USA > Michigan > Washtenaw County > Past and present of Washtenaw County, Michigan > Part 73
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"Just when this association was organized, or whether by the doctors authorized in 1827, I am unable to learn, nor when it died or the causes which led to its untimely end. I have been un- able to find any record of its transactions. Its purpose to maintain rational medicine and ethic principles, and to require some entrance qualifica- tions of medical students, is evident in the paper quoted. It is a fair inference that it left some latent seed which germinated in the conception of the present society.
"The constitution of the existing society says : "Article II .- The objects of this society shall be the advancement of professional character and medical knowledge, and the elevation of and encouragement of zeal, emulation and friendly intercourse among the members of the profession.
"Article IV .- It shall be considered a derelic- tion of duty for any member of this society to admit into his office, as a student of medicine, any person who shall not first present a certificate of qualification as provided in Article VI.
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"Article IX .- The Code of Medical Ethics of the American Medical Association shall be adopted by the society.
"Two classes of members were provided for- active and honorary. Among its charter mem- bers were Dr. Alonzo Palmer (its first presi- dent ). Dr. Abram Sager, Dr. Albert B. Prescott, Dr. Henry S. Cheever, Dr. William Lewitt and Dr. William F. Breakey, of Ann Arbor; and Dr. Francis M. Oakley, Dr. Edward Batwell and Dr. John W. Babbitt, of Ypsilanti. These were followed within a year by many others. In its list of members was to be found the name of nearly every regular and reputable physician in the county, and of many of those within con- tiguous counties, while its honorary members included many prominent physicians and sur- geons.
"The meetings of the society were held quar- terly. No departure from this plan was formally authorized, but when Dr. Gibbs was president monthly meetings were held. The original plan was to hold two meetings in Ann Arbor-usually the winter and spring meetings-a June meeting in Ypsilanti and a fall meeting in some other part of the county. The society aimed to enlist the interest of all its members, particularly to bring into active relations and within reach of its in- fluence, all practitioners of medicine.
"The proceedings of its meetings while formal were very democratic. All were doctors. No distinction existed other than is always spontan- eously accorded to merit. The humblest, young- est and most modest were made to feel at home in the society, and encouraged to contribute to its work and welfare. The reading of several short papers rather than long essays was encouraged, thus giving opportunity to more of its members to contribute to the interests of the meetings. Numerous reports were made of cases in prac- tiee, with brief discussions in which all were in- vited to participate. Among the important sub- jects discussed by the society in its carly years was that of criminal abortion. The action of the society, formulated in a resolution prepared by Dr. Sager, was referred to the state society with the recommendation that that body present it to the state legislature, and this expression was the
means of securing immediate legislation. That the society had the courage of its convictions was shown by the fact that one of its members, against whom charges were being prepared, with- drew before they could be preferred, thus saving the member's expulsion. He moved from the county but was subsequently repeatedly arrested. charged with the same crime, and though he several times escaped conviction, he finally served a term in the state prison for causing death by criminal abortion.
"The society secured the analysis of numerous much advertised proprietary medicines, and ex- posed their worthlessness. In this creditable work Dr. Silas H. Douglass, Dr. Albert B. Pres- cott and Dr. Preston B. Rose were chiefly active. Various scientific investigations - physiologic, pathologic, pharmacologic and therapeutic-were undertaken and many valuable papers and im- portant contributions to medical literature of the time were presented. Among them, as samples, and quoting from memory, were "Diseases of the Cord and Placenta ;" "Case of Simultaneous In- tra and Extrauterine Pregnancy ;" "Opthalmia Neoratorium:" "Case of Delivery by Ceaserean Section"-one he found the first reported in the state, by Dr. Abram Sager, papers on "Consump- tion," "Climate," "Paralysis," and others by Dr. Alonzo B. Palmer, and papers of much interest then on the climatology of New Mexico, Colorado and the higher altitudes of the Rocky Mountain range in that latitude, also in North Carolina. with discriminative observations of the class of cases benefited, and the need for care in gradual elevations by Dr. Henry S. Cheever, studied when trying to arrest his own tuberculosis disease, which proved fatal. Dr. Oakley and Dr. Batwell contributed many interesting and valuable papers, practical and helpful to physicians, and both in- genious in mechanical devices for surgical ap- pliances, a qualification of much value at that time when instrument makers were not as nu- merous and near as now. Papers and addresses were also given by Doctors William Warren Greene, Alpheus Crosby, Samuel G. Armor. Frothingham, MacLean, Sewell, Howell, Abel, Dunster and others.
