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CONSTITUENT SOCIETIES

Trinidad, Colo., May 4, 1906.

The Las Animas County Medical Society met in regular session at the office of Dr. John R. Espey, with nearly a full attendance of the members, and several visitors. Several communications were acted on and routine busi

ness transacted.

"Medical Scepticism" was the subject of the essay by Dr. T. J. Forhan, which, at its conclusion, aroused a storm of discussion. The paper was prepared in an exceedingly scholarly manner, and while bringing forth the reasons for the history of medicine making the profession, as well as the laity, more or less sceptical, it showed the solid foundation and the good accomplished.

June 1, 1906.

The Las Animas County Medical Society met in regular session at the beautiful new office of Dr. R. G. Davenport, President McClure presiding, and about 20 members were present. Several interesting clinical cases were reported.

The essay by Dr. G. W. Robinson, "Medical and Surgical Extremes," was well prepared, and the ideas met with the approval of every member present. He treated of the extremes and radicalisms sometimes encountered in specialists and other practitioners, and was, on the whole, a plea for conservatism.

At the conclusion of the paper, Dr. Davenport became the genial host, and on his invitation the members enjoyed elegant refreshments and much good cheer was indulged in (not serious-a la W. C. T. U.).

The Society adjourned to meet July 6.

BEN B. BESHOAR, Secretary.

The Boulder County Medical Society held its regular monthly meeting Thursday evening, June 7, at 8 o'clock p. m., in the Physician's block.

Those present were: Drs. Giffin, Gilbert, Cattermole, Kate Lindsay, Ida S. Herr, Campbell, Trovillion, Johnstone, Lucy M. Wood, Queal, Baird and Spencer. Drs. Shively, Lane, McClusky, Schulte and Gill were guests of the Society.

The minutes of the last meeting were read and approved.

The name of Dr. J. D. Shively was proposed for membership by Drs. E. B. Queal and George H. Cattermole, and referred to the Board of Censors until the next meeting.

The committee composed of Drs. Queal, Rodes and Giffin, appointed to select two representatives to read papers at the State Society, reported that Drs. Charles F. Andrew and O. P. Johnstone had been selected. Their names were sent to the State Secretary April 15. The committee composed of Drs. Spencer, Queal and Jolley, appointed to raise San Francisco funds reported that $26 had been sent. The following physicians subscribed: Dr. Gilbert, $5; Dr. Cattermole, $5; Dr. Queal, $2; Dr. Trovillion, $2; Dr. Spencer, $2; Dr. Russell, $1; Dr. Jolley, $1; Dr. Craghead, $1; Dr. Weist, $5; Dr. Kate Lindsay, $2.

Dr. Ida S. Herr read a paper on "Massage as a Therapeutic Agent." She spoke of the history of massage and the fact that it was used by the Chinese three thousand years ago.

The various effects produced are mechanical, reflex and metabolic. Direct stimulating effects may be produced by friction, vibration, percussion and nerve compression. Sedative effects are produced by dirivitive friction, slow, firm muscle kneading and stroking.

Massage favorably effects digestion by improving the appetite, by promoting the secretion of the digestive fluids, by promoting absorption of the products of digestion and by aiding peristalsis.

Dr. Herr reported four cases in which massage was the chief therapeutic agent, and in which very marked improvement was demonstrated.

Dr. Herr's paper was discussed by Drs. Gilbert and Cattermole.

Dr. G. H. Cattermole presented a case; a man 74 years old, with atheromatous arteries, enlarged heart and a murmur at the apex and dyspnoea, whose blood pressure was normal. The patient had complained of insomnia due to difficult breathing.

Dr. G. H. Cattermole presented a paper on "The Clinical Value of the Sphygmomanometer." Dr. Cattermole stated that blood pressure depends upon, first, the amount of blood in the vessels; second, the force of the heart beat; third, on the elasticity of the arterial wall; and, fourth, on the size of the vessels or the peripheal resistance. It is with this last factor that we have the greatest difficulty in making an estimate. When peripheal resistance is increased from any cause the blood pressure is increased to overcome the obstruction.

