THE CHARTER 
OF THE 
Rhode Island Medical Society, 
TOGETHER WITH THE 
BY-LAWS, 
As Amended to March 3, 1 898, 
AND 
A List of Fast Officers. THE; 
CHARTER 
OF THE 
Rhode Island Medical Society, 
TOGETHER WITH THE 
BY- LAWS, 
As Amended to March 3, 1898, 
AND 
A LIST OF PAST OFFICERS. 
PRINTED FOR THE SOCIETY, 
PROVIDENCE : 
1898. PROVIDENCE : 
Snow & Farnham, Printers. 
1898. STATE OF RHODE ISLAND, A. I). 1812. 
AN ACT TO INCORPORATE CERTAIN PHYSICIANS AND SUR- 
GEONS BY THE NAME OF 
“THE RHODE ISLAND MEDICAL SOCIETY.” 
As the Medical Art is important to the health and happiness 
of society, every institution calculated to further its im- 
provement is entitled to public attention; and as Medical 
Societies, formed on liberal principles, and encouraged by 
the patronage of the laws, have been found conducive to 
this end: 
Section 1. Be it therefore enacted hy the Greneral Assem- 
bly and by the authority thereof it is enacted:: That Amos 
Throop, William Bowen, Pardon Bowen, Levi Wheaton, 
Rowland Greene, Samuel Hudson, Daniel Barms, Joseph 
Comstock, Niles Manchester, John Wilkinson, John M. 
Eddy, Thomas M. Barrows, Charles Eldredge, Jacob Fuller, 
Moses Mo wry, Peleg Clark, John Mackie, Jeremiah Wil- 
liams, William C. Bowen, Joseph B. Pettes, Walter Whea- 
ton, Stephen Harris, Sylvester Knight, Abraham Mason, 
Ezekiel Comstock, Augustus Torrey, A, Waldron, Caleb 
Fiske, Solomon Drown, Comfort A. Carpenter, Thomas 
Nelson, Thomas Warren, John W. Richmond, William G. 
Shaw, Cyril Carpenter, Thomas Carpenter, Gorton Jerauld, 
Chillingsworth Foster, Lemuel W. Briggs, John Aldrich, 
Eleazer Bellows, Eleazer Bellows, Jr., Jonathan Easton, 
Benjamin Waite Case, Enoch Hazard, David King, William 4 
Turner, Edmund Thomas Waring, and Jonathan Easton, 
Jr., be and they are hereby formed into, constituted and 
made a body politic and corporate, by the name of “The 
Rhode Island Medical Society; ” and that they and their 
successors, and such other persons as shall be elected in the 
manner hereafter mentioned, shall be and continue a body 
politic and corporate by the same name forever. 
Sec. 2. And he it further enacted, That the members of 
said Society may, from time to time, elect a President, two 
Vice-Presidents, one or more Secretaries, with such other 
officers as they shall judge necessary and convenient; and 
they, the members of said Society, shall have full power and 
authority, from time to time, to determine and establish the 
names, number and duty of their several officers, and the 
tenure they shall respectively have in their offices. 
Sec. 3. And he it further enacted, That the members of 
the said Society shall have a common seal, and power to 
break, change, or renew the same at their pleasure. 
Sec. 4. And he it further enacted, That the said Society 
may sue and be sued, in all actions, real, personal, or mixed, 
and prosecute and defend the same unto final judgment and 
execution. 
Sec. 5. And he it further enacted, That the said Society 
shall have full power and authority to make and enact such 
rules and by-laws, for the better government of said Society, 
as are not repugnant to the laws of this State, or of the 
United States, and to annex reasonable fines and penalties to 
the breach of them, not exceeding the sum of fifty dollars, 
to be sued for and recovered by said Society, and to their 
own use, by action of debt, in any court having cognizance 
of the same; and also to determine the number requisite to 
constitute a quorum for the transaction of business; and to 
establish the time, place, and manner of convening the said 
Society. 
Sec. 6. And he it further enacted, That said Society, at 
any stated legal meeting of the same, may, by a majority of 5 
the votes of those present, elect any suitable person or per- 
sons to be a member or members of the said Society : Pro- 
vided, “ That all practicing Physicians or Surgeons, resident 
within this State, who shall be so elected, shall, within one 
year after such election, subscribe the by-laws of the said 
Society, or otherwise declare in writing their assent to the 
same, or such election shall be void; and all persons not 
practicing Physicians or Surgeons, or not resident within this 
State, who shall be so elected, may be deemed Honorary 
Members of the said Society ; and at any such meeting, the 
said Society shall have power, in like manner, to suspend or 
expel, for improper conduct, any member of said Society. 
