BANQUET AND PRESENTATION IN HONOR OF 
JOHN S. BILLINGS, M.D., LLD. 
FROM 
THE MEDICAL NEWS, 
December 7, 1895. [Reprinted from The Medical News, December 7, 1895.] 
BANQUET AND PRESENTATION IN HONOR 
OF JOHN S. BILLINGS, M.D., LL.D. 
The American subscribers to the Billings Testimonial 
met at the Hotel Bellevue, Philadelphia, November 30, 
1895, at 7.30 p.m. 
Following the discussion of the menu, Dr. S. Weir 
Mitchell, Chairman, after a few pleasant introductory 
words, called upon Professor J. M. DaCosta, of Phila- 
delphia, who said that he felt keenly the responsibility 
of speaking on behalf of the Committee, and of repre- 
senting so many distinguished men, both in America 
and in England. He was, he further said, gratified that 
henceforth Dr. Billings was to be connected with one of 
our greatest institutions, and that hereafter he could be 
greeted, not only as a most distinguished member of our 
profession, but as a most distinguished Philadelphian. 
Dr. Billings, he continued, has many claims to distinc- 
tion : he is well known in hygiene, he is a hospital-con- 
structor, he has written a dictionary ; but above all he is 
the author of the greatest index-catalog of our day, 
which has now reached sixteen volumes, with over 
300,000 books and articles catalogued, and cross-refer- 
ences to over 800,000. 
Commenting upon the enormous labor of such a task, 
the speaker referred to what Scaliger said of the bibli- 
ographer, the dictionary-maker, and the index-maker : 
that it was worse than toiling in the mines or at the 
anvil; and that a French author, in this connection, had 
said: “If there be an odious crime on earth; if any 2 
one has blasphemed the gods or killed his father, let 
him make a dictionary as punishment! ” 
Dr. Billings has made a dictionary, and has made an 
index, and yet he does not regard either of these tasks 
as a punishment, but speaks of one in his preface as 
“ a labor of love.” This seems the most extraordinary 
pathologic development of the amorous instinct on rec- 
ord ! For a man to love so constantly for sixteen years, 
embracing in that love eight-hundred-thousand persons 
at least, is certainly something almost beyond belief! 
Dr. Billings has done the whole of literature, the 
whole of science, a great good by this unselfish work, 
which has been of the kind that builds up literature 
and science indirectly by removing obstructions and 
saving time. Let us give thanks also to his able coad- 
jutors, to Fletcher, his learned colleague, to another 
friend who is with us to-night and who helped to read 
proof, to the indefatigable Chadwick, who, whenever 
any work is to be done of a public kind, is sure to be in 
the midst of it. This work will continue for generations 
and generations to be a benefit. It is a great national 
credit; an illustration of what a powerful and rich gov- 
ernment can do ; an illustration of the tact and sagacity 
of the men successively in charge of the Surgeon-Gen- 
eral’s office. It is a credit alike to the nation, to the 
corps to which Dr. Billings belongs, and to the medical 
profession. 
Dr. Billings has been justly honored all over the world, 
having been made an Honorary Member of the Univer- 
sity of Munich ; a Doctor of Laws of Dublin and of the 
University of Edinburgh ; a Doctor of our own Harvard, 
and a Doctor of Civil Laws of Oxford. It cannot be said 
that he has not received just recognition ; indeed, with 
reference to Oxford, it is reported that he was recognized 
there in more than one way ; that when he went up to 
Oxford to receive his degree, clad in red robe and purple 
gloves, the students, recognizing that there were some 3 
other qualities in him lurking under the solemnities, 
broke out in loud cries of ,l Josh Billings ! ’’ 
The great lexicographer, Dr. Samuel Johnson, said 
that the life of the bibliographer was one of constant 
work without the least thought of possible reward; to 
escape censure was all that could possibly be hoped for. 
But if Dr. Samuel Johnson were here in this goodly 
company to-night—in his brown coat and brass buttons, 
after having swallowed enormous quantities of fluid, 
and eaten, as was his wont, like a tiger—he would think 
that, at the end of the Nineteenth Century, things were 
very much better, and that, in a new country, talent and 
ability and industry were duly honored. And if Dr. 
Billings were to choose one occasion of all his life that 
he would like best and most constantly remembered, I 
believe fully it would be this—to-night here among his 
friends, among men who have come from long distances, 
among his associates, who are all only too glad to do 
him honor. The memory of this meeting must, indeed, 
remain with him to the end of his days, and his chil- 
dren’s children will tell each other of to-night. 
Dr. S. Weir Mitchell then said that after hearing 
how good a speech a man could make who was altogether 
unprepared, they would hear how bad a speech a man 
can make who is entirely prepared. He alluded to Dr. 
Da Costa’s reference to the great power of a government 
to assist a noble project, such as Dr. Billings has brought 
to a satisfactory conclusion, and remarked that it was a 
pity that our republican form of institution lacked all 
methods of systematic remuneration for any man except 
the soldier and the lawyer, to both of whom it can give 
promotion, high place and reward, though they may have 
done little in comparison to that which has been done 
for mankind by two score men at this table to-night. 
He spoke of a dinner attended in London as far back 
as 1853, when he dined with “several reasonably ob- 
scure people”—a Mr. Jenner, a Mr. Paget, a Dr. Quain, 4 
also a Mr, Carpenter, who was then rising into note and 
was older than the others. The speaker commented 
upon the fact that all of the men named are to-day, or 
have been, baronets; that all of them have been attend- 
ants upon members of the Royal family—all on the 
Queen, he thought; that all were decorated in someway, 
Knights of the Bath, etc. This he contrasted with the 
practice in our own country, where there are no fitting 
marks of distinction to point out to the mass of man- 
kind who are the best, and to indicate this in some formal 
way. In this connection he said: “When I think of 
the work that has been done by men like Flint, Da Costa, 
Osier, or of lives like those of Atlee or Sims, or of 
what my friend Welch has done in pathology, or the 
brilliant achievements in surgery of a man like Henry 
Bigelow, or of the recent distinguished addition to the 
despairing surgery of the prostate—l mention no name 
—and know how small are any but the commercial 
rewards, which are surely the smallest for this sort of 
thing, it makes one feel that there is nothing for us to do 
except occasionally to meet together as we are now 
doing, to say what we think about men like the honored 
friend of many years, whom we have here to-night as 
guest.” 
