Proceedings of Societies.

SAN FRANCISCO CLINICAL SOCIETY.

The regular monthly meeting was held June 20th, at the building of the College of Physicians and Surgeons, Dr. C. G. Kenyon presiding.

MAJOR S. O. L. POTTER related some interesting experiences and gave valuable information regarding medical life in Manila, He found everything in a much better condition there than he had been led to expect. The Spaniards had constructed one elegant hospital. It was well equipped and well conducted, excepting that the surroundings were unsanitary, the grounds dirty and uninviting. This hospital was occupied by the United States troops, and the building has been allowed to remain as it was found. When more hospital room was needed a beautiful edifice formerly used as a young ladies' seminary was taken possession of. This building with large rooms and high ceilings answered the purpose of a hospital excellently. When still more room was required an old barracks on the outskirts of the city was taken possession of and used as a reserve hospital. This contained from 1500 to 1600 beds. The Medical Department of the army in these islands was well conducted, in evidence of which it not only has the approval of our own medical officers, but that of the critical inspectors of the army of Great Britain. Its work was commended by Captain S. S. Long, Deputy Assistant Adjutant-General, of Hong Kong, a British army officer who visited Manila. Among other things he said that "considering the hurried way in which the expedition was dispatched, this department seemed well equipped, and though at no time they were put to any great strain, still the work they had to do was well and excellently performed. The hospital appeared to be very well found in the way of medicine, drugs, instruments and appliances. It speaks well for the department that they were completely successful in a large number of cases of abdominal wounds. If the spirits of the troops was excellent, it was even surpassed by that of the medical branch, who, in spite of the defective transport and many other difficulties, always had their hospital as complete and efficient as it was possible for human ingenuity to make it.”

Another surprise to Dr. Potter in Manila was an excellent

hospital for feeble-minded children, clean, well equipped, well conducted, children carefully trained, girls taught embroidery, boys instructed in trades, so that in this regard the Spaniards are not at all behind our own advanced civilization.

The plague, which has been so much talked of lately in San Francisco, made its appearance in Manila, but there was no quarantining of districts. Houses in which the disease occurred. were quarantined, and at the first appearance of the disease the Medical Department sent two of its best men to Japan to study cases of plague on the very ground where it occurs and to make themselves familiar with all its peculiarities, clinically and bac teriologically. The first case occurred about the last of December, 1899. At the end of January, 25 cases had been reported and 5 cases verified, but not all suspected cases were claimed as plague. Since that time many other cases had developed. The co-operation of the Chinese was secured, and a house to house inspection made by inspectors appointed by the army, always accompanied by one of the Chinese race. By this method no cases were attempted to be concealed and the Chinese were as active and as earnest in discovering cases and effecting their quarantine as were the Americans. The disease has no great terrors for the people there, particularly when good sanitary practices were carried out. There were no cases among the white people.

The climate and the country Dr. Potter described as magnificent. There were cases of sickness as the result of misconduct, and many went there who should never have gone, civilians in feeble health and army officers old and broken down, who were prompted to go through patriotism, and who in truth should never have been permitted to undertake duties so burdensome. He himself had not had one day's sickness from the time he left San Francisco until upon his return, when he was placed in quarantine, exposed to the cold north winds in our harbor and driven from the shelter of the cabin by fumes of sulphur used to disinfect the ship while the passengers were yet on board. In the Philippine Islands there were typhoid fever, malaria and such other diseases as would be met with in any tropical climate. The heat was no greater than in many parts of our own State, but when the troops had heavy marching in the heat of the day, ate badly cooked food, lay in the wet trenches and drank surface water, there were of course

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some cases of sickness. Skin diseases were probably somewhat more prevalent than in a more temperate climate. This he explained by saying that while the skin is covered with living organisms, in the colder countries cleanliness was more carefully observed and the skin was more hardened and more resistant. In the hot moist air of the Philippines these germs were more readily absorbed by the skin. Ringworms existed everywhere, spreading rapidly, but as easily controlled by germicides, yet readily recurring, probably because some small center of infection is left behind. The tropical ulcer is frequently met with. Boils are prevalent, serious and not due to self-infection. In many cases he was not able to account for their recurrence, excepting by the old theories of blood dys crasia. The mango is regarded by many as a cause, and there did seem in many instances to be a very close relationship; that is, boils very frequently followed the eating of mangoes, and rarely were there instances of boils in which the mango had not been eaten. The tropical ulcer before referred to, proved to be very sluggish in character and exceedingly stubborn in treatment. After resorting to all kinds of measures to stop destruction of tissue and encourage healthy healing processes, he had resorted with success to the use of hot water. The foot or leg, for instance, upon which one of these ulcers was located was kept immersed in hot water daily for a period of two weeks. In such cases a recovery resulted after the ulcer had resisted all other forms of treatment.

In replying to a question as to the opportunities for American workingmen in Manila, Dr. Potter said that the prospects were not at all good. Labor was abundant and cheap-10 cents per day. It was not a poor man's country.

A question was asked as to why the death rate was so great in Manila, and yet the climate was so good. Dr. Potter replied that the mortality was high among young children. That they were not given treatment, a physician being called in just before or after death in order to sign a certificate of burial. Among the adult population the death rate was not especially high.

DR. PILLSBURY read a paper on the absence of bubonic plague in San Francisco, which is published in another part of this issue.