Sec. 7. And he it further enacted, That the President 
and members of said Society, or such officers or members as 
they shall specially appoint for that purpose, shall have full 
power and authority to examine all candidates for the prac- 
tice of Physic and Surgery, who shall offer themselves for 
examination, respecting their skill in their profession; and 
if, upon examination, the said candidates shall be found 
skilled in their profession, and fitted for the practice of it, 
they shall receive the approbation of the said Society, in let- 
ters testimonial, under the seal of said Society, signed by 
the President, or such other person or persons as shall be 
appointed for that purpose. 
Sec. 8. And he it further enacted, That the said Society 
may and shall forever be deemed capable in law, of having, 
holding and taking, in fee simple or any less estate, by gift, 
grant or devise, or otherwise, any land, tenement, or other 
estate, real or personal, provided that the annual income of 
the whole real estate, that may be given, granted or devised 
to or purchased by the said Societ}7-, shall not exceed the 
sum of five hundred dollars, and the annual income on inter- 
est of said personal estate shall not exceed fifteen hundred 
dollars, and the annual income or interest of the said real and 
personal estate, together with the fines and penalties paid to 
said Society or recovered by them, shall be appropriated to 
such purposes as are consistent with the end and design of 6 
the institution of the said Society, and as the members 
thereof shall determine. 
Sec. 9. And be it further enacted, That a meeting for 
the organization of the said Society shall he held in some 
convenient place within this State, and that Dr. Amos 
Throop be and he hereby is authorized to appoint the time 
and place of holding the said meeting, and to give notice of 
the same in two or more newspapers printed in the towns of 
Newport and Providence. 
Passed February Session, A. D. 1812. 
AMENDMENT. 
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows : 
Section 1. Section 8 of “An act to incorporate the 
Rhode Island Medical Society, passed by the General 
Assembly at its February session, A. D. 1812, is hereby 
amended so as to read as follows : “ Section 8. And be it 
further enacted that the said Society may and shall forever 
be deemed capable in law of having, holding and taking in 
fee simple, or any less estate by gift, grant or devise or 
otherwise, any land, tenement or other estate, real or per- 
sonal, to the amount of one hundred thousand dollars. And 
the whole or any portion of said estate, real or personal, or 
the income thereof, or of any portion of the same, together 
with the fines and penalties paid to said Society or recovered 
by it, said Society may appropriate to such purposes as are 
consistent with the end and design of the institution of said 
Society, and as the members thereof shall determine.” 
Sec. 2. This act shall take effect immediately upon its 
passage. 
Passed January Session, A. P. 1887. BY-LAWS. 
Whereas, It is granted and declared, in and by the Charter 
for incorporating a Medical Society in the State of Rhode 
Island, that the Fellows may enact such By-Laws, Rules 
and Regulations, relative to the affairs, concerns and 
property of said Society, and relative to the duties of their 
several officers, as they may think proper; it is therefore 
ordained that the following be the By-Laws and Rules of 
the said Society: 
CHAPTER I.—Of Officers and their Duties. 
Officers. 
Section 1. At the Business Meeting there shall be 
chosen, by ballot, a President, a First and Second Vice- 
President, a Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, 
Treasurer, a Publishing Committee of three, a Committee on 
the Library of five, a Committee on the Museum of three, a 
Committee on Necrology of three, and a Committee of 
Arrangements of three. 
President. 
Sec. 2. The President shall preside at all meetings of 
the Society; shall call for reports of Committees; shall 
regulate debate ; shall state and put questions ; shall enforce 
observance of the By-Laws and Regulations ; shall annually 
appoint a member of the Board of Examiners and one Audi- 
tor; shall at the Annual Meeting deliver before the Society an 
Address ; or, in case he should find himself unable to do so, 8 
shall provide a substitute ; shall arrange for the reading and 
discussion of papers; shall appoint delegates to other Medical 
Societies, and shall perform such other duties as may be as- 
signed to him. 
The President call a Special Meeting of the Society or 
of the Board of Censors, and shall do so whenever ten Fel- 
lows request it in writing. 
VICE-PRESIDENTS. 
Sec. 3. The First Vice-President, in case of the death, 
resignation, disability, or absence of the President, shall 
have and exercise all his powers ; and in the absence of those 
two officers, the Second Vice-President shall officiate as 
President. 
