waaiiiY^' "Jil3'JNVi.Ul-^^ •^/iajAINIliH^ •''-/Aavaaii-iv^ 'i/Aavoaii 1^ vvlOSANCElfj}> -vVvlllBRARYQc^ A^tllBRARY(9/: %a3AiNn-3\\v^ '^.i/ojnvD'jo^^ -^.i/ojnvj-jo'f^ AWEliNIVERS"//, v>:lOSANr,FI?;r ^lOSANCElfj-^ o '^/5JI3AINn-3W'^ ^^OFCAllfO/?4^ ^OFCALIF0% AWE UNIVERy/A ^ 5 "^/^aaAiNO^W ^\tllBHAKY(3^ ^OFCAlimff^ ^^AHvaan^ XWtUNIVER^//) ^>;lOSANCELfj> ^r^iaoNvsoi^'^ '^/saaAiNti-awv AWEl)N!VERS"/A o v^lOSANCElfj> o -.- 'I ""''i3AINn-3\<^ ^IIIBRARYQ^ ^ilibr; %ojnv3jo^ ^^'i ^•J?13DNYS0V^^ '^/5a3AINn-3Wv' ^c?AavaaiHv^^ '^5Aavaaii-^v>> -s^tllBRARYQ^ ^^^iLIBRARY•Qc. ^WE•UNIVER%. ^lOSANCElfj-^ o ^ -< %a3AiNn-3WV^ ^0FCAIIF0% ^0FCAIIF0% '^<5Aavtien-^v^ ,^WEUNIVER% < ^lOSANCElfj> %av}ian-# %:?i3dnvsoi^ '^/^a3AiNfi3Wv' 4?> ,\\\EUNIVERS'/A vj,lOSANCElfj> § X-> ^^ ^^^l■UBRARYQ^ ^lLIBRARYac\ ^«i/0JI]VD-JO'^ ^^i/OJIlVDJO^ >- \'rtEUNIVER5"//, o ^lOSANCElfju. %a3AiNn-3i\v .^^OF-CA1IFO% ce. ^ .^.OFCAIIFO/?^ >;,OFCALIF0/?^ 4s: &_^^s iL^:^! s' j y^^^^^ Memoir Wm. 0. Baldwin, M.D., Montgomery, Ala. [Reprinted from " Representative Men of tlie South."] PHILADELPHIA : CHARLES ROBSON. iSSo. :b/? />yL DR. WM. 0. BALDWIN. ALABAMA. "^ |ILLIAM OWEN BALDWIN was born, August 9th, 1818, in Montgomery county, Ala., about four miles from the capital of the State. At that time Alabama had only recently been organized as a Territory, and was not admitted into the Union until the following year; Montgomery, an old Indian town, was then called "Alabama town." His great-grandfather, a Virginian by birth, settled in North Carolina, where he married Miss Owen, after whom numerous members of the Baldwin family have been named. Some years after his marriage he removed to Columbia county, Ga., where he raised three sons, who took part with their father in the Revolutionary war, and were present at the siege of Augusta, Ga. ; the eldest son David and himself returned home at the close of the war and died shortly afterwards. Of the two remaining sons, Owen married Miss Wiley, and many of his descendants are now resident in Mississippi ; and William, who was born in North Carolina, became a planter in Georgia, married Miss Elizabeth Kimbro, of that State, and was the grandfather of the subject of this sketch. Judge Abraham Baldwin, one of the signers of the Constitution of the United States, was a relative of his. William Baldwin, son of the preceding and father of Dr. Baldwin, was born in Georgia, and married Miss Cecilia Fitzpatrick, of Georgia, whose father was a member of the Georgia Legislature for nineteen consecutive years, and left nine children, of whom the eldest, Cecilia, was the only daughter, and the youngest, Benjamin Fitzpat- rick, was afterwards Governor of Alabama, and subsequently (3) 550619 — 4 — United States Senator, which position he resigned when Ala- bama passed the ordinance of secession. William Baldwin's eldest son, Marion Augustus Baldwin, was born in Georgia, and removed with his parents into Alabama in iSi6; he was Attorney-General of Alabama from 1847 to 1865, and one of the ablest lawyers as well as the most popular man in the State. His father died when Dr. Baldwin was nine years of age, leaving his widow with seven children, of whom he was the second son ; he received his education at an academy in Montgomery county, near his mother's plantation, conducted by Adison H. Sample, a man of great reputation in his day, a splendid linguist and a finished scholar. At sixteen he commenced to read medicine in the office of Dr. McLeod, the leading physician in Montgomery, and shortly afterwards entered the Transylvania University, Lexington, Ky., in which institution he became the private pupil of Dr. Charles Caldwell and Dr. L. P. Yandell, then in conjunction with the eminent surgeon and lithotomist. Dr. B. W. Dudley, pro- fessors in that university. At the unprecedented age of eighteen, he received his degree of M. D., a fact much regretted in after life when the importance of more extended study was more vividly realized. Some years afterwards, disagreements having arisen between the members of the faculty, the professors, with but few excep- tions, resigned and established the Medical Department of the University of Louisville, and the Transylvania University became extinct. His mother having so large a family t-o raise unaided, was somewhat cramped in her resources, and found it impossible to give more than one of her sons a university education, and to that the elder brother was naturally enti- tled. William, however, had all but completed his arrange- ments to enter the University of Virginia, when the want of adequate means interposed an obstacle which it was impos- sible to overcome. In 1837 he commenced the practice of his profession in Montgomery, and in 1840 entered into partnership with his former preceptor, Dr. McLeod, who died tvvelve months afterwards. Becoming on intimate terms with the distinguished Professor of Obstetrics, Dr. William M. Boling, a strong