Rise in pressure may also be caused by contraction of the vessels due to irritants in the blood. In these cases the sphygmomanometer will be of value. The instrument will also be

of value in showing early scleratic changes in the viscera, especially in the kidneys or general scleratic changes affecting all the viscera to a greater or less degree.

Numerous local and general diseases were enumerated in which the blood pressure was above or below normal. Dr. Cattermole gave the probable reasons for the change in blood pressure in most of the diseases cited.

In

The studies were made on 88 persons, and include 121 observations. Ten of these persons were in good health and showed a blood pressure of 120-130 mm. of mercury. These cases may be considered as control cases. four cases of typhoid fever the pressure was low, being from 80 to 105 degrees. In 12 cases of tuberculosis it was also low. In 12 persons who were nervous, but who were free from organic disease, the pressure was practically normal. Fourteen cases were briefly reported in which blood pressure was above normal.

In these cases noticeable or marked changes were absent in the viscera and arteries, and without Cook's instrument the increased pressure might not have been noted.

Dr. Cattermole's paper was discussed by Drs. Gilbert, Queal, Giffin, Johnstone, Baird, Kate Lindsay and Spencer.

Dr. Wm. J. Baird was appointed a member of the Board of Censors, to fill the vacancy created by the absence of Dr. C. A. Cattermole.

The circular letter from Colorado Medicine relative to the fees for insurance examinations was read and discussed. It was voted to leave the matter entirely to the judgment of the delegates from this Society.

The Secretary made a brief report concerning the running expenses of the Society, and it was voted to refer the matter of deficiency in subscriptions to the subscription committee to raise the deficient amount of money. Three dollars are due from each member of the Society living in Boulder.

The Society adjourned to meet the first Thursday in July. F. R. SPENCER, Secretary.

By E. F.

CORRESPONDENCE

In my letter of last month there appears an error in the number of words asked for in the abstracts of papers to be read at the coming meeting of the State Society. It should read from 50 to 200 words. These abstracts are intended for publication in the program, and should be in my hands by July 15th. If you

have been allotted a place on the program and have not sent me an abstract of your paper, please do so at once.

The following is extracted from the By-Laws of the State Society: Chapter XI, Section 1. Each constituent society shall collect an assessment of three dollars per capita on its membership and pay the same to the Society. Such assessment shall cover the annual dues and the subscription for the official journal, of each member in good standing. On or before the first day of September of each year the secretary of each constituent society shall forward to the secretary of this society the amount of the annual assessment of the society, together with the roster of members in good standing, officers and delegates, and a list of physicians of the district not in good standing or nonaffiliated.

The by-laws of your local society make your dues payable July 1st, and you stand suspended September 1st if your dues have not been paid. Your secretary is a busy man. Do not wait for him to call upon you for your dues, but send him your check for three dollars today, if you have not already done so, plus the amount of your local dues..

Remember that your society is the portal for entrance to the State Society and the American Medical Association, and that all non-sectarian practitioners of medicine in your district are eligible for membership. Personalities must be buried. Objection to the entrance of any eligible practitioner in your district should not be thought of, but it should be the duty and pleasure of every member of your society to urge every other non-affiliated eligible practitioner to join. The question of eligibility should be broadly construed. Once a man is a member he can be kept straight easier than if he is on the outside. The object of our organization is to improve the standing of medicine in each district. If you have a weak brother, take him in with you and make something of him. He can not hurt you, and you may be able to help him. Once you have him with you, you can demand that he conduct himself as a respectable physician should. If he does not do it you have it within your power to expel him, which should be equivalent to disbarment in a legal sense. Physicians have not used their organizations to effect the full good for which they are possible. Attendance upon your local meetings and the state meetings can only be productive of improvement to yourself, with increased respect for your fellow practitioner, and an increase in the esteem of your community.

MELVILLE BLACK, Secretary.

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A Full Line of

SPENCER BACTERIOLOGICAL MICROSCOPES.

A Full Line of

DR. GRUBLER'S STAINS.

A Full Line of

MOUNTING MATERIAL.

Thoma-Zeiss Haemacytometer for red and white, with this ad cut out and sent in, $12.15.