RECORDING SECRETARY 
Sec. 4. The Recording Secretary shall have charge of 
the Charter, By-Laws and Records of the Society; shall give 
notice of all meetings of the Society ; shall keep a record of 
the proceedings; shall receive and record the reports of 
the Censors, which shall be read at the next regular meet- 
ing, together with such communications as shall have been 
received since the last meeting; shall within thirty days 
after any person has been elected either a Fellow or Honorary 
Member, inform him thereof and transmit to him a copy of 
the Charter and By-Laws of the Society; shall notify the 
Chairmen of the several Committees of their respective mem- 
bership ; shall have the custody of the seal of the Society ; 
shall be ex-officio a member of the Publishing Committee ; 
shall see that each of the Fellows and Honorary Members is 
supplied with a copy of the Society’s publications, and also 
of every essay published by the Trustees of the Fiske Fund ; 
shall notify the secretaries of other Medical Societies of the 
date of the Annual Meeting of this Society, and shall at each 
Business Meeting make a Report to the Society, and perform 
such other services as may be assigned him. 9 
CORRESPONDING SECRETARY. 
Sec. 5. The Corresponding Secretary shall have the 
charge of all letters and communications transmitted to the 
Society; shall cause papers written in any foreign language 
to be translated into English; shall prepare and transmit 
answers to correspondents, in such language and form as the 
Society shall direct, and perform such other duties as may be 
assigned him. 
TREASURER. 
Sec. 6. The Treasurer shall give such bonds as shall be 
satisfactory to the President and two Vice-Presidents, and 
the expense thereof shall be paid by the Society. He shall be, 
ex-officio, a member of the Committee of Arrangements. He 
shall receive the monies due the Society and acknowledge all 
bequests and donations; shall demand, and, if necessary, 
may sue for all fines and assessments due the Society; shall, 
under the direction of the Society, sell or lease any estate 
belonging to it, and execute the necessary papers ; shall pay 
no money from the treasury except by a vote of the Society, 
or upon an order from the President; shall at every Business 
Meeting present an Annual Report which shall have been sub- 
mitted to the Auditors previously. 
THE AUDITORS. 
Sec. 7. There shall be two Auditors, appointed by the 
President. There shall be an annual retirement of the 
Senior Auditor; and at each Business Meeting the President 
shall appoint, for the term of two years, a new member who 
has not served within a year. The Auditors shall, annually, 
before the Business Meeting, make a careful examination of 
the Treasurer’s books and vouchers ; and if they be found 
correct, they shall affix their signatures to his report before it 
is submitted to the Society at the Business Meeting. 10 
BOARD OF CENSORS. 
Sec. 8. The Board of Censors shall be composed of the 
ex-Presidents of the Society; but if, by resignation or death, 
the number becomes less than Seven, the surviving Censors 
shall elect a sufficient number to fill the vacancies, subject to 
the approval of the President. 
There shall be a Meeting of the Censors on the morning of 
each Quarterly Meeting of the Society, one hour before the 
Meeting, for the transaction of such business as may come 
before them. They shall also meet at least seven days before 
the Business Meeting, Due notice of the time and place of 
each meeting shall be given each Censor by the Recording 
Secretary. Three Censors shall constitute a quorum, and 
the senior ex-President present shall preside, and may appoint 
either of the other Censors to officiate as Secretary, whose 
duty it shall be to make a record of all the proceedings of 
the Censors, and to transmit a copy of the same to the 
Recording Secretary. 
Whenever the charge of unprofessional conduct shall have 
been preferred against any Fellow, it shall be the duty of the 
Board of Censors to inquire into the same, and if the accu- 
sation be found true, they shall report their finding, with 
recommendations, at the next Quarterly Meeting, and give 
due notice of their intended report to the Fellow accused. 
It shall be the duty of the Censors to receive the applica- 
tion for admission of any suitable person as a Fellow of this 
Society; and, after duly examining the applicant’s diploma, 
provided it be found satisfactory, and provided they be sat- 
isfied that he does not profess or intend to practice any exclu- 
sive system of medicine, they shall refer the candidate to the 
Board of Examiners, and upon receipt of a favorable report 
of the examination shall recommend him for election. 
The Censors may recommend for election, without exam- 
ination, suitable applicants who are members of recognized 
medical societies, domestic or foreign, or who are graduates 
of foreign universities ; and also at their discretion, suitable 11 
applicants who are registered under the Statute law of Rhode 
Island because of having passed the Examination before the 
State Board of Health. 
They shall recommend for election, without examination, 
suitable applicants who present written evidence that they 
are members in good standing of a State Society which 
requires qualifications for membership similar to those of 
this Society. 
