INAUGURAL ADDRESS CLEVELAND 
MEDICAL SOCIETY* 
WM. E. WIRT, A. M., M. D., PH. D. 
President of the Cleveland Medical Society; Professor of Orthopedic Surgery in the Medical De- 
partment of University of Wooster, etc. Formerly House Surgeon, Hospital for 
Ruptured and Crippled, New York City, N. Y. 
Gentlemen : The Cleveland Medical Society begins its third 
year of existence under the most flattering conditions. As recently 
stated by our retiring president, Dr. Humiston, the society had an 
average attendance last year, including the quarterlies, of one hun- 
dred and thirty-five, the average of the latter half of the year being 
higher than the first. There was an average of eight discussions on 
each paper. At no time in the brief history of this society has there 
been any retrogression whatsoever ; it has been one continuous story 
of progress and development. 
The question that now arises in our mind is, Can we keep up 
this high standard set us in the past ? It is my pleasure to state 
that 1 believe this can be done. We are guaranteed, for another 
year, the use of the beautiful and commodious quarters in which we 
are holding our meeting tonight. This in itself, I consider has no 
small influence in bringing about a large gathering of physicians to 
our meetings. The experience of other societies has shown that 
poor places of assembly or frequent changes of meeting room abso- 
lutely prevent a growdli of interest in society work. 
The expense of membership in this society is not great and 
there is no valid reason why every eligible physician in this city 
should not become a member. The very spirit of combination and 
union is in the air, and why should we not follow the example of 
others in this tendency, especially as it is for a most laudable pur- 
pose ? At no time, to the best of my knowledge, has there been a 
greater need for a perfect unity of action on the part of the medical 
* Cleveland Medical Society, January 24, 1895. INAUGURAL ADDRESS. 
profession than the present moment. I am hoping that we will soon 
be as firmly united and as strong a force as our brother physicians 
at the other end of the state, who claim that they directly defeated a 
politician running for judicial honors who had shown himself to be a 
vicious character and the unqualified enemy of honest medicine. 
When the Cincinnati Academy of Medicine was asked by the poli- 
ticians the question, “Gentlemen, what do you want?” their 
answer was, “ We want simply justice,” and justice they got. 
To keep up interest in our society among the profession, it is 
necessary that we make each individual member feel that the society 
is of some benefit to him. This benefit may be in the form of 
scientific knowledge acquired, or it may be the benefit and pleasure 
of social intercourse with others of the profession, or again it may 
be entirely non-scientific in character. This latter is a field of use- 
fulness which, though mentioned in the constitution of our society as 
one of its purposes, has been almost entirely neglected, and this is 
one of the topics to which I propose to call your attention tonight. 
1 will classify it under the general heading of “ Medical Abuses.” 
The medical journals throughout the country denounce these abuses 
from time to time, but, on the other hand, the inactivity of medical 
societies in this direction is simply astounding. I fully realize that 
to attempt reforms, even in medicine, is no simple task. The very 
instant you begin the work vou will find that you are treading on 
somebody’s toes, and you will very quickly hear from them. Yet 
simply because the work is disagreeable shall we give up in despair 
without even making an attempt to remedy these evils ? 
In the past two years many have spoken to me about our doing 
something along this line, but I have always advised waiting until 
we were a strong enough body to cope with these problems, lest in 
trying to down these evils they down us. Are we not strong 
enough now to undertake a part of this work at least ? If not, 
when will we be strong enough ? And, further, if the medical INAUGURAL ADDRESS. 
3 
profession make no attempt to reform itself, who under the wide 
heavens will take interest enough in us to do so ? 