"But valuable as were these contributions of
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investigation and practice, they were hardly more establishment of a territoral road to leave the beneficial to members of the society than was the social commingling and the opportunities to know and appreciate the individual characteristics of fellow practitioners and to observe that in sup- porting a brother physician in proper conduct they were supporting the profession of medicine as a whole and tending to maintain that high professional esprit de corps essential to the stic- cess of organized effort.
"The more recent work and contributions of living members the limits of this paper do not afford space to even mention by title. It is no disparagement to any that may be overlooked. Valuable work has been done under the presi- dencies in successive order of Doctors Georg. Darling, Gibbs, Vaughan, Carrow, Dock, Novy, Huber, Warthin and Peterson.
"Among the practical things accomplished in the direction of securing better fees for public service was the adoption of a schedule of fees by the board of supervisors of 1874 for post-mortem examinations and for coroner's inquests (ex- cluding chemical analysis for poisons). A com- mittee of the society, consisting of Dr. Webb, Dr. John Knapp and your historian, went before the board representing the importance of careful findings, the responsibility attached to such ex- aminations, and testimony involving interests of property, personal liberty and life, in addition to risks of infection of operators, and presented a schedule of fees. The fees adopted by the board were fair and reasonable for the time, ranging from $5 for ordinary inspection of cadaver with reference to testifying as to cause of death: SIo each for section of thorax or abdomen and ex- amination of their viscera: $15 for section of skull and examination of brain; $20 for ex- amination of any two of these cavities; and $25 for all of them. These fee bills for ordinary local inquests were quite generally kept in dif- ferent parts of Michigan and other states, but. unfortunately, after a few years boards of super- visors-whose rules are not like the rules of the Medes and the Persians-declined to be bound by the rules of their official predecessors, and they claimed as a reason for not adhering to this
schedule of fees that in so many cases the doctors found it necessary to examine the contents of the chest, abdomen and skull, and did not always find the cause of death then, but charged the whole schedule of fees. It is not improbable that there was some ground for the action of the board.
"The society has had various stages of pros- perity and adversity-of enterprising zeal, and decline of energy. Some earnest differences arose that divided its members in positive opposition at the time and enlisted the sympathies of the profession at large and furnished the laity op- portunity to ask : 'Who shall decide when doctors disagree?' Time has removed most of the actors in the little drama, and in the dim retrospect the remembrance seems almost amusing in the side- lights cast during the lapse of more than a quar- ter of a century.
"No history of the society would be complete without mention of the break in its ranks on the introduction of homeopathy into the university. As it divided the faculty of the department of medicine and surgery and the members of the state society, it is not strange that the subject should have aroused as great interest in the home society as it did in the profession of the state and throughout the country. The secession of members of the faculty and the formation by them of the Ann Arbor Academy of Medicine followed. The academy was denied representa- tion in the meetings of the American Medical Association at Buffalo the following year, through a protest from this society. Later the faculty was glad to make use of the attitude of this society, supported by the state medical so- ciety, to induce the regents to relieve the de- partment of medicine of many of the most oh- noxious features of the relations at first es- tablished. The contention led to better feeling at the time, members on both sides no doubt failing to apprehend the real position of those differ- ing. and each claiming to be actuated by the highest regard for the good of the profession and the university. Like the shield in the fable the situation had two sides. Fortunately, members of the society were too wise not to recognize es- tablished facts and too sensible to permit such a situation to destroy the usefulness of the society,
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and the controversy has long since been a closed incident.