It shall be the duty of the Censors, at the Quarterly Meet- 
ing in December, with the approval of the President, to 
appoint an Anniversary Chairman to preside at the next 
Annual Dinner. 
The Censors shall constitute a Nominating Committee, 
and shall present at the Business Meeting a list of candidates 
for Officers and Standing Committees for the year following 
the next Annual Meeting. 
BOAED OF EXAMINEES. 
Sec. 9. Examinations for admission to this Society shall 
be conducted by a Board of five members appointed by the 
President. 
There shall be an annual retirement of the senior mem- 
ber of the Board, and, at each Business Meeting, the Presi- 
dent shall appoint, for the term of five years, a new member 
who has not served on the Board within a year. 
The senior member by appointment shall be President of 
the Board. 
Examinations shall be held in the months of May and 
November in each year, at such time and place as may be 
convenient to the members of the Board, and shall embrace 
the usual branches of medical science taught in recognized 
medical colleges. 
The Board shall examine only such candidates as have 
been referred to them by the Board of Censors, and shall 
report the result of the examination to the Recording Secre- 
tary, for transmission to the Censors at their next meeting. 12 
The Board of Examiners may, at their discretion, appoint 
three sub-examiners for the county of Washington and three 
for the county of Newport, who shall examine all candidates 
for admission to this Society, who reside in said counties, in 
the months of May and November, and shall report the 
result of such examinations to the Secretary of the Board of 
Examiners immediately. 
PUBLISHING COMMITTEE. 
Sec. 10. The Publishing Committee shall, at the begin- 
ning of each year, publish the Transactions of the preceding 
year, together with the Annual Address and other approved 
papers. 
All papers read before the Society shall be the property of 
the Society, and shall be referred to the Publishing Commit- 
tee, which may, at its discretion, permit the author to pub- 
lish them elsewhere. 
The Publishing Committee shall cause the following dis- 
claimer to be printed with each number of the Transactions 
issued, and on the title-leaf of each completed volume: 
The Rhode Island Medical Society, in ‘publishing papers, 
does not thereby endorse the theories or opinions of the writers. 
Committee on the Library. 
Sec. 11. The Committee on the Library shall have charge 
of the Library of the Society, and custody of all books and 
pamphlets published by the Society and by the Trustees of 
the Fiske Fund; shall appoint one of their number to act as 
Treasurer; shall appoint some suitable person Librarian ; 
shall make rules concerning the use of the Library, and shall 
present a Report at the Business Meeting. 
The Treasurer of the Committee on the Library shall 
receive contributions for the support of the library, shall pay 
out the same as the Committee may direct, and shall keep an 
account of all receipts and expenditures. 13 
The Librarian shall keep a list of all additions to the 
Library; shall see that the Library is open for reference at 
such hours as the Committee may direct; shall compile the 
necessary catalogues and reference lists; shall take a receipt 
for every book loaned from the Library, and shall perform 
such other duties as may be assigned him. 
Committee on the Museum. 
Sec. 12. The Committee on the Museum shall have 
charge of all anatomical and pathological specimens and prep- 
arations belonging or loaned to the Society; shall appoint 
one of their number to act as Treasurer; shall appoint some 
suitable person Curator, and shall present a report at the 
Business meeting. 
The Treasurer of the Committee on the Museum shall 
receive contributions for the support of the Museum ; shall 
pay out the same as the Committee may direct, and shall 
keep an account of all receipts and expenditures. 
The Curator shall keep a list of all additions to the 
Museum ; shall see that each object is labelled, and shall 
perforin such other duties as may be assigned him. 
COMMITTEE ON NECROLOGY. 
Sec. 18. The Committee on Necrology shall prepare for 
insertion in the Transactions of the Society memoirs of Fel- 
lows deceased during the year. 
COMMITTEE OF ARRANGEMENTS 
Sec. 14. The Committee of Arrangements shall provide 
a suitable place, and make all necessary preparations for 
each meeting of the Society ; shall provide a collation for 
each Quarterly Meeting, and shall, with the cooperation of 
the Anniversary Chairman, make arrangements for the An- 
nual Dinner. 14 
RESIGNATION, REMOVAL AND REPLACEMENT OF OFFICERS. 
Sec. 15. Every officer of the Society may, for sufficient 
reasons, resign his office, or may be removed therefrom by 
order of the Society, or by the President with the approval 
of the Board of Censors, for neglect, inattention or censur- 
able conduct, in any of which cases, or on death of an 
officer, the President shall appoint a Fellow to the office so 
vacated, who shall serve until the next Business Meeting. 
CHAPTER ll. Fellowship. 
