8 
toner's address. 
the beginning of the second century of our national 
independence that this city, so typical of American 
progress, and at the same time the adopted home of 
the Father* of the American Medical Association, 
should be the meeting-place of the society which he 
originated, and which he has watched over with such 
rare fidelity and judgment, until it has become a beacon 
that may guide and ethically enlighten every physician 
of the country who desires to earn honorable distinc- 
tion and promote the dignity of the profession. 
The organization which assembles us this evening 
is, as you know, an emanation of the heart, and is alon 
social and memorial in its purpose, and owes its exist- 
ence to the friendships formed among the physicians 
residing east of the Rocky Mountains who in 187 1 
attended the meeting of the American Medical Asso- 
ciation in the city of San Francisco. 
We had often read and heard the expression, ''from 
the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean," when it was desired 
to emphasize the extent and resources of our country. 
On that occasion we realized the import of this expres- 
sion, but never until then did we comprehend it in its 
fullness. To most of us, busy, hard-worked physicians, 
the rest of a month or more from professional duties, 
with an opportunity for even a casual inspection of 
some of the more notable topographical features of the 
United States, such as its great mountain ranges, its 
water-courses, and particularly its extensive table- 
authorities. The city has now entirely recovered, has a larger trade 
than ever, and many millions more of assessed property than before 
the fire. 
*N. S. Davis, M. D. 
