Response to address of welcome
DR. C. W. BEAMAN (Cincinnati): Mr. President: The withdrawal (The mayor didn't come, the Commissionar had to leave early...pointed disrespect to the oldest—but fading—medical organization in the U.S.—MM.) of Commissioner Wolff, the personal representative of Mayor Couzens, has sort of taken the point out of my remarks, and reverses a little bit my responses.
First, I will respond to the state of Michigan. Our president called attention to the fact that it is an old social custom to be welcomed by the mayor of the community, and by the organizations which play host, and in deference to the mayor my remarks should have been addressed to his representative, but as it is they will have to be delivered in absentia, so to speak.
Dr. Conley, we appreciate the welcome you have extended from the small organization, the group of men and women of our section of medicine in the state of Michigan. I am sure we will enjoy this meeting, and that we will take away from here many useful and helpful memories.
To His Honor, the mayor, I would say that we appreciate the gracious words of welcome of his personal representative. I was going to tell his representative that the city of Detroit has probably played host to many conventions, great and small, and as conventions go, numerically at least, our convention is not large. In fact, we would have had a much larger convention and many more of our members present if we had not bowed to circumstances and given way to an international organization which holds its convention next week. I refer to International Rotary. This change of program has affected everyone of us, even those who are here—probably many of you had to change your plans; but many could not change their plans and consequently could not be here. So it has made quite a difference. I want the mayor and the hotel authorities to understand that our number was necessarily made smaller by the action which was really forced upon us.
I was going to tell the mayor that even though we lack great numbers, that the representatives of this association here assembled represent some 5,000 or 6,000 men and women in the United States who practice and believe in the principles of Eclectic medicine, and that, conservatively, those 5,000 or 6,000 practitioners take care of the health of somewhere between four and five millions of our people. Therefore, the mere question of size should not be considered. We are an important unit in medicine in the United States today, and we have the temerity to believe that our section of medicine has had more to do with shaping the destiny of medicine in the United States than we are given credit for. However, if we have helped to shape the destiny of medicine in the United States, we do not care for any personal or group credit. That is, that is not our foremost thought. When our conscience tells us that we have contributed something, that is its own reward.
Another thing that I would have told the mayor would be that this section of medicine sponsored the first national group of physicians in the United States. The first national organization of physicians was in the Eclectic section of medicine. Following that—I believe I am right—a little gap existed, and then this present organization, of which this is the sixty-fourth annual convention, was an outgrowth and continued. Following the first organization came the great American Medical Association, and the American Institute of Homeopathy, and these three organizations constitute what is known as "organized medicine" today. While these various sections may differ on several principles, I am sure that at heart they have one thing in common—to do all in their power to conserve the health and happiness of our people. I wish the mayor to know these things and I hope that in some way they may be transmitted to him.
I was going to call his attention to the fact that the name "Eclectic" means "to choose;" that we have made a choice, a discriminating choice, of this section of medicine. And I was going to tell the mayor that no matter whether some might take exception to our general wisdom in that choice, surely the city of Detroit could find no fault with the fact that we had chosen this city twice during our life, as our convention city. I trust the message will go to him that we are appreciative of his welcome and that we hope to take away with us very pleasant and happy memories of our stay in Detroit.
THE PRESIDENT: We will now have the roll-call of officers. (omitted)