He referred to a recent meeting of the National Acad- 
emy of Sciences, at which, for the first time in the history 
of that association, it took courage to say to two of its 
members : “ You have done noble and great things, and 
we wish to congratulate you upon them.” It turned on 
this occasion to Professor Lesley, of this city, and con- 
gratulated him warmly upon having finished the 124 th 
volume of the Geology of the State of Pennsylvania; it 
turned to Dr. Billings, getting a little ahead of us, and 
congratulated him on the noble library which he created, 
and the catalog which he has just brought to satisfactory 
completeness. Neither has the profession of medicine 
shown any tendency in its societies or in its central asso- 5 
ciation to point to its greatest men and thank them in 
any manner or in any way. This should have been 
done long ago for more than one who has gone un- 
thanked to the world where all accounts are settled. 
Dr. Mitchell read extracts from a number of letters 
received from Great Britain and the United States, 
speaking in the highest terms of praise of Dr. Billings’ 
work. 
“ There was but one hitch in all this,” he said. ‘‘My 
friend. Dr. Lauder Brunton, having collected a very con- 
siderable sum in and about London, sent me a draft 
which was drawn to the order of Samuel Weir Mitchell. 
Now the bank refused to pay the draft, because that is 
not my name, and when I came to inquire as to how it 
was that my old friend had made this mistake it turned 
out that in this great catalog of Billings, where there 
are no mistakes, my name is written Samuel Weir 
Mitchell! 
“ I am not going to say anything about the character of 
the work done which brings us here thankfully to-night 
to represent about 250 of the members of the profession 
in America and Great Britain. You have been told in 
language better than I can use what is the reason of our 
meeting. It becomes now my pleasant duty to place in 
Dr, Billings’ hands the gift of a silver box which con- 
tains a check for $lO,OOO, and which has engraved upon 
it, ‘To John S. Billings, from 259 physicians of the 
United States and Great Britain in grateful recognition 
of his services to medical scholars. ’ On the side of the 
box there is, in Latin, a statement to the effect that he 
who has made a catalog of a great library has created a 
memory of the wisdom and learning of the past. 
“In offering this box to my old friend, and the gentle- 
man you desire to honor to-night, I would say that while 
the silver box contains this practical recognition of his 
services it also contains something more, as my imagina- 
tion figures it. You all remember that phrase of Dr. 6 
Johnson’s, ‘ Wealth beyond the dreams of avarice.’ 
There is, as I think of it, within this box, for an imagina- 
tive man, that wealth which represents the good feeling, 
the friendly opinions, the thankfulness, of the scholar- 
ship of two continents. Also I may say that this 
wealth represents a noble avarice, of that kind which 
my friend has shown all his life—a desire to be loved 
and respected by those in our profession whom men 
most rightly honor.” 
Dr. John S. Billings said : “ I think that not the 
most eloquent speaker among you would feel himself at 
all able to make a fitting reply to the addresses to which 
you have just listened. It is impossible for me to do so, 
and I can only say that I thank you all from the bottom 
of my heart. To judge from my own sensations, that is 
not going very deep, because to me my heart seems at 
present to be in the neighborhood of my larynx. 
“ Of course, in this honor I am, in a way, but a repre- 
sentative, a large part of it being due to individual per- 
sonal friendship and good will. The work has been 
rendered possible by the cooperation of many men 
working for many years, and a very large number of 
those men I see around this table. Besides, a very 
large part of this has not been due to individual merit, 
but, as you know, to opportunity.” 
Dr, Billings referred particularly to the cooperation 
of Dr. Chadwick and Dr. Fletcher. He explained that 
early in his medical experience he had occasion to look 
up the literature on the subject of the surgical treatment 
of epilepsy, and he was unable to obtain French journals 
to verify references. A canvass of New York, Philadel- 
phia, and Boston, only resulted in obtaining one-half 
the journals, and Dr. Billings conceived the desirability 
of a library where all information of this character could 
be obtained. After the war, being placed on temporary 
duty in the Surgeon-General’s Office, it seemed to him a 
very judicious time to get together some books for the 7 
library. At that time there were only two bookcases 
in the office which constituted the library. The long 
and arduous difficulties and labors attendant upon the 
enterprise before it reached assured success, as also in 
establishing the catalog, were briefly recapitulated by 
the speaker. 
“As to this gift, I accept it in the spirit in which it 
is given ; I cannot yet say how it shall be used. It rep- 
resents power ; it represents the power of getting knowl- 
edge; the power, perhaps, of developing knowledge and 
increasing it. I will endeavor to use it in a way that will 
perhaps be satisfactory to those who have contributed it. 
‘‘ In conclusion, gentlemen, I beg of you to accept my 
warmest and heartfelt thanks, and the assurance of my 
appreciation of your kindness.” 
The Chair then called upon Dr. J. R. Chadwick, of 
Boston, who said: 
“ Before fulfilling the role which you have assigned to 
me of alluding to the merits of Dr. Billings’ able collab- 
orators in carrying out the stupendous work of which we 
meet to celebrate the completing, I want to testify to the 
gratification that we New Englanders always have in 
gathering to do honor to your distinguished men. lam 
here reminded of the words of a famous orator, Rufus 
Choate, of Boston, in addressing a similar audience in 
this city many years ago. ‘lt gives me great satisfac- 
tion,’ he said, ‘ to honor, by my presence here to-night, 
the two most distinguished sons of Pennsylvania—Ben- 
jamin Franklin, of Massachusetts, and Robert Morris, of 
New York.’ May I not add another to the galaxy in 
naming Dr. Billings, of Washington ? This phrase may 
be interpreted in more than one way, but I prefer to 
assume that the orator meant to imply that you had the 
discernment to recognize the merits of genius wherever 
found, and the ability to offer them such inducements as 
would lead them to become citizens of this metropolis. 