"Many of its members have served their com- munities in public office with fidelity and credit. Doctors Webb, Ewing and Howell represented their districts and the county in the state legis- lature, while others have rendered services on the boards of education and public health. Doctors Batwell, Breakey, Cheever, Dunster, Ewing, Garigues, MacLean, Oakley, Owen, Pal- mer, Prescott, Rose and Smith served in the Civil war from 1861 to 1865, and Doctors Bourns, Owen, Nancrede and Vaughan in the war with Spain.
"Its roll of honor of those who have answered the last call and paid the debt of nature grows larger year by year. Naming them from mem- ory, but not in the order of their departure, I place in this memorial record Doctors Armor, Ashley, Babbitt, Batwell, Benn, Bigelow, Chee- ver, Crosby, Chamberlain, Douglass. Downer, Dunster, Ewing, Fairchild, Frothingham, Gari- gues, Gates, Greene, Halleck, E. Hall, Daniel Hall, Hawxhurst, Helber, Howell. Kinne, Lewitt, Lyster, Loomis, Oakley, Palmer, Post, Rexford, Root, Sager, W. B. Smith, Elias Smith, Van Tyne, Voorhies, Wells, Webb and Zimmer- man. There may be others who have been over- looked in the preparation of this history.
"It is an honor to have known them and to have been associated with them in professional work. Of the charter members I believe only Dr. Pres- cott* and myself survive. The story was told of Thaddeus Stevens when so old and helpless that he had to be carried up the steps of the capitol to his seat in congress, that he asked the two vigorous young men who bore him: "Boys, I wonder who will carry me up when you are dead?" I trust Dr. Prescott will continue in faithful service for many years yet, and while I do not attempt much sprinting on foot or desire service on standing committees, I hope to be able to share in the history the society will continue to make, as long as possible ; so
"When I remember all the friends so long to- gether,
I've seen around me fall like leaves in wintry weather,
I (do not ) feel like one who treads alone some banquet hall deserted,
Whose lights are fled, whose garlands dead, and all but him departed,'
for I renew my mouth and keep in touch with the profession in the presence of these zealous younger doctors, the intention of whose young professional blood is to keep up the circulation of the society till they, in turn, give it over, healthy and prosperous, to their successors. Its purposes are large-to do good for the profes- sion, for its members and for the public. A society no more than an individual can not always secure immediate results of its labors. But its ideas, its hopes and its facts of scientific demon- stration can be recorded. It can enter its pro- tests against vice, error and quackery, and some- time, sooner or later, achieve success."
* Dr. Prescott died February 25, 1905.
CHAPTER IX.
THE PRESS.
Six years after the first settlement was made in Washtenaw county a weekly paper was started at Ann Arbor, and unlike most first ventures this pioneer paper continued to live for a number of years, although at various times its name was changed from the Western Emigrant to the Michigan Whig, and from the Michigan Whig to the State Journal, and from the State Journal to the Michigan State Journal; and it continued in existence until during the Civil war. For six years this paper had the field in this section to itself, and it was conducted with considerable ability, with a great deal of acrimony and with ex- ceedingly small attention to local news. A glance at old newspaper files will show that the local papers of the early part of the last century were conducted on very different lines from the local papers of to-day. Politics, of course, furnished
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the principal part of the topics for discussion, and practically all the local news contained was reports of conventions, and, as a rule, the name of every delegate present was published. A big fire destroy- ing a large portion of the town might be dismissed with three lines, when a town caucus was worth a column. A fire hundreds of miles away was worth much more from a news point of view than a fire at home. It was apparently assumed that everybody knew what was going on at home, and what they desired in their papers was in- formation of what was going on abroad. When a president's message was issued a whole paper might be given up to its publication, the paper containing not a line of type excepting the ad- vertisements and the message. As far as a lo- cality was concerned, a paper published hun- dreds of miles away ought to have proven as interesting as papers published at home. Local news found in these newspapers is usually found in the shape of letters sent by some traveler who has visited the village and written his friends, who have forwarded the letter to the paper for publication. The local paper of seventy-five years ago used the shears constantly, and most of its contents were previously published in eastern papers. But its editorial columns were strictly original and its comments were usually caustic. No term was too opprobrious to be applied to a political opponent. No virtue could be discerned among the politicians of opposing parties. No mugwumps were tolerated in those days. As soon as one campaign closed the editor was pre- paring for the next. It usually took him weeks and even months to get in the election returns from all over the country, and you would hear months after the presidential election how some little town hundreds of miles away, casting two or three hundred votes, had gone at the election. Items of news which, if they had happened in the county, would have been dismissed absolutely, were given with considerable attention to detail if found in eastern newspapers. But, while the east set the fashion for news, it hardly did for politics. This was the editor's own. The speeches of his favorite orators in congress would be given in full, and pages would be published concerning the doings of congress even when unimportant