personal attachment sprung up between them, and after occupying the same office for some years, they formed a professional copartnership in 1848, which con- tinued in force for four years, when their practice became so extensive that it was deemed best for their individual pecu- niary interests, in the matter of consultations, etc., to sepa- rate, and the partnership was accordingly dissolved. Dr. Boling was a man of great learning, and perhaps of more sterling merit than any Alabama has produced. Dr. Baldwin and himself studied and labored together for eleven years for the advancement of science, and he afterwards became Pro- fessor in Transylvania University, and subsequently at Mem- phis. At his death, in 1859, ^^- Baldwin delivered a touch- ing eulogy over the grave of this noble and erudite physician. In April, 1847, l^^'- Baldwin contributed to the Amc?-ica?i Jounial of the Medical Sciences some " Observations on the Poisonous Properties of the Sulphate of Quinine." This paper, which contributed perhaps more to his reputation than any article he ever wrote, created great attention, and was translated into several foreign languages, and is quoted as an authority not only in the English and French periodi- cals and their standard works on toxicology, but also in the United States Dispensary and the medico-legal works of this country. After reporting a case in which convulsions, blind- ness and death followed the use of sulphate of quinine; and another in which the symptoms which succeeded the adminis- tration of the quinine bore a striking analogy to the first, although death was not the result, he records numerous experiments made upon dogs, which are affected by poisons exactly in the same way as human beings. Admitting that, under careful and proper administration, no single remedy is half so valuable to the practitioner as that of quinine, he pi'oves conclusively that when given in over-doses, it is capa- ble of producing death. In December, 1849, ^^^ delivered an address before the Alabama State Medical Association, over which body he afterwards presided, entitled: "Physic and Physicians." The range of the discussion is over a wide and fruitful field, embracing the intellectual, mornl, social and professional position of physicians, and the beneficial relations of their science to the welfare of mankind. It is a manly and fearless defence of medical science from quacks and empirics of every description, and abounds in argument, apt illustrations and eloquent appeals in behalf of the dignity and claims of the medical profession. To Homoeopathy par- ticular attention is paid, and considerable space is devoted to the exposure of its heresies and humbugs, but withal in a dignified and manly tone. He is mercilessly severe on dis- honorable, unworthy or mercenary conduct on the part of the orthodox members of the profession, and handles empirics and empiricism of all sorts " without gloves." This address, although the first delivered in public by its author, was re- ceived with such marked favor by the members that it was printed by order of the association for general circulation, and reviewed in the most complimentary terms by the medical journals and newspaper press. After dissolving partnership with Dr. Boling, Dr. Baldwin conducted the largest and most lucrative practice in Montgomery, reaching $15,000 per annum, a very unusual income for a city of its size. During the civil war he still continued his practice, declining repeated offers of commissions in the Confederate service, although he was frequently present on the field after the action attending the wounded as a volunteer surgeon. His eldest son, William Owen Baldwin, left the State University at Tuscaloosa, against his father's will, to join the army, and while Captain of the twenty-second Alabama — endeared to his comrades as the "boy-captain" of Deas' brigade — was killed at Franklin, Tenn., aged only nineteen years. The war over, Dr. Bald- win used his utmost endeavors to bring about a pacification between the two sections so bitterly estranged. During the terrible strife the members of the American Medical Associa- tion at their various meetings had rep atedly deplored the absence of their Southern brethren, and looked forward to the time when ihey would be again "one in their political, professional and social relations." At the annual meeting held in Washington, D. C, in 1868, the first since the beginning of the war at which delegates from the South had been present, only seven representatives from the Southern States attended out of an assemblage of about 500 members. Dr. W. O. Baldwin was elected President as an evidence of the earnest wish of the association to hold out the right hand of fellowship to those so long estranged. Contrary to usual custom the President elect delivered a short address from the chair, which, from the admirable spirit in which it was conceived, and the