use «f ardent spirit docs not invigorate the nystem and i|niilify ii tu endure hardship or resist tho ovIU of the e\tn<nte« of luot and cold, oi \» loo genenilly t^elleved. "//ewrfrfrf, 4ih. Thai In our opinlui iho preiHrriptions of physicians ruutaining bUtoni I u anient s| iifiis a fn Itful source of luteini>enince. ' seldom nocejsnr}- in practice, and wlien not so should bo studiously avoided. I " Jtenotcal, 5th. That in our opinion water is the most natural and healthy drink for miin, and uhvay»» tuilutur}' when discreetly used.