“ As Librarian of the Medical Library of Boston, and 8 
a warm personal friend of Dr. Billings, I have had many 
opportunities of appreciating the rare combination of 
qualities in Dr. Billings which has fitted him to conceive 
the task of creating from a very small nucleus the im- 
mense library over which he till recently presided, and 
then making an index-catalog of it more comprehensive 
in scope and more perfect in detail than any catalog 
hitherto made in any special branch of science. In 
proof that this praise is none too great, I would call your 
attention to the reasons emblazoned in letters of gold 
upon the honorary degree conferred upon him by the 
University of Munich (the translation from the Latin 
is mine); 
“ ‘ A man who deserves of his country and of literature 
the highest praise, not only for his numerous important 
writings on the relations of physicians, on the proper 
construction and administration of hospitals, on the 
public health in the United States according to the pre- 
cepts of the science and art of hygiene, on the preser- 
vation and improvement in the health of the army, but 
also for the great collections thereto relating, which he 
has established and extended; a man, who in the Index 
Medicus, of which he is editor, includes, by indefatiga- 
ble industry, all the branches of medicine that are being 
advanced throughout the whole world, who, also, as 
author of the book that is entitled the Index-Catalog of 
the Library of the Surgeon-General’s Office, United States 
Army, which, by the remarkable munificence of those 
who control the Government of the United States, has 
been laid before an immense number of learned men, 
has entitled himself to the gratitude of physicians and 
students of history throughout the whole world, and 
has built for himself a monument more lasting than 
brass.’ 
“All who consult this catalog can perceive its merits ; 
but few can appreciate the incessant labor bestowed 
upon it by Dr. Billings; no one, in fact, who has not, 
as I have, had the privilege of being his frequent guest 9 
during the past sixteen years and seen him sit down 
night after night at eleven o’clock with a pencil in his 
hand and a huge basket of current journals in all lan- 
guages by his side, and, taking up one after another, 
run his eye over every outside and check those that 
were worth cataloging—about four out of every five. 
This is but one of the many stages in the work to which 
he gave his personal attention. 
“ It is not for me to be his panegyrist on this occasion ; 
but there is one direction in which his influence has 
been felt throughout the length and breadth of the land 
which others might fail to note. I allude to the extent 
to which the formation of the Library of the Surgeon- 
General’s Office and the publication of its catalog 
have stimulated the formation of medical libraries in 
every large center of population. This in itself entitles 
him to the gratitude of this and future generations of 
medical men. 
“ One of the most valuable of his many qualities has 
been his common-sense. ‘He is like a pin,’ to use a 
Frenchman’s simile, ‘in that his head prevents his 
going too far.’ His knowledge of men and his ability to 
secure their enthusiastic cooperation form the secret of 
much of his power. For instance, he not only despoiled 
my private library of many of its treasures in the early 
days of our acquaintance, but persuaded me to listen 
with equanimity, when, as at the dedication of the med- 
ical library in Boston, he boasted of the fact publicly, 
and intimated that the experience had doubtless proved 
a valuable object-lesson for me as a librarian. Mr. 
Thomas Windsor, formerly Librarian of the Manchester 
Medical Library, in England, is another who has suc- 
cumbed to his wiles, and from the beginning has sent 
box after box of medical rarities culled from his exten- 
sive private library, and this, despite the fact that he is 
the most inveterate collector and reader of books, and 
has a more intimate knowledge of their value than any 
living man. We are but types of his many victims. 10 
“The effect upon the Catalog of this quality in Dr. 
Billings is made manifest by the ability and indefatigable 
labors of his subordinates. No one familiar with the 
workings of the library can help being impressed with 
the exactitude and unfailing courtesy of Mr. F. W. Stone, 
who keeps the books and carries on the multifarious 
correspondence; with the energy and executive ability 
of Mr. C. P. Clarke, who has general supervision of the 
clerical work; of the genial, cultivated persistence of 
Mr. Edward Shaw, who, despite his many years and 
independent fortune, labors early and late to complete 
the files of periodicals. I cannot repent my weakness in 
sending him from my private collection last year, after 
many years of solicitation, the number of the Gazette de 
Jardine lacking to complete the file of that journal, when 
I realize that it is to him chiefly, owing to such persist- 
ence, that the periodicals in the library now number 
29,000 volumes, and is the largest collection of medical 
periodicals in the world. I have no personal acquaint- 
ance with the other employes, such as Mr. W. T. W. 
Moritz, who, as chief cataloguer, writes and revises the 
cards and compares them with the titles of the books; 
the late Mr. F. L. Apel, who was in charge of the library 
in 1865, then numbering 800 volumes, and who kept the 
library in order in the two little bookcases, and sent 
patients to the Providence Hospital; he subsequently 
became clerk and was specially useful in revising proof, 
owing to his knowledge of eight of ten languages ; Mr. 
Hardy who, as successor to the late Dr. Wise, is curator 
of the books; and Mr. Watson, keeper of the unbound 
books. 
“ I have reserved to the last, in order to give it deserved 
prominence, mention of the name of Dr. Robert Fletcher 
as the most distinguished collaborator with Dr. Billings 
on the Index-Catalog, and the actual editor of the 
Index Medicus. As his qualification for this work is 
only exceeded by his modesty, I may be pardoned for 
giving a few brief biographic data. 11 
“ Dr. Fletcher is of English birth, received his medical 
education in Bristol and London, was married at the age 
of twenty-one years, and brought his bride at once to 
America, establishing himself in practice in Cincinnati, 
Ohio. In 1861 he was appointed Surgeon of Volunteers, 
served throughout the War of the Rebellion in the 
Armies of the West as Medical Purveyor. At the end 
of the war he became an acting Assistant Surgeon, and 
was assigned to assist Dr. J. H. Baxter in compiling the 
Statistics of the Provost-Marshal General’s Office relat- 
ing to drafted men, a work of great value for reference 
for anthropometric data, much of which value is due to 
the accuracy and general attainments of Dr. Fletcher. 