I would first call your attention to that very large subject 
entitled u Corporation Medicine.” 1 am sorry to say that we fre- 
quently find the leaders in our profession aiding and abetting such 
institutions (used in its broadest sense). To bear out the truth of 
ray statement I have only to remind you of several conspicuous ex- 
amples. For instance, there is the case of the ex-surgeon-general 
of the army, who organized a corporation composed of Washington 
capitalists, under a title something- like this, “ The American Medi- 
cal Sanitarium or 1 nstitute. ” A number of well-known medical 
men from several cities allowed their names to appear on the list of 
the consulting staff to give it respectability, and it was only when 
the medical press throughout the country denounced the whole af- 
fair in most scathing lantmaue that these ofentlemen had the use of 
their names withdrawn. Again, there is the case of the several 
prominent physicians of Cincinnati, who allowed their names to ap- 
pear in the advertisements of a corporation calling itself the “ Phy- 
sicians’ Syndicate,” which corporation agreed to furnish medical 
services at about a net price of fifteen cents a visit ; and it was not 
until the Cincinnati Academy of Medicine told these gentlemen that 
they would have to withdraw from the syndicate or be expelled from 
the Academy that they retired from said corporation. Gentlemen, I 
hold in my hand the advertisement of a medical corporation, calling 
itself the Steuben Sanitarium Association, whose resident doctors 
are mere employees, and I am sorry to find well-known names of 
physicians living hundreds of miles from the institution on its con- 
sulting staff, used, of course, to give it standing. Who of us can 
compete on ethical grounds with corporation medicine ? What does 
any corporations know or care about medical ethics V I have fre- 
quently heard the remark within the last few years that the time is 
fast approaching when they who practice surgery will do so by the 4 
INAUGURAL ADDRESS. 
grace of some corporation. 1 place hospitals and dispensaries in 
this category, for the management of most of these institutions is 
in the hands of non-medical boards, and in the eastern cities these 
institutions are competing with the general profession in a most un- 
ethical manner. It has come to my personal knowledge to know 
that a number of New York hospitals bid for wealthy patients, of- 
fering them a room, board, attendance, nursing and the services of 
their staff for a given sum, the patient of course supposing that the 
staff is paid, while in reality the attending physician gets nothing. 
If the doctor objects he is told to get out, that there are plenty to 
take his place. 1 am informed that the same methods were carried 
out at John Hopkins, and it was only when the staff, as a body, pro- 
tested, showing the board of managers that this was unjust to out- 
side practitioners, that any concessions were made. And how do 
scientific medicine and honesty fare in the hands of corporations ? 
The answer to this question is given by relating the experience 
(published in the Kansas City Medical Index) of Dr. Geo. Emerson 
of Winfield, Kansas, an emyloyee of the Santa Fe railroad, who, 
when ordered to give the men cheaper medicine, replied that he 
would not do so ; that a portion of the wages of employees was 
withheld to pay for the drugs, and that they were entitled to as good 
treatment as he gave his other patients. The railroad, foiled in the 
attempt to save a few pennies at the expense of the health of the 
men, had the doctor dismissed. The surgeon-in-chief of the railroad, 
Dr. Hogeboom, in recommending a new man to fill Dr. Emerson’s 
place, wrote, “ He should be a graduate of the regular school, com- 
petent in practice, and as you are well aware, one that will make a 
good witness.'1’’ The last clause, (written in italics,) tells the whole 
story—one that will make a good witness. 
Other questions of practical importance that might be handled 
are: Patent medicines, quackery, counter-prescribing, refilling of 
prescriptions by druggists without orders, etc., etc. INAUGURAL ADDRESS. 
5 
Many of the members of this society have spoken to me about 
the forming of a dead-beat list, such as is used by grocery firms and 
all business houses. This is a subject, that, according to the judg- 
ment of this society, might be taken up. I will now turn from this 
subject, which from its very character naturally causes contention, 
to more agreeable work. 
To keep up the interest in the scientific work of this society 
and to improve its character, 1 have several suggestions to make. 
I would recommend that the program committee, after a careful go- 
ing over the subject, make out a provisional program for six or 
twelve months ahead, under topical headings and approximate as 
to dates ; when said program is made up that it be printed and sent 
to each member of the society. For example, suppose that it is an- 
nounced that for the first meeting in March there will be papers read 
on “ Diseases of the Kidney; ” that for the second meeting in March 
there will be papers on “ Diseases of the Heart and their Relation 
to Diseases of the Kidney; ” that for the first meeting in April there 
will be papers on “ Diseases of the Stomach,” etc., etc. On the re- 
ceipt of these programs I would recommend that you look them over 
carefully, marking those subjects that you would care to discuss ; 
then at the proper time study them up and come here to give us, as 
no doubt you will, discussions of the highest order. 
