THE PROGRESS OF SCIENCE. 



477 



purely business standards. To use the 

 methods of industrial trusts in con- 

 ducting colleges and universities is to 

 threaten the present efficiency and ulti- 

 mately the life of all higher education." 

 Thus, for perhaps the first time in the 

 history of our educational system, the 

 autocratic powers of presidents and 

 trustees are directly challenged by the 

 faculty. The outcome will exert a 

 decided influence on the future char- 

 acter and control of our universities. 



THE AMERICAN MEDICAL 

 ASSOCIATIOX. 



The American Medical Association 

 met at Portland, Ore., during the week 

 beginning on July 10, under the presi- 

 dency of Dr. Lewis S. McMurtry, of 

 Louisville, Ky. There was a registra- 

 tion of 1,714 members, which is more 

 than the average. The scientific ses- 

 sions were good, and the business trans- 

 acted was of more than usual im- 

 portance. It appears that in this case 

 a meeting held during an exposition 

 has proved to be pleasant and success- 

 ful. 



The presidential address reviewed the 

 history of the association which was 

 organized in 1846. For many years it 

 was chiefly a body for the presentation 

 of papers, but it has recently assumed 

 additional functions. Perhaps the 

 most important step was the estab- 

 lishment of a journal some twenty 

 years ago. The Journal of the Amer- 

 ican Medical Association has now be- 

 come one of the strongest medical pub- 

 lications in the world. The publication 

 expenses last year amounted to not 

 less than $181,000, but in turn the 

 receipts of the association, largely 

 through subscriptions and advertise- 

 ments for the journal, amounted to 

 $244,709. At the Portland meeting, 

 the association decided to compile a 

 directory of the physicians of the 

 United States, who are said to number 

 about 120,000. 



Four years ago the association 



adopted a plan of organization which 

 appears to be destined to unite the 

 physicians of the country in a power- 

 ful body. The county medical societies 

 are made the unit of organization, these 

 are affiliated with the state organiza- 

 tions, which are in turn united in the 

 national association. The legislative 

 body of the national association is a 

 house of delegates to which members 

 are sent from the different states in 

 proportion to the membership in the 

 state societies. This body consists of 

 150 members, and has proved competent 

 to transact the business of such a so- 

 ciety. This form of organization ap- 

 pears to be both more efficient and more 

 democratic than that of the National 

 Educational Association, on which 

 some comments were made here last 

 month. It is, however, significant that 

 both the physicians and the teachers 

 of the country are developing com- 

 pact organizations which have many of 

 the characteristics of trades unions. 

 They will exert an influence for the 

 material welfare of the members of 

 these professions, and may eventually 

 become strong social and political 

 agencies, which it may be hoped will 

 ordinarily act for the welfare of the 

 whole country. 



The American Medical Association 

 applied last year for a charter from 

 congress, but this has not yet been 

 granted. The question will come up 

 again this winter. Here again the 

 American Medical Association appears 

 to be acting more wisely than the Na- 

 tional Educational Association, the, 

 whole bill being 



Be it enacted by the Senate and House or 

 Representatives of the United States of America 

 \n Congress assembled, That [Here follow the 

 names of the incorporators] and their suc- 

 cessors, and those who may be associated with 

 tnem, are hereby made and constituted a body 

 politic and corporate by the name American 

 Medical Association with perpetual succession 

 and power to take, for the purposes of its in- 

 corporation, by devise, bequest, grant, gift, 

 purchase, or otherwise, and hold or convev, 

 both real and personal property and transact 

 business anywhere within the United States. 



Sec. 2. That the object and purpose of such 

 corporation shall be to promote the science and 

 art of medicine and the public health through- 

 out the United States. 