Zeiss 1-12 Oil Immersion, with this ad, $47.50.

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VOL. III.

PUBLISHED BY THE COLORADO STATE MEDICAL SOCIETY

DENVER, AUGUST, 1905

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No. 8

that Chicago, the great packing center, did have some unsanitary places that needed a house cleaning.

The story of the disappearance of the Chicago sausage maker's wife is still fresh in the minds of everyone, and Chicago should be very careful to avoid such scandal in the future. Inspection of packing houses cannot be too careful, for in addition to keeping the meat from contamination, the health of the animal to be slaughtered should be rigidly inquired into.

Up to date, we believe the food products of Colorado are above the average, but should Denver become a great packing center, as it is hoped to make it, this matter of inspection will become as important as in Eastern cities.

The boards of health would do well to look more carefully into the cold storage system. A half-dressed chicken kept in cold storage indefinitely is not a fit article of diet, and the same may be said of many other food products kept in this way.

If careful inspections were frequently made of all public kitchens and places. where foods are made or kept, ptomaine poisoning would be of less frequent oc

currence.

RESTRAINING OF PERVERTS. The State provides a penitentiary for convicted criminals, and an asylum for the insane, but makes no provision for the pervert, who is often as dangerous to society as either of the above.

The press dispatches from Glenwood last week conveyed the information that a dark-skinned individual with long. kinky hair, had induced a bright and beau

tiful school mistress to accompany him to his "colony" in California, where she, in common with other female converts, was to be given the opportunity to study the boundless beauties of the limitless life.

When King David became enamored of the beauty and symmetry of Mrs. Uriah he promoted her husband to the post of honor (and danger) in the front rank of his expert broad swordsmen so that Uriah got the worst of it in the next scrimmage, but the modern David, when he wishes to possess the charms of one he could not hope to win by the recognized routine methods of courtship, resorts to religious strategy, and strange to say, his victims are many.

One would think that the old established religious organizations had sufficient variety to satisfy every one, but the fact remains that any pervert can get up a new scheme and obtain a following.

All religious schemes of recent years have had one of two reasons for their existence, viz. sensuality or graft. This does not prove that lust and religion are inseparable, but it only shows that any sensuous pervert may organize a "colony" under the guise of religion and make proselytes.

Because there are more women found in these colonies than men does not prove that women are more religious or weakerminded than men, but it is simply the result of the proselyting. Perverts of this stripe are more anxious to save female souls than male souls.

When this man Lucus visited Denver some years ago, it was a common sight to see him parade the streets with flying banners and a hack load of girls ranging from 8 to 14 years. He argued that the sooner a young girl learned to "know herself" the better it would be for her (and his "colony").

It was simply the "David idea" modernized.

Religion is not responsible for these

innovations, but is used as a cloak to ward off the law. In view of the fact that the pervert seems to be on the increase, it is high time the state and courts should recognize a pervert as being as dangerous to society as the insane or criminal.

It is a safe guess that were these "limitless life" and "higher thought" perverts to be emasculated, the "colony idea" would immediately be abandoned.

ABUSE OF THE TITLE.

After possessing a medical degree for a quarter of a century, the writer is still unable to figure out just why so many people who do not deserve a title should be so anxious to be called "doctor."

A cross-roads minister who looks after the spiritual needs of a poorly-wintered starvation congregation would increase his chest measurement at least four inches if perchance he were addressed as "doctor," while the average layman would stand on his head and turn a double somersault if his neighbors should decide to designate him by that title.

The dignity of anyone who owns a Faradic battery, a bath cabinet, or who massages folks is very much offended if one neglects to address him as "doctor."

No wonder the surgeons of England. and some other countries, prefer the simple "Mr." to the title conferred by their alma mater.

If any mountebank commits a crime against the peace and dignity of the state. the daily papers delight to refer to him or her as "doctor.”

Perhaps it is well to inform the members of the Colorado State Medical Society that the real physicians of Denver are not so bad as would seem from the press dispatches.

"Dr." Alzamon Ira Lucus, whom the authorities of Denver asked to "move on," is not a physician, nor even a "professor." but simply a free love artist.

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