There is something else we can do to keep up the scientific 
character and enthusiasm of our meetings, and that is by having 
stenographic reports of our meetings which should also be pub- 
lished. As you all know, last year we gave one hundred dollars to 
the Medical Library Association. Now, for this year we could take 
one hundred dollars and with it get a stenographic report of the 
society meetings; and in another way do as much for the Library 
Association. This can be done in this wise: The journal publish- 
ing our proceedings, at the time of making the last proof, can run 
off a number of copies of the proceedings exclusive of the journal; 6 
INAUGURAL ADDRESS. 
and I am told that if these copies, or proofs, as you might call 
them, are sent to other journals, the editors will send us their jour- 
nals in return These exchanges could all be turned over to the 
Medical Library Association; and, further, at the end of the year, 
we could give the medical library a bound copy of the proceedings. 
Under this heading, i. e., the advancement of interest in our 
scientific work, 1 will mention some of the programs we are contem- 
plating. The council of this society has recommended that a meet- 
ing be given up to “School Hygiene.” This has been brought 
about by those interested in the health of our school children. An- 
other topic suggested for a meeting is “Sewerage.” A program 
that I have in contemplation is “Diphtheria and the Anti-toxine 
Treatment.” As you all know, they had a siege of Diphtheria at 
Ashtabula, in which anti-toxine was tried. The pathologist of 
Western Reserve University, Dr. Howard, made bacteriological 
tests in a number of these cases. The bacteriologist of this Socie- 
ty, Dr. Ohlmacher, is also experimenting along this line, and will, 
by the time of the aforesaid meeting, have developed the anti-toxine 
by means of inoculating a horse. With papers on the subject by 
a couple af Ashtabula doctors who have had actual experience with 
anti-toxine, and with discussions by the two pathologists and sev- 
eral of our old practitioners, who have had much experience in 
treating this disease by the ordinarily accepted methods, I believe 
that we can have a meeting that will fill this room to overflowing. 
For our next quarterly meeting we have in mind a medical 
man of world-wide reputation, and it is my earnest hope that we 
may be able to prevail on him to address this society. 
The council of the society, and especially the program commit- 
tee, would ask indulgence from those members who are inclined to 
find fault from the fact that they are not asked to be put on the 
program. I would call your attention to the fact that we have but 
sixteen meetings per year, exclusive of the quarterlies. With two INAUGURAL ADDRESS. 
papers per evening, on an average, this gives a possibility of thirty- 
two people a year being ashed for papers, and also shows the impos- 
sibility of getting everybody, in a society of two hundred and nine- 
one, on the program even in two or three years. On the other 
hand, there is something else that is just as advantageous to the 
society and to the individual member, and that is, the presentation 
of clinical cases. 1 would most earnestly urge that at any time 
you have an interesting clinical case, bring it before the society. 
These patients always make interesting subjects for discussion. 
For the general benefit of the society, I would recommend that 
a committee make suggestions as to what slight changes may seem 
best in our constitution, and after approval the constitution and 
by-laws and a list of membership be published and sent to each 
member of the society'. This has been approved by the council. 
I have recommended to the council, who have acted accord- 
ingly, that the chairman of the committee on growth and prosperity 
make a list of the physicians of Cleveland who are eligible to mem- 
bership in this society, said list to be sent to each member of said 
committee. I earnestly hope that the members of the committee on 
growth and prosperity will make use of this list in their endeavors 
to increase the size of our society. 
1 would urge upon you the importance of increasing our non- 
resident membership. By so doing we keep in touch with the pro- 
fession of northern Ohio, and make possible greater unity of action 
in the common cause of the advancement of scientific medicine 
and the interests of the medical profession. This can be done by 
keeping up the high standard of our quarterly meetings, and by 
putting our non-resident members on the program from time to 
time. 
Gentlemen, we have before us the prospects of a most success- 
ful year.