In 1877, after the publication of this work, he was as- 
signed for duty in the medical library, where he at once 
became the chief assistant and received the title of Prin- 
cipal Assistant Librarian by Act of Congress in 1891. 
His mental equipment to fill the important functions of 
this position has been continuously augmented by the 
fact of his private studies, which have covered a wide 
field, ranging from the old English poets and dramatists 
to modern anthropology. As proof of his attainments 
he has given us desirable papers “ On the Vigor and Ex- 
pressiveness of Older English ;’’ “ The Poet, is he Born, 
Not Made?’’ “Medical Lore in the Older English 
Dramatists of the Elizabethan Era, excluding Shakes- 
peare and in another field, “ The New|School of Crimi- 
nal Anthropology.’’ He has been President, successively, 
of the Anthropological Society of Washington, the Philo- 
sophical Society of Washington, and the Literary Society 
of Washington. 
“In preparing the Index-Catalog his assistance has 
been of the utmost importance, the accuracy and typo- 
graphic excellence of the volumes being entirely due to 
his careful and skilful supervision 
“It is fortunate for the medical profession that Dr. 
Fletcher will remain, in the future as in the past, the 
editor of the Index Medicus. When this important pub- 12 
lication was started he took entire charge of the editorial 
work, and the excellence of this record of current med- 
ical literature is wholly due to his skill and ability. We 
know that its revival is assured. I trust that he will tell 
us fully of its present status. 
“ One word and lam done. When Dr. Fletcher was 
five years old, his father, who was a lawyer, had as a 
client a man possessed of a large landed estate, whose 
exigencies required that an insurance should be effected 
upon a young life. Dr. Fletcher then had the only neces- 
sary qualification, and his life was insured for a large sum. 
The premiums have been paid regularly ever since. 
During the time of Dr. Fletcher’s active service in the 
field the premiums were doubled. When it became 
known in England that Dr. Fletcher was assigned to 
duty in Nashville, the premium was reduced to the 
former rate, on the ground that he was stationed ‘in a 
walled and garrisoned town.’ It seemed to me that 
this insurance must not be allowed to lapse, and I think 
that part of the funds in your hands, Mr. Chairman, 
should be employed to prevent the loss of this mascot. 
I propose a toast to Dr. Robert Fletcher of Washington.” 
Dr. Fletcher then said ; 
“ I am somewhat in the position of a friend of mine, 
who, being in Alaska in the early days of that territory, 
was supposed to have been killed there. He returned, 
fortunately, to San Francisco, and, being a member of 
the San Francisco Academy of Sciences, he went to a 
meeting of that society, and listened with great interest 
to a most pathetic account of his career and untimely 
death. I feel somewhat in his position after having 
heard this very untimely obituary. 
“ I need not say with what pleasure I have listened to 
the various tributes paid to Dr. Billings. It is needless 
for me to add anything as to the merits of the particular 
work which he has been engaged in; but I can speak 
of it from a different standpoint from any of you—that 
of twenty years’ daily intercourse with Dr. Billings, an 13 
intercourse characterized always by the gracious readi- 
ness he has ever shown to contribute to my insufficient 
knowledge. 
“ While the thought of a great index-catalog might 
have occurred to thousands of persons, there have been 
more than once attempts made to deprive Dr. Billings 
of the credit of the first conception, and, indeed, of some 
of the carrying out of the work connected with that 
index-catalog. I take the opportunity to say—and 
there is no man living who can speak more positively 
on that subject than I can—that I know positively that 
the first conception of this stupendous work, the plan- 
ning of it, the arrangement, the classification—in short, 
the whole merit of it, are all due to Dr. Billings exclusively. 
“ My friend, Dr. Chadwick, has kindly associated my 
name with the Index Medicus, that fascinating romance 
of which you have all heard. It is right that I should 
say something on this subject. Some sixteen years ago 
this was commenced at the suggestion of a New York 
publisher. Later Mr. Davis, of Detroit, asked permis- 
sion to carry it on, and it certainly has been a great 
credit to him and his generosity, for it was every year 
with a certain definite loss of money that he continued 
the publication ; at length he tired even of that, and the 
journal ceased to be published last April. I think, on 
the whole, I was rather pleased, for I could go to the 
seashore without thinking whether appendicitis should 
be classed under diseases of the digestive system or 
under the surgical treatment of the abdomen. We all 
know that when a man dies it is astonishing how many 
men find out how much they thought of him, and how 
much they really valued him in his lifetime, although 
they may have done nothing to help him. So it was 
with the Index Medicus. In the pathetic language of 
Erin they said : ‘ Arrah, then, why did you die ?’ The 
result was that those who really wanted the journal con- 
tinued were asked to subscribe for it on terms heretofore 
unheard of in the history of medical publishing. In- 14 
stead of the minimum number of subscribers we have 
received so many that we have begun to decline addi- 
tional subscriptions, so that I have the pleasure of 
stating that in January next the first current monthly 
number will be published, and another number, as soon 
as the material will allow of its being printed, will 
cover the entire space since the cessation of the publi- 
cation last spring.’’ 
Dr. A. Jacobi, of New York, being introduced, rather 
took issue with Dr. Mitchell’s views as to the better 
position of the profession on the other side, and thought 
there was not much to complain of; that everyone in 
actual practice in this country attends sovereigns every 
day. Continuing he said : 
“When you, Mr. Chairman, in your irresistible and 
pleasant dictatorial way, told me a few days ago that I 
should be one of those who would speak here, I meekly 
submitted to what I prefer to call your fate. Originally 
I had expected to be on what you have seen mentioned 
in the books as a Weir Mitchell treatment, with ample 
rest, good feeding, and the most pleasing silence. But 
you willed differently, and I, ‘ cedo majori,’ speaking 
for New York last, least, and briefest. 
“ I look upon to-night’s gathering as a manifestation of 
great moment. As a rule, a professional man’s reward 
for long-continued work and meritorious services con- 
sists in the universal but silent recognition of his labors. 