Section. 1. Applications for Fellowship shall be made to 
the Recording Secretary, and must be endorsed by two Fel- 
lows. The Secretary shall refer the applications to the 
Board of Censors at their next meeting. 
ELECTION AND QUALIFICATION. 
Section 2. Fellows shall be elected by ballot, by a two- 
thirds vote of the members present. Every person elected a 
Fellow of this Society, shall be notified thereof by the Record- 
ing Secretary, and upon signing the Constitution and By- 
Laws, and paying five dollars to the Treasurer, shall receive 
from the Recording Secretary the usual diploma. 
Sec. 3. Every Fellow shall annually contribute five dol- 
lars to the funds of the Society, and the same shall be due 
and payable to the Treasurer on admission to Fellowship and 
at each subsequent Business Meeting. Any Fellow, who, 
for three consecutive years, shall neglect to pay the annual 
assessment, shall cease to be a member until such dues shall 
have been paid, except under conditions named in the next 
section. 
ASSESSMENTS. 
non-residents . 
Sec. 4. Any Fellows who have removed from Rhode 
Island and desire to retain membership in this Society, may 15 
do so upon notifying tlie Recording Secretary and Treasurer, 
provided dues have been paid for the year beginning March 
Ist, during which they removed from the State ; and pro- 
vided also, if they return to reside in the State, they shall pay 
the dues for the year beginning March Ist during which 
they resumed residence in the State. 
AGED FELLOWS. 
Sec. 5. Fellows having attained the age of seventy years 
shall, if they so request, be exempt from the payment of dues. 
RESIGNATION OF FELLOWS. 
Sec. 6. Fellows, not indebted to the Society, may at any 
time resign their membership, by sending a written notice of 
their intended resignation to the Recording Secretary, who 
shall announce the same at the next regular meeting of the 
Society and place it upon the records of said meeting. 
Sec. 7. No Fellow shall be expelled, except by vote of 
two-thirds of the Fellows present. 
EXPULSION. 
HONORARY MEMBERS. 
Sec. 8. Honorary Members may be elected on recom- 
mendation of the Board of Censors. 
CHAPTER Hl—Of Meetings. 
ANNUAL AND QUARTERLY MEETINGS. 
Section 1. There shall be an Annual Meeting of the 
Rhode Island Medical Society, to be held in the city of 
Providence, on the first Thursday in June, at 10 o’clock A. M., 
or at an hour designated at a previous meeting, and seven 
days’ notice shall be given to each Fellow by the Recording 
Secretary. 16 
Sec. 2. There shall be three Quarterly Meetings of the 
Society, to be held as follows : On the first Thursday of 
September ; on the first Thursday of December, and on the 
first Thursday of March, at 10 o’clock, A. M., in such town 
or city as the Society, at a previous meeting, shall appoint; 
and seven days’ notice shall be given to each Fellow by the 
Recording Secretary. At all meetings twenty Fellows shall 
constitute a quorum for transacting business. 
CEDE II OF EXERCISES. 
Sec. 3. The Quarterly Meeting in March shall be the 
Business Meeting of the Society, at which, after the Record- 
ing Secretary shall have read the records of the last Busi- 
ness Meeting and of the preceding Quarterly Meeting, the 
following order of business shall take precedence : 
1. Report of the Recording Secretary. 
2. Report of the Treasurer. 
3. Reports of Standing Committees. 
4. Report of the Board of Censors. 
5. Election of Officers for the year following the next 
Annual Meeting. 
6. Election of Fellows and Honorary Members. 
7. General business, Communications, the reading and 
discussion of Papers, as the time may permit. 
The other Quarterly Meetings shall be chiefly devoted to 
the reading and discussion of Papers, Reports of Cases, exhib- 
ition of Specimens and the general advancement of medical 
knowledge, public health, hygiene and sanitation. 
Sec. 4. At the Annual Meeting the Recording Secretary 
shall read the records of the last Annual Meeting and of the 
last Business Meeting, after which the following shall be the 
order of exercises: 
1. Statement of the Trustees of the Fiske Fund. 
2. The presentation of Guests and Delegates from other 
societies and the recognition of Honorary Members. 17 
8. Papers upon subjects indentified with the interests 
of the Society, by persons appointed by the President at 
a previous meeting. 
4. The Annual Address at 12 o’clock, m. 
CHAPTER IV.—lnvested Funds. 
Invested Funds of this Society, and their income, shall 
be subject only to draft or order signed by the President, 
Recording Secretary and Treasurer, except as provided for 
by authority of the Supreme Court, in the management of the 
Caleb Fiske Fund. 
