fore recommend that a committee be appointed by this Society, whose duty it shall be to formulate such papers and collect such statistics as shall present this matter in its true light and which shall be suitable for an educational campaign.

Another matter which deserves our attention and in which we should exert our influence, not alone in an educational way but to secure legislative reform, is the spread of contagious diseases, especially smallpox.

While our State Board of Health and our local boards have done their best to stamp out this loathsome disease, they have been seriously hampered in that a large percentage of our people has never been vaccinated and that another large percentage has permitted its protection to lapse. This is due to the fact that we have no compulsory vaccination law, and to that other fact that a considerable and perniciously active cult has grown up, which vigorously opposes vaccination. We as physicians know that smallpox is largely a preventable disease, and it is our duty to see to it that the people know it, that our legislators know it and that our governor is duly impressed with it. The time for action is now ripe. Every section of our State has been visited, thousands and thousands of dollars have been expended and lost to the State and untold misery of body and mind has been entailed upon hundreds of our fellow citizens, through the ravages of this disease.

Let our committee on legislation see to it this coming session that adequate action is taken by our legislature.

Consumption too, demands our attention. From where more properly could literature emanate in regard to its nature and cure, not to the sick but to the young and well, than from this scientific body? Does it not demand our serious attention?

In this connection too, I desire to draw your attention to the unsanitary conditions amongst which many of our people live and work. Many of our factories are arranged with utter disre

gard for light and ventilation; but most glaring of all in unsanitary conditions, is the multitude of shops found in our large cities where clothing is made. Crowded together into old store buildings, lighted and ventilated only from the front, the air recking with the emanations of a score or more of workers, young men and girls, and pervaded by the dust from cheap cloth, fumes of cigarettes, of burning charcoal and of illuminating gas, small wonder that many of these young people droop, become anemic, nervous and fit subjects for tuberculosis. The attention of our boards of health should be directed towards this bad condition of things and some means devised for its alleviation.

It is now my desire to call your attention to what concerns us most seriously as a society. The history of our Society has been one of constant growth, and with that growth has come an increase in beneficence. From year to year we have reached our farther and farther, legislation has been shaped, reforms inaugurated and a scientific spirit aroused amongst our members, which has been of lasting benefit to every community represented; and now that we number over 600 members, we are in a position to be a powerful force-it is needless to say that force for good. We have been very democratic in all our ways, our members are composed of regular, reputable physicians without regard to society affiliations. All of our affairs have been freely discussed in our meetings and our elections have been likewise so held. Notwithstanding this simplicity we have reached our present no mean size and are in a fairly prosperous condition. However, we have reached a crisis in our affairs, precipitated by the action of the American Medical Association at its last meeting. In conformity with the desire of the national body, this Society last June appointed a committee to revise our constitution and by-laws. A report of that committee has been submitted to you and awaits your consideration.

A careful perusal of this document must bring to your minds

subjects which to say the least are open to serious discussion, some of which appeal to me as gravely menacing the welfare of our Society should their acceptance be secured. It is needless to say that a continued and prosperous growth of the Society is desired by every member. Pause then! Are we best going to secure it by adopting Art. III in its entirety? Associate that with the last clause of Section 2, Chapter 1 of the proposed by laws and see what a gross injustice would be done a large and influential portion of our profession. Again, refer to Sec. 3, Art. 4, and you will see that another large contingent of available material for the Society would be barred. Sect. 2, Art. III, provides that permanent members shall consist of such members of local medical and other societies entitled to representation in this Society as shall make application, etc. The last clause of Sect. 2, Chap. 1, by-laws, bearing directly upon this is as follows: "Nor shall any physician not a member of his local medical society be eligible to membership in this society." The design of these propositions is to coerce men into joining the local county societies, something which appeals to me as being most unjust. The effect would be to restrain them from joining our Society. Desirable as it is for men to belong to local societies, the fact remains that many of them do not, and I will venture to say that many of our members, and good ones too, do not belong to any local society. Why do they not? The reasons are various. Sometimes indifference, remoteness from centers, oftentimes a deep-rooted dislike or prejudice against one or more of the members of the local society. These reasons may appear weak, but they are none the less potent, for doctors are human, and in many cases a complete change of heart would be necessary before they would be elegible to membership, and some would sooner not join our Society at all if they were not to have representation, or if they would not be on an equal footing with their neighbors. Meanwhile our Society would be the loser

for

many of these men would come out once a year to our meeting. Can we expect to rapidly increase our membership by coercion when in all these years, with our simple requirements, although we flatter ourselves we have done well, but one-third of the regular physicians of the State are counted with us? I leave that for you to answer. Again, Sect. 3, Art. IV.: "Any local society of regular physicans complying with the requirements of the American Medical Association for its membership shall be in affiliation with this Society on making application to the Secretary and being duly approved by the House of Dele gates."

Such a large

Think for a moment what this means to us: and influential body as the Milwaukee Medical Society could not affliate with us until it ousted its homeopathic member and changed its constitution. Its growth and influence would of necessity be hampered and such of its members as are not already members of this Society could not become such.

The same would be true of the Kenosha County Medical Society, a prosperous organization which admits homeopaths, and would be doubtless true of other societies in the state. Is it to our interest to bar these men? No! No! Our present require ments for membership are ample, are safe and are consistent with our best interests. Do not interfere with them. In regard to the propositions for associate members and honorary members, there may be no objection, but I cannot say so much of the house of delegates. And why a "house of delegates?" Are we such a cumbersome body that we must needs delegate our work and our powers to some 50 or more of our members? There are scarcely more than one hundred votes cast at any annual election. Should this measure obtain many of our members would be without representation, a direct violation of the principle. "There shall be no legislation without representation." Our Milwaukee

Medical Society and the Kenosha County Medical Society would be examples. Then in the event of local societies being established in each county, there would be more than seventy clamoring for recognition.

This house of delegates is supposed to do the business of the Society; it is supposed to elect all our officers; we have no recourse except through the referendum. Consider the almost absolute power given the house of delegates by the article dealing with the referndum, which is as follows:

Art. VIII, Sec. 1. The general session shall have the right to discuss questions referred to it by the house delegates, and it may by a four-fifths vote order a general referendum on any question pending before the house of delegates.

Sec. 2. The house of delegates shall upon a three-fourths vote of its own members, or upon a four-fifths vote of the gen eral session, submit any question to the general membership of the Society for final vote, such vote shall be by mail or in any other manner considered best; and if the members voting shall comprise a majority of the membership of the Society, such vote shall be binding upon the house of delegates and be considered final.

A four-fifths vote is practically an unanimous one, and thirteen members of the house of delegates could control the situation. Do you or I care to have the welfare of the Society dependent upon the whims or ambitions of any thirteen men?

It is hardly necessary to point out the further objection of concentrating power even to the changing of the Constitution and By-Laws at will in the hands of a few. The interests and safety of our Society do not require a house of delegates.

A provision for a Board of Trustees is a move in the right di rection and the scope of our present committee on ethics is as broad as that entertained by the Judicial Council.