We do not, as they do in monarchical states, attach long- 
winded titles to his honored name ; nor do we ornament 
his coat with insignia and decorations; nor are there 
many instances in which his distinction and the veneration 
felt for him are substantiated by a calligraphically written 
and embossed address or other documentary evidence. 
To-night, however, many of us have assembled for the 
purpose of proving both to the profession and the public 
some proof that his colleagues love to publicly honor a 
great and good man, whose efficient work medical men all 
over the world have long learned to appreciate. I trust 15 
the notoriety of this occasion (I wish there were many 
of the kind) will prove to the community at large the 
existence of the public spirit which prevails in the bulk 
of the medical profession and of good will toward a deserv- 
ing colleague. The jealous and mercenary spirit of a 
commercial era must not and does not enter into the 
ranks of a scientific and ethical brotherhood. That 
spirit may be natural and congenial to the stock-ex- 
change, the labor-market, and industrial enterprises ; 
but—‘ quod licet bovi non licet Jovi ’—it does not 
govern the motives of the most humane of all the pro- 
fessions. Nor is this exhibition of the spirit of the pro- 
fession without its reward, for the esteem the medical 
fraternity is commanding among the lay world stands in 
due proportion to the regard we evince for ourselves, for 
each other, and for our achievements, rights, and duties. 
“ The last take the first rank in the minds of whom- 
ever looks on himself as one of the cells constituting the 
living organism of science and of society. Therefore, 
appreciating my own duties, I try to read in the soul of our 
guest; unless modest to a fault, that he has the right to 
claim that there is no man who has been more active in 
the service of the profession, and through the profession 
to all countries. Not a year of his life but has been filled 
with the results of the labors of an always seething 
brain. Fortunately it was warmed by a generous heart 
and sustained by great physical powers. Thus only 
was it possible to know and amass books, old and new, 
to gather and systematize specimens, to write history, 
prepare censuses, exhibit statistics of the greatest value, 
organize the Index- Catalog and the Index Medicus, and 
the Medical Museum, and always to combine the powers 
of a savant and of an administrator. . . . 
“ All of the latter are wanted in his present position. 
Hygienic institutes will henceforth require the best 
talent of the land. Modern and future medicine must 
rest on biology and hygiene, including as these do bacte- 
riology. Thus far practical surgery has reaped the most 16 
beneficent harvest from their labors. Internal medicine 
has just begun to participate in their blessings. Anti- 
toxins are to take equal rank with antisepsis and asep- 
sis. Thus laboratories are the most efficient agents, 
both curative and immunizing, that is preventive. And 
the best minds should be placed at the head of the insti- 
tutions destined to render experimental research sub- 
servient to suffering mankind. From that point of view 
1 was not sorry to learn that Billings gave up his unique 
position in Washington to charge himself with the direc- 
tion of his laboratory of hygiene. He is more than 
eminently qualified ; for not only the best minds are re- 
quired for such places, but the stoutest hearts also. A 
position like his is no longer a mere office ; it becomes a 
mission. Modern medicine shares both in its objects and 
in its methods the dangers of a gospel. It is our present 
exact experimental methods that are constantly assailed 
by the obscurists of all countries and all stations in life. 
They have succeeded in almost crippling English physi- 
ology and pathology by depriving the most objective and 
brightest observers of any nation of the means of system- 
atic experimentation. In our country we have had to 
to exercise constant watchfulness over legislatures and 
wary lobbyists to ward off contemplated blows against the 
liberty of scientific research ; and the last reports carry 
the news of a new onslaught along the whole line. Strong 
conviction, eternal watchfulness, and stout resistance of 
closed ranks will be required to fight and defeat the 
sickly sentimentalists who shed tears over a rabbit while 
staring in stupefaction at the epidemics of preventable 
diseases, which slay humankind by the hundreds ot 
thousands, and call it a dispensation of Providence. In 
the imminent combat against misled ignorance and 
semi-instructed and opinionated fanaticism, we shall re- 
quire not only universal cooperation, but also the strong- 
est voices fit to be heard in the uproar of the battle. 
Such a Diomede you have secured for Philadelphia, 
Show us many more, so as to at least convince the mil- 17 
lions that the world of the future should belong to man 
and not to rabbits, guinea-pigs, and horses. 
“We should not imagine that victory will be easy; 
even an attack once repulsed affords no security. It is 
a pity that this should be so, but this uncertainty must 
be borne along with the blessings of our political and 
social habits, of which it is the direct result. Individual, 
political, and social life cannot be at rest and settled 
forever in a progressive community. We are used to 
unceasing agitation. Constant motion clears the atmos- 
phere ; perpetual turmoil the stagnating waters of the 
ocean ; and it takes a restless and never-pausing circu- 
lation in protoplasm and cells to preserve the health of 
organic life. Thus, if we must fight, let us do so with 
the conviction that through fighting only in accord with 
what we forever see in living matter can we work out 
our salvation and that of mankind. It is certainly true, 
as the great German proclaimed, that he only earns 
both liberty and life who conquers them on every one of 
his living days. 
“ I came near forgetting, however, that I am speaking 
before my betters, recognized masters in modern medi- 
cine, and. I trust, just as conscientious citizens of the 
political republic as they are leaders in that of science. 
There is no use carrying owls to Athens, or to speak of 
the duties of the medical profession to the successors 
of Rush and Physick. The mention of these illustrious 
names carries me back to where I started, to Philadelphia. 