DR. WINSLOW ANDERSON related some personal experiences with plague in Calcutta. In one day in one hut there were

seven deaths. The glands were enlarged in every part of the body that came under observation. In this particular house there had been a death five days before. He claimed that it was practically impossible for a plague case to be imported to San Francisco. Our nearest port is Honolulu, and any individual traveling from there to San Francisco, even though he had been exposed just before embarking, would give evidence of the disease before reaching this port.

In history we find that in the 14th century that 25,000,000 people died from this disease in Europe, and that in the 16th century there were 16,000,000 deaths credited to it. San Francisco has not shown a very appalling death rate recently. For this and various other reasons equally potent we are safe in declaring to the world that there is not, and has never been, a single case of plague in San Francisco.

The three following members were appointed as an executive committee with the special purpose of preparing programs for the Society: D. A. Hodghead, A. D. McLean, and E. S. Pillsbury.

The following resolution was unanimously approved:

WHEREAS, 16t. No ship with plague on board, and coming from any port known or claimed to be infected could reach the port of San Francisco before the disease became developed;

2nd. No ship infected with plague has ever entered the port of San Francisco;

3rd. Of the 11 suspected cases in Chinatown no two deaths have occurred in the same house; no focus of infection has ever been discovered,-this being positively contrary to the world's history of plague;

4th. No clinical history of any case has been secured, and no diagnosis of a living case has been made;

5th. Only bacteriological tests have been relied upon for the purpose of diagnosis, and these are known to be confirmatory evidences only, and alone are never conclusive;

6th. The health of the supposed infected district has been better, and the death rate lower during the past three months of this year when the plague is claimed to have existed, than during any previous three months in any previous year in San Francisco; therefore, be it

Resolved, That it is our firm conviction based upon the strongest and most conclusive evidence that no case of plague exists, or has ever existed, in the City of San Francisco.

Licentiates of the California State Board of Examiners.

At a meeting of the Board of Examiners of the Medical Society of the State of California, held June 5th, 1900, the following certificates to practice medicine in this State, were granted:

BATES, ROXIE HELENAN, Covina; Med. Dept. Univ. Michigan, June 30, 1887. BELLO, JOSEPH, San Francisco; Univ. of Naples, Italy, March 1, 1879. BENHAM, ROBERT B., Los Angeles; Jeff. Med. Coll., Pa., March 11, 1876. BERNARD, JOSEPH H., San Francisco; Cooper Med. Coll., Cal., July 22, 1899. CALDER, DANIEL H., Battleboro, Vt.; Med. Dep. Univ. of Vermont, Vt., July 8, 1895.

CARTER, MARION D., Gardena, Missouri Med. Coll., Mo., March 2, 1882. CHAMBERLAIN, FRANK C., Colorado; Gross Med. Coll., Denver, Colo., April 8, 1892.

CRUICKSHANK, Brooklyn, N. Y.; Long Island Coll. Hosp., N. Y., May 16,’99. DAVIS, MAGNET J., Nome, Alaska; Cincinnati Coll. Med. and Surg., Ohio, April 2, 1896.

DECKELMAN, CARLOTTA R., Pacific Grove; Med. Dept. Univ. Cal., May 15, 1900.

DENNIS, ADOLPH J., Barstow; Kansas City Med. Coll., Mo., March 15, 1900. GALE, JOHN A., Valley Wells; Indiana Med. Coll., Ind., February 26, 1875. HALDEMAN, FREDERICK D., Ord, Neb.; Omaha Med. Coll., Neb., March 22, 1882.

HANNA, EDWARD A., Azusa; Chicago Med. Coll., Ill., March 23, 1886.

HAZEN, EDWARD HAMLIN, Los Angeles; Charity Hosp. Med. Coll., Cleveland, O., February 22, 1866.j

Hermida, JoaqUIN A., San Francisco; Med. Dept. Univ. City of New York, N. Y., March 6, 1886.

HODGHEAD, JOHN SAMUEL, Laytonville; St. Louis Coll. Phys. and Surg., Mo., April 26, 1899.

HOLMES, TRUMAN HUFF, Hillsboro; Med. Coll. of Ohio, March 7, 1889. KLOTZ, BERNARD J., San Francisco; Med. Dept. Univ. Cal., May 15, 1900. LACY, JASPER NEWTON, Badger; Univ. Med. Coll., Mo., March 22, 1900. MCARTHUR, PETER R., Los Angeles; Univ. of Toronto, Ontario, Can., June 9, 1899.

MCINTOSH, San Francisco; Med. Dept. Univ. of Cal., May 15, 1900.

MITCHELL, JOHN P., Santa Cruz; Jeff. Med. Coll., Pa., March 9, 1858. MURIETTA, ALFRED JOHN, Los Angeles; Coll. of Med. Univ. Southern Cal., Cal., June 16, 1899.

NIEUKIRK, J. WILLIAM, Mountain Home, Idaho; Coll. Phys. and Surg., Chicago, Ill., March 25, 1890.

OPSWIG, PETER, San Francisco; Med. Dept. Univ. of Cal.. May 15, 1900. OSBURN, ALBERT, Tacoma, Wash; Coll. Phys. and Surg., Keokuk, Iowa, March 2, 1880.

OSBURN, EVA ST. CLAIR, Tacoma, Wash.; Coll. Phys. and Surg., Keokuk, Iowa, March 2, 1886.

PALMER, HUMPHREY P., Benicia; Med. Dept. Univ. of Buffalo, N. Y., March 24, 1891.