CHAPTER V. By-laws. 
No By-Law shall be altered, amended or repealed, ex- 
cept at a meeting subsequent to one at which notice of such 
intention is given ; but a By-Law may be temporarily sus- 
pended by a two-thirds vote of the Fellows present. The Caleb Fiske Fund. 
This Fund, to which reference is made in the By-Laws, 
was bequeathed by Dr. Caleb Fiske, a Charter Member and 
an early President of this Society. Its original amount and 
purpose are shown in the following extract from his will: 
Item.—“l give and bequeath to the President and two Vice-Presi- 
dents of the Medical Society of the State of Rhode Island for the 
time being, and to their successors in office, the semi-annual divi- 
dends arising from forty shares of stock which I own in the Union 
Bank of Providence, the amount thereof two thousand dollars, in 
trust for the uses herein limited :—Use the first: nine-twelfths of said 
dividends shall constitute a Fund to be applied in the manner follow- 
ing, to wit: The said trustees, or either two of them, shall select, at 
every Annual Meeting of said Society, such subject or subjects for 
investigation as they may judge most conducive to 
of medical science, and give notice thereof in one of the newspapers 
published in Newport, undone published in Providence, for the term 
of six weeks, offering such premium or premiums as the annual pro- 
duct of said funds will justify, to be awarded and paid out by said 
trustees for the best treatise on the subject proposed by them for 
investigation, to be communicated to said trustees one month pre- 
vious to the next Annual Meeting of said Society. And in order that 
a laudable spirit of emulation may be excited and maintained, the 
shall not only suitably reward the authors of the fortunate 
productions, but also prescribe such rules for receiving the commu- 
nications and deciding on the merits of the several performances, as 
will shield the unsuccessful competitor from obloquy or reproach. 
Use the second:—Two-twelfths of the profits or dividends of said 
stock are to remunerate said trustees for their services in the execu- 
tion of the several trusts confided to them. Use the third:—One- 
twelfth of the profits of said stock is to be appropriated to printing 
and supplying each member of said Society with a copy of such 
treatise for which premiums have been awarded. It is believed, 19 
however, that the copyright of the productions maybe so disposed of 
by said trustees as not only to furnish the members of said Society 
with copies gratis, but also to make some addition to the aforesaid 
fund ; and it is also believed that said trustees, in consideration of 
advantages which said Society may derive from a discreet manage- 
ment of said fund, will frequently, if not uniformly, render their ser- 
vices gratuitously, whereby a further addition may be made to said 
fund. If these anticipations should be realized in part or in whole, 
whatever sums remain unappropriated shall be added to said fund for 
the uses aforesaid. And ray will further is, and I hereby ordain, 
that the aforesaid forty shares of stock, the nominal amount whereof 
is two thousand dollars, shall remain registered in my name in the 
books of said bank, but the dividends or profits arising therefrom, 
shall be subject, from time to time, to the order of said trustees for 
the uses above limited ; but every order drawn on said bank shall 
express the uses to Avhich the money is to be applied. Furthermore, 
the said trustees shall cause their proceedings in the premises to be 
recorded in a book or books, from year to year, and deposited in the 
archives or cabinet of said Society for safe keeping, inserting therein 
the annual amount of said fund and the additions, if any, made there- 
to, the subject or subjects proposed for investigation, the amount of 
premiums offered, the names and places of abode of persons to whom 
premiums are awarded, with such other facts and remarks relative to 
the application of said dividends as they may judge expedient; and 
the proceedings, or such parts thereof as shall be audibly read before 
said Society at their Annual Meeting, shall also be subject to the in- 
spection of any member of said Society, and also be free for exami- 
nation by my heirs at law ; provided, nevertheless, and I do hereby 
order, that if the said dividends or profits arising from the aforesaid 
stock, or any part thereof, should at any time hereafter be used for 
any other purposes than those before limited, or applied in any 
other manner than is above directed, or if said trustees, or either two 
of them for the time being, shall neglect or refuse to execute the 
aforesaid trust in manner and form before specified, sickness and 
other unavoidable accidents excepted, for the terra of one year, then, 
in either of these cases, this bequest shall thenceforth cease and de- 
termine, and said stock and the dividends arising therefrom shall 
thenceforth descend to, and vest in my heirs-at-law. Provided, also, 
and I do hereby ordain, that if at any time hereafter, said Medical 
Society shall discontinue its anniversary meetings, authorized by its 20 
charter, or in case its members (Fellows), exclusive of Honorary 
Members, shall decline in number, and at any time hereafter be re" 
duced to twenty, then and in either of those cases, this bequest shall 
thenceforth cease and determine, and said stock and the dividends or 
profits arising therefrom, shall descend to, and vest in, my heirs-at- 
law.” 