“ What shall I say of and to Philadelphia and of this 
grand demonstration of hers, for hers it is ? From what 
I know we should not be here without her having taken 
the initiative. It is but just that she should have done 
so, for indeed she is equally interested with all of us, 
and the gainer by far for gobbling up the guest of the 
evening as her own immediate property. She reminds 
me in part of what William Sterling in his life of Charles 
V says of Austria ; ‘‘ Bella gerant alii tu felix Austria 
nube—let others fight, Austria makes her fortune by 18 
marrying.” So Philadelphia enriched herself by having 
Billings wedded to her. Still let us be just and admit 
that she never was a mere receiver and that he made no 
contract with a mean spouse. From the time of Benja- 
min Rush to the present, American medicine found a 
home and fertile cultivation in Philadelphia, and not a 
few of her medical citizens have been Rush’s successful 
rivals in all his exertions and achievements. That is no 
mean praise if you refer to what is said of him in A 
Century of American Medicine, by Edward N. Clarke, 
Henry I. Bigelow, Samuel D. Gross, T. Gaillard 
Thomas, and J. S. Billings. In the article on ‘ Practical 
Medicine,’ written by Clarke and R. H. Fitz, Benjamin 
Rush is called ‘ a devoted enthusiast in his profession, 
an ardent patriot, a lover of liberty, eminent as a phy- 
sician, distinguished as a philosopher and a scholar, 
who, holding a high social position in the community, 
contributed largely to raise the profession of medicine 
in the estimation of the community in which he lived, 
and of the whole country.’ I am anxious to add that 
this very day the ranks of Philadelphia’s great physi- 
cians contain more than one man to whom that eulogy 
bestowed on Rush would be but a just tribute. Thus, 
while she may be envied because of her securing Bill- 
ings, she offers no mean gift to the newcomer. 
‘‘And now a word about this newcomer and old friend. 
At the close of my remarks I mean to become quite 
personal and tell a story. Those who know me well 
are aware of my not commiting many sins of that kind. 
lam even suspected of knowing no stories at all. But 
there are a few in my repertory, and their beauty con- 
sists in their being true—some of them. Now, there 
was a letter written fifty years ago, somewhere in South 
America. It bore the address, ‘ Alexander Humboldt, 
Europe.’ That letter was not slow in finding the little 
great man in his side street in Berlin. In the same way 
the honored guest of the evening is called by me and all 
of us ‘Billings,’ not even Dr. Billings. Not in my 19 
most melancholic dreams did it ever occur to me that he 
would condescend to descend to our level. I say our 
level, for I am afraid there are but few here so distin- 
guished as not to be professors. Most of us, I fear, are 
professors, more or less. And Billings is one of us now, 
lam told. But I need not be told that he will remain 
big enough to require no title additional to that which 
he carried in Washington. That title was ‘ Billings.’ 
And I also know that when in Europe—which, after all, 
is also a part of the world—and the rest of the conti- 
nents, men whom we all know and revere count the 
very best names of all countries, one of the few will be 
‘ Billings, of America.’ ” 
Dr. William Osler, of Baltimore, being called 
upon, said: 
“ I have to make the very pleasant announcement 
that though Dr. Billings has left Washington, and the 
Army Medical Museum and that the Army Library will 
know him no more as we have known him there, yet 
his counterfeit presentment is to appear on the walls of 
the library. A sufficient fund has been raised to have 
Dr. Billings’ portrait painted, and it will be presented 
to the Army Medical Museum.” 
Dr. Osier read a letter from U. S. Surgeon-General 
George M. Sternberg, expressing pleasure at the fact that 
such a handsome sum had been raised for Dr. Billings, 
and that his portrait was to be painted by an artist of 
ability, adding that the portrait, when completed, would 
be gladly received. 
LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS TO THE BILLINGS TESTIMONIAL. 
Acland, Sir Henry, Bart. K.C.8., Oxford. 
Acland, Miss, Oxford. 
Acland, T. Dyke, M.D., London. 
Addison, C., M.D., Sheffield. 
Allbutt, Prof. Clifford, F.R.C.S., Cambridge. 
Banks, W. M., F.R.C.S., Liverpool. 
Bell, J., M.D., Edinburgh. 
Foreign. 20 
Bennett, E. H., M.D., Dublin. 
Bramwell, Byrom, M.D., Edinburgh. 
Broadbent, Sir William, Bart., London. 
Brown, A. Crum, M.D., F.R.S., Edinburgh. 
Bruce, J. Mitchell, M.D., London. 
Brunton, T. Lauder, M.D., F.R.S., London. 
Bryant, Thomas, F.R.C.S., London. 
Buist, J. 8., M.D., Edinburgh. 
Burdett, Henry C., London. 
Butlin, Henry T., F.R.C.S., London. 
Calyert, James, M.D., London. 
Cameron, Sir Charles, Dublin. 
Carter, William, M.D., Liverpool. 
Cash, Prof., F.R.S., Aberdeen. 
Chiene, Prof., F.R.S.E., Edinburgh. 
Clarke, J. Mitchell, M.D., Bristol. 
Glutton, H. H., F.R.C.S., London. 
Coats, Prof., Glasgow. 
Critchett, G. Anderson, F.R.C.S., London. 
Cullingworth, C. J., M.D., London. 
Cunningham, D. J., M.D., Dublin. 
Davidson, Alex., M.D., Liverpool (vide societies). 
Delepine, Prof. Sheridan, Manchester. 
Down, J. Langdon, M.D., London. 
Dreschfeld, Prof. Julius, Manchester. 
Duckworth, Sir Dyce, M.D., LL.D., London. 
Arthur E., F.R.C.S., London. 
Ferrier, Prof. David, F.R.S., London. 
Finney, J., M.D., Dublin. 
Flower, Sir W. H., K.C.8., F.R.S. 
Foster, Prof. M., Sec. R. S., Cambridge. 
Fox, E. Long, M.D., F.R.C.P., Clifton. 
Fraser, Alex., M.D., Prof, of Anat., R.C.5.1., Dublin. 
Gairdner, W. T., Prof, of Med., Univ. Glasgow. 
Griffiths. 
Hall, F. de Havilland, M.D., F.R.C.P., London. 
Holmes, T., F.R.C.S., London. 
Horsley, Prof. V., F.R.S., London. 
Humphrey, Sir George, M.D., F.R.S., Cambridge. 
Hutchinson, Jonathan, F.R.C.S., F.R.S., London. 
Lister, Sir Joseph, Bart., F.R.S., London. 
