Chapter 17 cont. THE RESTRICTED SCHOOLS. "Your committee appointed to consider the desirability of so changing the code as to admit into the membership of our societies those of known and acknowledged ability without regard to previous habits of thought or modes of practice, would respectfully report as follows:  We do not think it advisable to make the change specified:  first, because the code as it is, which we consider to be a most excellent professional standard and guide, requires no alteration to admit to membership homeopaths or others who may have abandoned their special practice.  Second, because without such reform on their part we must approach the problems of disease in ways so radically different that there coud be no harmonious and beneficient cooperation. "Supplemental to, and in further explanation of this report, we beg leave to present the following statement:  In view of recent accusations emanating from more or less prominent sources and made public through the press both of England and the United States, charging the regular profession with bigotry and illiberality in their attitude toward the homeopathic and other special schools, your committee deem it expedient and right that this society should at this time clearly define its position, which is also, we believe, that of the regular porfession the world over. "We hold that the practice of the healing art should be based on no dogma or article of faith, but on knowledge the most exact that scientific research and unbiased observation can obtain.  The terms 'Allopathist' and 'Old School,' as applied to members of the regular profession, are today obsolete, imapplicable and disclaimed.  Rational medicine, which we endeavor to practice, is a growing science to whose development all sciences contribute and whose votaries ackowledge the restrictions of no 'pathy' nor 'school.'  Because this is so there can be no common ground for efficient counsel between us and those who are controlled by any fixed medical creed, even though the elements of such creed are not in themselves irrational and absurd; nor can we trust or take counsel with those whose integrity is not such as to prevent them from assuming a name and professing principles with which their practice does not accord. "The Homeopathic society of Northern New York, having formally discarded the doctrine of infinitesimal doses, the regular profession of that state have sanctioned the recognition of some who have thus advanced to more tenable grounds.  When the homeopathists of Iowa shall take a like rational course and can establish the claim to a scientific medical education, we stand ready to welcome them under our ethical code as it exists, as co-laborers for the good of man.  But we see little prospect that even so much of a reform as that in New York like Iowa and Michigan continue to support in their state universities, side by side, departments for instruction in broad medical science and for the maintenance of a special medical creed.                                                                                    (Signed)                                                                                                                             J. W. H. Baker,                                                                                                                             A. S. Maxwell,                                                                                                                             C. H. Preston." Sunday, October 22, 1905, was issued from the Democrat office an illustrated souvenir number of that widely and most favorably known journal, and the many pages, beautifully designed and printed, were devoted to description and reminiscent articles pertinent to the affairs of the county and its people and growth of the preceding fifty years.  To be more exact, many of the contributors to this special edition, which took the title of  the "Half Century Democrat," permitted their memories to take a wide range in the matter of time, and consequently a great part of the very early history of Scott county has been preserved in these well-turned pages of the Democrat.  An article on the Scott County Medical society fell to the lot of Dr. C. H.  Preston, of Davenport, and the author of this work has felt free to copy most of the salient features of the article as it appeared in the "Half Century Democrat."  Dr. Preston goes on to say: "One of the most interesting discussions of the society seems to have been had in October, 1881, at the residence of Dr. Peck, on a paper by Dr. Middleton summing up the President Garfield case.  The remarks, while charitable in the main, were not all complimentary to Dr. Bliss; and it was considered that the daily bulletin would better have given simple facts without optimistic deductions, while the patient was losing weight at the rate of a pound a day. "Another case of scarcely less interest locally was that of the protracted illness from cerebral rheumatism of Dr. W. W. Grant, now of Denver, Colorado, at that time a successful and highly esteemed physician and surgeon of this city.  The case was reported by Dr. Preston, March, 1878. "In December, 1894, the question of license for the control of the social evil being under discussion, it was recorded as the unanimous sense of the society 'that the licensing of prostitution does not prevent or limit the spread of venereal disease-that on the contrary a false sense of security is the result, and an increase of disease.' "In February, 1898, the following resolutions expressing the convictions of the society on the subject of vivisection were unanimously adopted: "Resolved, That we strongly protest against the enactment into law of the so-called "antivivisection bill" now pending, for these among other reasons:  I.  We believe that vivisection, by giving information as to the nature of disease, information not otherwise to be obtained, is a means of preventing infinitely more suffering than it can possibly cause; that both medical and agricultural science are incalculably indebted to it, and that instead of in any way hampering biological research, to which vivisection is an essential aid, an enlightened govenment should rather give it every possible encouragement.  II.  The proposed bill puts arbitrary powers of control over matters vital to the health and happiness of the whole people in the hands of the commissioners of the District of Columbia, men who are not likely to be scientists, or possessed of expert knowledge on the subjects involved.  It makes illegal much useful experimentation, confirmatory and other, and provides for untimely reports and vexatious inspections such as must often injuriously interrupt important studies, many of which would be by it wholly prevented.  III.  There is already in operation in the District of Columbia a comprehensive and all sufficient law against cruelty to animals, which law prohibits vivisection except as properly conducted and in the inteest of science.  IV.  A law similar to the one proposed has operated in England to restrict biolotical research, driving such men as the world-benefactor, Lister, to set up their laboratories abroad.  V.  The unanimous protest of all the important scientific bodies of the country, including the American association for the Advancement of Science, the American Medical association, the American Public Helath association and the United States Veterinary Medical association, is presumptive evidence that the legislation proposed is unwise and uncalled for.' "On motion copies of the resolution were ordered sent to Senators Allison and Gear and Representatives Curtis and Henderson. "The unanimous voice of the society on another matter of national importance was expressed in the following resolution adopted at meeting of March, 1898, favoring the establishing of a national department of health: "Whereas, The conservation of the public health is a matter of primary importance, second neither to industrial, financial nor military considerations, and "Whereas, The United States, although severally provided, for the most part, with efficient state boards of health, are as yet without a co-ordination sanitary head, save as inadequately represented by a branch of the treasury department, and further " 'Whereas, The so-called "Caffrey bill" would clothe the Marine Hospital service with extreme quarantine powers without enlarging its sphere as to other health matters, and without removing its dependent status, while the other, known as the "Spooner bill," formulated by the American Medical association and endorsed by the American Public Health association, aims to establish a national department, or commission of health, subservient to health interests only, with full control over all national sanitary matters and advisory with the several states, therefore " 'Resolved, That while deprecating the former of "Caffrey bill," as a partial and ill-advised measure, we strongly endorse the association or "Spooner bill" and bespeak for it the active support of our senators and representatives in congress.' 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