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SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. LIII. No. 1363 



son Medical College, in which chair he had 

 succeeded Dr. Keen on the retirement of the 

 latter from active teaching. Dr. William H. 

 P. Faunee, president of Brown University, of 

 which institution Dr. Keen is an alumnus, 

 and of which he has been for many years a 

 most active trustee. Dr. William H. Welch, 

 professor of pathology in Johns Hopkins Uni- 

 versity, and like Keen a strong exponent and 

 defender of the field of experimental investi- 

 gation in medicine. The Hon. David Jajme 

 Hill, former ambassador to Germany, who 

 spoke of the interest and efforts of Dr. Keen 

 in the large problems of civic and national 

 welfare, and of his sturdy Americanism. 

 The many letters of congratulation to the 

 guest of the evening had been collected and 

 bound in three volumes, and these were pre- 

 sented by Major General M. W. Ireland, sur- 

 geon general of the United States Army, who 

 detailed Dr. Keen's connection with the Med- 

 ical Department of the Army, beginning with 

 his services in the field and in the hospitals 

 during the Civil War, and down to, and in- 

 cluding the World War, when he held a com- 

 m.ission as a reserve officer, with the rank of 

 major. A bronze bust, by Samuel Murray, of 

 Dr. Keen in his uniform as an officer of the 

 Medical Corps, U. S. Army, was presented to 

 him on behalf of the subscribers to the 

 dinner, by Dr. William J. Taylor, president 

 of the College of Physicians, and for many 

 years his private assistant. 



Dr. Keen resiKinded in happy vein, review- 

 ing the many world changes transpiring dur- 

 ing his long life, with special reference to the 

 revolutionary advances in the sciences, and 

 particularly in medicine and surgery, in many 

 of which he had indeed played a leading part. 

 His address is printed below. A reception to 

 Dr. Keen followed the dinner. 



John H. Jopson 



Philadelphia, Pa. 



ADDRESS OF DR. KEEN 



As I have listened to what I might call 

 " oral photographs " of myself, I assure you 

 that it has been with genuine humility, as I 



realized how far short I had come of these 

 fine ideals. I lay no claim to superlative vir- 

 tues. I am only a loyal American, who, to the 

 best of his ability, has tried to do his daily 

 duty to his fellowmen, his dear country and 

 his God. You have looked on my homely 

 merits with more than kindly eyes, and have 

 regarded my faults and my failings with more 

 than friendly forgetfulness. I thank you 

 again and again from the bottom of my heart. 



This bust, the product of Mr. Murray's 

 skill, I accept for myself and my descendants 

 with special pleasure from you. Dr. Taylor, so 

 long my able assistant, later my colleague and 

 always my dear friend. It is the visible evi- 

 dence of .that precious, imponderable, yet all 

 powerful force — the affection of many friends. 



What shall I say through you, General 

 Ireland, my distinguished pupil, to the writers 

 of these many letters in three stately volumes. 

 They are generous libations poured out on 

 the altar of Friendship. " Timeo Danaos et 

 dona ferentes " was a valid warning in ancient 

 Troy, but my gift-be»ring Greeks I welcome 

 with fearless and profound gratitude. 



It may be a happy augury that we meet 

 to-day rather than yesterday, the actual anni- 

 versary of my birth. By a little stretching 

 of the imagination to-day, I can describe my- 

 self as " well along " — a phrase with a truth- 

 ful indefiniteness — "well along on the way to 

 my 85th birthday," and what is imagination 

 for if not to stand by us when we need help? 



To-morrow, in spite of the terrible tempta- 

 tion you have held out to me to do otherwise, 

 I promise you that I shall wear the same 

 Stetson hat as heretofore. I hardly can 

 call it the companion of my youth, but I do 

 treasure it as an old acquaintance which still 

 fits well. 



My manner of life from my youth up has 

 been known to you among whom I have lived 

 for four score years and four. It is a source 

 of sincere gratification to me that, in spite 

 of all my faults and shortcomings, of which 

 I am fully conscious, on the whole you seem 

 to approve of it. 



When one has reached the altitude of 84, it 

 is natural that he should turn and scan the 