Little, James, M.D., Pres. Royal Acad. Med., Ireland 
* Died before sending subscription. 21 
Lund, Edward, F.R.C.S , Manchester. 
Macalister, Donald, M.D., Cambridge. 
MacCormac, Sir William, F.R.C.S., London. 
MacEwen, Prof. W., Glasgow. 
Makins, G. H., F.R.C.S., London. 
Marsh, Howard, F.R.C.S., London. 
Mitchell, Sir Arthur, K.C.8., Edinburgh. 
Moore, Norman, M.D., London. 
Oliver, Prof. Thomas, Newcastle-on-Tyne. 
Ord, W. Miller, M.D., London. 
Page, Herbert, F.R.C.S., London. 
Paget, Sir James, Bart. D.C.L., F.R.S., London. 
Power, Henry, F.R.C.S., London. 
Power, D’Arcy, F.R.C.S., London. 
Pye-Smith, P. H , M.D., F.R.S., London. 
Reynolds, Sir J. Russell, Bart., Pres. R.C.P., London. 
Roberts, Fred., M.D., London. 
Roberts, Sir William, M.D., F.R.S., London. 
Roberts, William W., M.D., F.R.S., London. 
Semon, Prof. Felix, London. 
Simpton, Prof. A. R., Edinburgh. 
Smith, Walter, M.D., F.R.C.P., Ireland. 
Smyly, Sir Philip, M.D., Dublin. 
Stewart, Prof. Sir T. Grainger, M.D., Edinburgh. 
Teale, T. Pridgin, F.R.C.S., Leeds. 
Tuke, J. Batty, M D., F.R.S.E., Edinburgh. 
Thorne, R. Thorne, C.B , M.D., London. 
Treves, Frederick, F.R.C.S., London. 
Turner, Sir William, F.R.C.S. L. & E., F.R.S., Edinburgh 
Wade, W. F,, M.D., Birmingham. 
Wells, Sir Spencer, Bart., F.R.S , London. 
Societies : 
Aberdeen Medical and Chirurgical Society. 
Bristol Medical Library. 
Liverpool Medical Institution. 
Hospital, the Proprietors of the 
Dr. Ashhurst, John, Jr., Phila 
Dr. Allen, Harrison, Phila. 
Dr. Abbott, A. C., Phila. 
Dr. Allen, D. P., Cleveland. 
Dr. Adler, J. A., New York. 
Dr. Angell, Wm., Rochester. 
American. 
Dr. Conner, P. S., Cincinnati. 
Dr. Curtis, E , New York. 
Dr. Chandler, C. F., New York. 
Dr. Chadwick, J., Boston. 
Dr. Cheever, D. W., Boston. 
Dr. Councilman, W. T., Boston 22 
Dr. Atkinson, I. E., Baltimore. 
Dr. Baker, G. F., Phila. 
Dr. Bryant, J. D., New York. 
Messrs. Blakiston & Co., Phila. 
Dr. Biglow, W. S , Boston. 
Dr. Bowditch, H. P., Boston. 
Dr. Bowditch, V. Y., Boston. 
Dr. Blake, C. J., Boston. 
Dr. Bradford, E. H., Boston. 
Dr. Brower, D. R., Chicago. 
Dr. Byford, Chas., Chicago. 
Dr. Billings, Frank, Chicago. 
Dr. Burr, C. W., Phila. 
Dr. Cheston, D. Murray, Phila 
Dr. Cohen, J.-Solis, Phila. 
Dr. Chapin, J. 8., Phila. 
Dr. Evans, H. Y., Phila. 
Dr. Engelmann, G., Boston. 
Dr. Folsom, C. F., Boston. 
Dr. Forbes, W. S., Phila. 
Dr. Fisher, H. M., Phila. 
Dr. Fenton, T. H,, Phila. 
Dr. Fitz, R. H., Boston. 
Dr. Forcheimer, F., Cincinnati. 
Dr. Farlow, J. W , Baltimore. 
Dr. Fisher, E. D., New York. 
Dr. Fisk, S. A., Denver. 
Dr. Guiteras, John, Phila. 
Dr. Gould, G. M., Phila. 
Dr. Gerster, A. G., New York. 
Dr. Gerrish, F. H., Portland, 
Maine. 
Dr. Henry, F. P., Phila. 
Mr. Harrison, C. C., Phila. 
Dr. Harlan, G. C., Phila. 
Dr. Hirst, B. C., Phila. 
Dr. Hare, H. A., Phila. 
Dr. Plopkins, W. 8., Phila. 
Dr. Plartshorne, H., Phila. 
Dr. Hinsdale, Guy, Phila. 
Dr. Hun, PL, Albany. 
Dr. Plerter, C. A., New York. 
Dr. Plomans, John, Boston. 
Dr. Chaille, S. E., New Orleans. 
Dr. Carmalt, W. H.,N Haven. 
Dr. deSchweinitz, Geo. E., Phila 
Dr. DaCosta, J. M , Phila. 
Dr. Dercum, F. X , Phila. 
Dr. Darrach, J., Phila. 
Dr. Daland, Judson, Phila. 
Dr. Dulles, C. W., Phila. 
Dr. Downes, R. W., Phila. 
Dr. Draper, W. H., New York. 
Dr. Dennis, F. S., New York. 
Dr. Deßoades, A. W., New 
Orleans. 
Dr. Dyer, 1., New Orleans. 
Dr. Ellert, J. 8., New Orleans. 
Dr. Eskridge, T. J., Denver. 
Dr. Noyes, A. H., Boston. 
Dr. Oliver, Charles A., Phila. 
Dr. Osier, Win., Baltimore. 
Dr. Prentiss, G., Washington. 
Dr. Pepper, Wm., Phila. 
Dr. Penrose, C., Phila. 
Dr. Pearce, F. S., Phila. 
Dr. Polk, W. H., New York. 
Dr. Purdy, Chas., Chicago. 
Dr. Peabody, G. L., Chicago. 
Dr. Parmenter, J., Buffalo. 
Dr. Persham, J. C., N. Orleans. 