matters were up for discussion. The early editor had a hard time of it. He did not expect cash for subscriptions. He expected anything that he could get. He liked potatoes, and took them when he could get them. He had no lack of cordwood, and occasionally when he could bor- row a horse he would drive out into the country on a collecting tour, taking what farm produce he could pick up in return for subscription to his paper. In the villages often the editor would de- liver his own papers, carrying them from house to house in person ; and yet he was usually looked upon as an important man in his community and his editorial expressions had more weight than the editorial expressions of to-day. Usually all public meetings, when some question of common interest was up for discussion, saw to it that the editor was on the committee that had in charge the settlement of the question involved. The editor never got rich, but somehow he managed to ex- ist, and as a rule he died in harness, not leaving the editorial chair for some more remunerative pursuit. It was these old time editors who gave rise to the opinion so long held that editors had no business ability, but it was these same old time editors who did much to build up American character and to foster the love of freedom, who stood up for the public schools when public schools were young, and who, while they did not enrich themselves, aided materially in laying the foundations of the fortunes of others. The old time editor was a printer. His sharpest editorials were composed at the case, and it was the type and not the pen that was used in preparing the philippics which studded the editorial column.
THE WESTERN EMIGRANT.
The first number of the Western Emigrant, the first paper published in Washtenaw county, was dated at Ann Arbor, October 18, 1829. Its sub- scription price was three dollars a year and its published advertising price was $1.25 per square for the first insertion and 25 cents for subsequent insertions. It said, "Country produce taken in payment for the Emigrant, if delivered." This paper was issued by Thomas Simpson. Very little is known about this pioneer editor, and
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for only five weeks did he continue in charge of the Emigrant. The first number of the paper contained as its first article the Declaration of Independence. Articles on hemp and tobacco completed the first page. There was not a line of local news in the paper unless a letter should be called such, written by a Canadian traveler and giving a description of Washtenaw county. Its first editorial starts out with the assertion, "It shall be the constant aim of the editor to pro- mote correct principles and exhibit impartial in- formation relative to the merits and qualifica- tions of candidates for office." Further than this he promises to treat of foreign wars and legis- lative acts. This editorial indicates the field oc- cupied by the papers of that period. Judge Sam- nel W. Dexter, even before the publication of the first number of the first paper in Washtenaw, ad- dressed a letter to the editor to find out how the paper stood on Freemasonry ; and the editor re- plied that his paper was open to an investigation of both Freemasonry and Antimasonry. This may account for the fact that Judge Dexter bought the paper after five weeks of publication. and then there was no doubt as to where the paper stood on the Masonic question. Other ar- ticles in this first number were of a moral and re- ligious nature, such as "Entrance Upon the World." "To the Young Husband," "Choice of a Wife." "Hatred Reproved." etc. The adver- tisements, however, are of the greatest interest as indicating the condition of the village at that period. L. Hawley. Nash & Co. advertised that their distillery would be in operation December I. 1829. Two weeks later, it may be stated here, the ownership of this distillery was changed to Samuel Camp and L. Hawley. A select school for young gentlemen and young ladies is adver- tised by T. W. Merrill. A. M., late instructor in Academical and Theological Institute, N. Hamp- ton, N. H., and Moses Merrill, late teacher in a select school, Albany, New York. "Reading, spelling, mental arithmetic, modern geography and English grammar are taught for two dollars and a half a quarter ; including writing, practical arithmetic, ancient geography, history, philoso- phy, chemistry, logic, astronomy, the higher branches of mathematics, composition and decla-
mation for three dollars: and including Latin and Greek for four dollars and a half. Board may be obtained for one dollar a week." Castle Southerland advertised a new gunsmith's factory. John Allen & Co., on the corner of Main and Huron streets, advertised a new general store, and concluded with asserting that they pay the highest price for hides, beeswax and tallow. E. Clark advertised for a boy of fifteen or sixteen to serve in a store ; and Israel Branch advertised apple trees for sale. In the second number of the Emigrant. A. & D. B. Brown advertised new goods received from New York; and G. & C. Prusica advertised their tannery.