In the year 1892 the fund, with additions from income, and 
from their fees given by the Trustees, amounted to about 
eight thousand dollars. At this time, owing to the liquida- 
tion of the Union Bank, the Supreme Court issued the follow- 
ing decree: 
Supreme Court. 
Providence, Sc. 
William H. Palmer, Prest., 
et ah, 
vs. 
Eq. 3,219. 
Prest , Directors and Com- 
pany op the Union Bank 
et al. 
The above entitled cause came on to be heard on bill and answer, 
and, therefore, it is ordei’ed, adjudged, and decreed as follows: 
1. That the bequest in the will of Caleb Fiske, in said bill set 
forth, concerning the distribution of premiums on subjects for inves- 
tigation “ most conducive to the advancement of medical science,” 
and for the services and expenses of printing, etc., connected there- 
with, is a good and valid charitable bequest, as covering said original 
forty shares of stock in said defendant bank, and the additional 
shares, proceeds of the unused income thereof, amounting in all to 
one hundred ninety-five shares. 
2. That the limitation to the heirs-at-law of Caleb Fiske, after 
such charitable bequest, is void under the rule against perpetuities. 
3. That the dividends in liquidation on said shares of stock be 
subject to the costs of this cause, including solicitors’ fees of all par- 
ties hereto, to be fixed by some justice of this court, and the balance, 
including all dividends hereafter declared in liquidation on said one 21 
hundred ninety-five shares, be deposited by said defendant bailk in 
the participation account of the Rhode Island Hospital Trust Com- 
pany of the City of Providence, in full discharge of all claims 
against said defendant bank. 
4. That said deposit be made in the name of the Caleb Fiske 
Fund. 
5. That the President and the two Vice-Presidents of the Rhode 
Island Medical Society, for the time being in office, are and shall be 
the trustees of said fund, and all accumulations thereof, by interest 
or receipt, from prize essays, under the provisions of said will in this 
behalf, with full power in the manner provided in said will, to draw 
the income thereof, on order as directed in said will, from time to 
time in their discretion, and apply the same for the distribution of 
premiums and payment of services and expenses in the uses and in 
the properties as set forth in the will of said Caleb Fiske, concerning 
said original shares in said defendant bank, but freed from the condi- 
tional limitations therein set forth, in favor of the heirs-at-law of said 
Caleb Fiske, and all undrawn incomes shall be added to and become 
part of the principal fund. 
And said Trust Company shall not be charged with seeing to the 
application of said income as drawn by said trustees. 
6. That said trustees, or the trustees for the time being, of said 
fund, shall have leave to apply for change of investment of said fund, 
and any accumulations thereof, or further directions, orders and de- 
crees concerning the same. 
Entered as the decree of Court, Feb. 25, 1892. 
order 
CHARLES BLAKE, Clerk. The Chase Wiggin Fund. 
This Fund, amounting in 1898 to over live thousand 
dollars (-15,000), was created by the bequest of Dr. Chase 
Wiggin, for the purpose set forth in the following extract 
from his will: 
“ I give and bequeath to the Rhode Island Medical Society the sum 
of four thousand dollars ($4,000), to be pi'oductively invested, the 
interest or income of which shall be used in the following manner ; 
One-quarter shall be added to the principal of said bequest for- 
ever. One-half of the remainder of said income shall be used or 
expended annually for the improvement and increase of the library of 
said Society. The remainder of said interest shall be paid each year 
as a premium for the best popular essay on one of the following sub- 
jects, namely ; The first year said essay shall treat of the nature of 
alcoholic or intoxicating drinks and their evil effects on the human 
system ; the second year said essay shall treat of tobacco and its evil 
effects in all its forms on those who habitually use it; the third year 
said premium shall be paid for the best popular essay on the use 
of tea and coffee as drinks, and such essay will be expected to dem- 
onstrate that the constant and habitual use of either is injurious. 
These essays shall be continued, in the same succession, continually, 
an essay on each of said subjects to receive a premium every third 
year. If, however, in the opinion of the committee appointed by 
said Medical Society to award said premiums, no essay on the sub- 
ject prescribed shall be presented which is worthy of acceptance, then 
the amount of said premium shall be added to the original fund, and 
the same subject for such premium shall be continued to the next 
year. 