Dr. Pershing, J. C , Denver. 
Dr. Reeve, J. C., Dayton, O. 
Dr. Reichert, E., Phila. 
Dr. Reed, T. 8., Atlantic City, 
N. J. 
Dr. Reamy, G., Cincinnati. 
Dr. Richardson, M. PL, Boston. 
Dr. Roe, J. 0., Rochester. 
Dr. Roberts, J. 8., Phila. 
Dr. Reynaud, L. F., N. Orleans. 
Dr. Rogers, W. 8., Memphis. 
Mr. Saunders, W. 8., Phila. 
Dr. Sinkler, W., Phila. 
Dr. Starr, L., Phila. 
Dr. Shober, J. 8., Phila. 23 
Dr. Hurd, H. M., Baltimore. 
Dr. Halsted, W. S., Baltimore. 
Dr. Judd, L. S., Phila. 
Dr. Jones, H., Memphis. 
Dr. Judson, Memphis. 
Dr. Jayne, H. Y., Phila. 
Dr. Jacobi, A., New York. 
Dr. Jacoby, Geo., New York. 
Dr. Janeway, E. G., New York. 
Dr. Kelly, H. A., Baltimore. 
Dr. Kinnicutt, F. P., New York. 
Dr. Keen, W. W., Phila. 
Dr. Lloyd, J. H., Phila. 
Dr. Lewis, Morris J,, Phila. 
Dr. Lusk, W. T., New York. 
Dr. Levis, G. S., New Orleans. 
Mr. Lea, H. C., Phila. 
Messrs. Lippincott& Co., Phila. 
Dr. Mitchell, S. Weir, Phila. 
Dr. Mitchell, J. K., Phila. 
Dr. Mills, C. K., Phila. 
Dr. Martin, E., Phila. 
Dr. Meigs, A. V., Phila. 
Dr. McClellan, G., Phila. 
Dr. Montgomery, E. E., Phila. 
Dr. Musser, J. H., Phila. 
Dr. Mcßurney, C., New York. 
Dr. McLane, J. W., New York. 
Dr. McGuire, Hunter, Richm’d. 
Dr. Mixter, S. J., Boston. 
Dr. Matas, R., New Orleans. 
Dr. Maury, R. 8., New Orleans, 
Dr. Mitchell, R. C., Memphis. 
Dr. Nichols, A. H., Boston. 
Dr. Stewart, D. D., Phila. 
Dr. Starr, M. A., New York. 
Dr. Sayre, L. A., New York. 
Dr. Smith, A. A., New York. 
Dr. Shattuck, F. P., Boston. 
Dr. Shattuck, G. 8., Boston. 
Dr. Senn, N., Chicago. 
Dr. Souchon, E., New Orleans. 
Dr. Sinclair, A. G., Memphis. 
Dr. Thomson, Wm., Phila. 
Dr. Taylor, W. Phila. 
Dr. Thomas, C. H., Phila. 
Dr. Thompson, G., New York. 
Dr. Thornton, G. 8., Memphis. 
Dr. Tiffany, L. McL., Balt. 
Dr. Vander Veer, A., Albany. 
Dr. Wood, H. C.. Phila. 
Dr. White, J. W., Phila. 
Dr. Willard, DeF., Phila. 
Dr. Wilson, J. C., Phila. 
Dr. Woods, D. F., Phila. 
Dr. Wurtz, C. S., Phila. 
Dr. Whittaker, J. T., Cincinnati. 
Dr. Ward, S. 8., Albany. 
Dr. Weir, R. F., New York. 
Dr. Wigglesworth, E., Boston. 
Dr. White, J. C., Boston. 
Dr. Warren, J. C., Boston. 
Dr. Wadsworth, P., Boston. 
Dr. Watson, F. S., Boston. 
Dr. Welch, W. H., Baltimore. 
Dr. Weber, L., New York. 
Dr. Yarrow, T. J., Phila. 
The Billings Testimonial and Presentation, an account of 
which is given in another column,was a unique and epoch- 
making event. To have conceived and to have carried it 
out will always be held by the profession as of the greatest 
credit on the part of Dr. S. Weir Mitchell. The heartiness 
of response in England and America testifies to a distinct 24 
advance in clearness of the professional consciousness, 
and to a feeling most worthy of congratulation. By it all 
there comes to light the fact that the heroism thus cele- 
brated and rewarded is, as we have intimated, of a unique 
variety, and that this is its first clear recognition. The 
medical literary hero has never before been known, or at 
least not pointed out. But in very truth is there in all the 
world more genuine heroism than that in which one thus 
toils for many years with daily persistence and against 
ever-recurring difficulties to lessen the labors of thou- 
sands born and unborn, and to place medical literature 
and medical science on a vantage-ground whence we may 
all better carry on the long warfare against ignorance 
and disease ? There is just as much genius, there is 
often more, required and expended in collating, classi- 
fying, and fittingly presenting the work of others, than 
in original research or in other work called, or miscalled, 
“ original.” Assuredly our gratitude to such lonely 
and tireless workers should be unstinted, and on this 
occasion it was so. One enjoyed the delightful gener- 
osity wdth which Dr. Billings honored his assistants as 
equally worthy with himself, and that with which the 
principal of these assistants, Dr. Fletcher, gave back 
all the honor to the friend and chief. Above all was the 
glad and affectionate pride the goodly company had in 
the new hero, and the common enjoyment of the noble 
emotion of unselfishness and delight in professional pro- 
gress. Dr. Fletcher’s explicit concession to Dr. Billings of 
the entire honor of the conception of the Index- Catalog 
effectually disposes of any claim of the kind by another. 
In view of the large number of contributors to the 
testimonial, rendering it difficult to make proper ac- 
knowledgment to each without much delay, Dr. Billings 
has asked us to assure each and all of his friends of 
his profound appreciation of the fact that this is the 
highest honor that could be given him, and to return 
his heartfelt thanks.—[.Ed. Comment, Medical News, 
December 7, 1895.] The Medical News. 
Established in 1843. 
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