On December 22, 1820. Thomas Simpson pub- lished his valedictory, saying that the paper in the future would be under the direction of John Allen and Samuel W. Dexter. Accordingly, on December 30th, the paper appeared with a strong Antimasonic salutatory. That its troubles began early is shown by the following squib: "We would inform our antimasonic friends, and from the present mutilated appearance of our subscription list we doubt having many oth- ers, that we have many interesting matters to present them." On January 20th the Emigrant states that eighty of its sub- scribers had withdrawn, and makes the fol- lowing touching reference to them: "With many who have withdrawn their names from this paper we were on most friendly terms. They were our neighbors, a few of them have borne with us the heat and burden of the day in the first settlement of our county. In our wanderings through the then wilderness the same buffalo robe has been our bed, the same blanket our covering." But the Emigrant continued to pour hot shot into the Masonic camp. In January of 1831 John Allen retired from the ownership of the Emigrant, which was then published by Samuel Dexter, with Allen, Dexter and Corselius as editors. George Corselius was the real editor, that is to say, he did most of the writing, and Dexter, of course, insisted on the constant promulgation of his Antimasonic notions. Before the end of the year John Allen retired from all connection with the paper, and a short time afterward George Corselius became publisher as well as editor. He
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changed the name to the Michigan Emigrant and advocated whig principles ; and on December 4. 1834. again changed the name to the Michigan Whig. This change in ownership from Mr. Dexter to Mr. Corselius seems, however, to have been more nominal than real, for while Corselius claimed in the paper to be its sole owner, the Antimasonic principles on which the paper was founded having become unpopular, when the change of name from the Michigan Emigrant to the Michigan Whig was made in the absence of Mr. Dexter, on that gentleman's return he em- phatically dissented from the change of name in an editorial signed by his own name; and, as a sort of a compromise, the words "Washtenaw Democrat" were added, the paper becoming the "Michigan Whig and Washtenaw Democrat." On September 3. 1835. Mr. Corselius sold the Whig and Democrat to George W. Wood & Co., who changed its name to the State Journal.
THE STATE JOURNAL.
In a salutatory the new editor of the State Journal says: "The political character of the State Journal shall be truly republican. It will maintain the rights of the states on the one hand, and the integrity of the Union on the other. by seeking to confine both parties to their respective sphere of action. Our humble friends shall at times be exhorted in the cause of equal rights, of civil and political liberty, of true republican principles, and of the constitution, in opposition to the ultra doctrines, new fangled theories and novel interpretations of the new school democrats who now occupy the chief place in the syna- gogue." After about eight weeks George W. Wood became the sole owner of the paper and in April, 1836, it was purchased by Dr. F. Drake, who ran it for a year. In March, 1837, Edwin Lawrence became its editor and publisher, and proposed to make the paper politically independ- ent. He proved to be an able editor, and in May, 1839, sold the paper to Franklin Sawyer, Jr .. who changed its name to the Michigan State Journal, and advocated the election of Harrison to the presidency. Mr. Sawyer sold out to T. M. Ladd, but continued to be the editor until 1841,
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