But if, on the second year, said subject shall not be so treated by 
any essayist, as in the judgment of said committee to be entitled to 
a premium, the amount thereof shall be again added to the principal 23 
gift, and the next fallowing year the premium shall be offered for an 
essay on the next subject in order as above named. It is to be hoped 
that these essays, while of moderate length, will be sufficiently elabo- 
rate to present the subjects, clearly and forcibly, and that they will 
be sufficiently meritorious to be desired by the newspaper press for 
publication throughout the country. The Society shall present 
copies of these essays to such newspapers as shall desire them for 
such purpose, that they may attain their chief object, which is to edu- 
cate the people and dissuade them from the use of such articles, as a 
luxury, as are positively injurious to health.” Former Presidents of the Rhode Island 
Medical Society. 
Amos Throop 1812-1814 
William Bowen 1814-1815 
Pardon Bowen 1815-1823 
Caleb Fiske 1823-1824 
Levi Wheaton 1824-1829 
David King 1829-1834 
Charles Eldredge 1834-1837 
Usher Parsons 1837-1840 
Richmond Brownell 1810-1843 
Theophilus C. Dunn 1843-1846 
Lewis L. Miller 1846-1847 
Joseph Mauran 1847-1848 
David King 1848-1849 
S. Augustus Arnold 1849-1850 
George Capron 1850—1851 
Hiram Allen 1851-1852 
Joseph Mauran 1852-1855 
Ariel Ballou 1855-1856 
Isaac Ray 1856-1858 
James H. Eldredge 1858-1860 
Charles W. Parsons 1860-1862 
Henry E. Turner 1862-1864 
Sylvanus Clapp 1864-1866 
Otis Bullock 1866-1868 
James W. C. Ely 1868-1870 
George L. Collins 1870-1872 
Lloyd Morton 1872-1874 
Fenner H. Peckham 1874-1875 
George W. Jenckes • 1875-1876 
Edwin M. Snow 1876-1877 
Charles H. Fisher.. 1877-1878 
Edward T. Caswell 1878-1880 25 
Charles O’Leary 1880-1882 
Job Kenyon 1882-1884 
Oliver C. Wiggin 1884-1886 
Horace G. Miller 1886-1888 
Albert Potter ] 888-1889 
John W. Mitchell 1889-1891 
William H. Palmer 1891-1893 
Robert F. Noyes 1893-1895 
Elisha P. Clarke 1895-1897 
William A. Gorton 1897- 
Former Recording Secretaries. 
John Mackie 1812-1817 
J. W. Richmond 1817-1821 
Pardon Brownell 1821-1825 
Richmond Brownell 1825-1830 
S. Aug. Arnold 1830-1837 
Johnson Gardner 1837-1842 
Leander Utley 1842-1844 
C. G. Perry 1844-1846 
C. W. Parsons • • • • 1846-1849 
J. W. C. Ely 1849-1852 
Edwin M. Snow 1852-1855 
W. O. Brown 1855-1858 
J. H.Rathbun 1858-1859 
Edward A. Crane 1859-1861 
H. G. Stickney 1861-1862 
B. Lincoln Ray 1862-1865 
George PL Mason 1865-1869 
Clarence T. Gardner 1869-1871 
Edward M. Harris 1871-1874 
Walter E. Anthony 1874-1880 
V. O. Harden 1880-1881 
George D. Hersey 1881-1887 
William R. White 1887-1895 
Frank L. Day 1895- 26 
Former Corresponding Secretaries. 
William Turner 1812-1832 
Thomas H. Webb 1832-1839 
C. G. Perry 1839-1840 
Hiram Allen 1840-1849 
C. W. Parsons 1849-1851 
Henry PL Turner 1851-1852 
J. W. C. Plly 1852-1855 
Edwin M. Snow 1850_1856 
George P. Baker 1856-1861 
E. A. Crane 1861-1864 
C. W. Parsons 1864-1874 
Edward M. Harris 1874-1887 
George D. Hersey 1887-1897 
Herbert Terry 1897- 
Former Treasurers. 
Thomas M. Barrows 1812-1830 
Jacob Fuller 1830-1839 
Sylvester Knight 1839-1841 
H.Armington 1841-1849 
Lewis W. Clifford 184 9-1850 
Charles W. Fabyan 1850-1852 
George P. Baker. 1852-1855 
George L. Collins 1855-1862 
J. W. C. Ely 1862-1865 
T. K. Newhall 1865-1874 
George H. Kenyon 1874-1875 
F. H. Peckham, Jr 1875-1876 
Timothy Newell 1876-1878 
Charles H. Leonard.... 1878-1888 
George L. Collins 1888-1897 
F. T. Rogers 1897-