pathetic yet manly manner in which it was delivered, touched to the quick the hearts of those present, and drew forth unqualified eulogium from men of all shades of opinion. He said : "Mr. President and Gentlemen of the American Medical Association : In returning you my sincere thanks for the honor you have conferred upon me in electing me to preside over the deliberations of this body — an association which embraces in its relationship so many names justly dis- tinguished over the civilized world for genius and learning — believe me, gentlemen, it is with feelings of embarrassment equalled only by my profound sense of gratitude and my ad- miration for the magnanimity which prompted the offering. It is the more grateful to me that it was the free, unasked-for gift of the association. I did not seek the position. High as the honor is, I should deem it purchased at too dear a price if, in order to obtain it, it had been necessary for me to solicit the votes of any men from any section, even those from my own society. I am painfully conscious, gentlemen, of my own unworthiness of this high distinction, and am not vain enough to appropriate the honor all to myself. I do not accept it as an individual compliment, but rather as the faithful hand of brotherhood stretched out with a gener- ous friendship and true nobility of soul in its desire to heal and obliterate the wounds in its own bosom for whose crea- tion it was in no way responsible. Pardon me for taking this opportunity for alluding briefly to a subject which has not perhaps heretofore been considered germaine to occasions like the present, and which I now approach with both pain and hesitation. I am sure that most of you have not failed to ob- serve the very meagre representation which the association has had from the Soutliern States since the close of the late war. This has probably been due to several causes, to only one of which, however, I desire to allude. I will not dis- guise from you, gentlemen, the fact that there are many — 8 — physicians in the South disposed to hold themselves aloof from your councils. The resolution passed at your meeting in 1866, offering again the hand of fellowship to your South- ern brethren, owing to the peculiar condition of our country at that time and the fact that but little of the medical litera- ture and news of the North circulated with us, met the eyes but of few, and there are still among us those who feel that your hearts are yet steeled against them, and who believe that, notwithstanding some formal declarations to the contrary, most of you, in your private feelings, have not yet been able to rise sufficiently above the prejudices of the past to enable you to receive them in such a manner as to make their pres- ence here either agreeable to them or profitable to the associa- tion. Looking to this conviction of theirs, strengthened by the fact they are still under the cloud of the nation's dis- pleasure, and denied the political rights to which they esteem themselves entitled, they have felt that it Avould be both un- dignified and unmanly to present themselves at your doors for admittance to your councils, or to off"er to affiliate with you until they can come as your peers in all things — in politi- cal and social rights, as well as in scientific zeal and devo- tion. So far as my observation has extended, I am sorry to know these sentiments have prevailed with many, and it is but frankness in me to say so. I am free to confess that I, with many others, have not sympathized altogether with these feelings. I saw the resolution adopted in 1866, and before re- ferred to, inviting us in most respectful and conciliatory lan- guage to resume our places in this association. I felt this was all you could do, all you ought to do, all we could ask, and was satisfied with it, and only regret it did not obtain a more general circulation. The society to which I belong, with entire unanimity, appointed its full quota of delegates to this meeting. I came here to lend my humble example to the work of re-establishing our former relations. I never doubted I would be received with courtesy and even with kindness. The broad, liberal, and catholic sentiments proclaimed from this stand in the annual address of that noble old Roman, our distinguished President, Dr. Gross, knowing in these halls 'no North, no South, no East, no West' — he whose — 9 — clustering honorr, though won in your midst, yet gather a beauty and brilliancy from the love and veneration in which he is held in the South — must be received as a declaration of sentiments and principles by this association, and cannot fail to correct the errors and misrepresentations which have pre- vailed in our section. This action of yours to-day, in award- ing through me as one of her humble representatives, the hon- orable and distinguished office of President of this Association, a position which might well be claimed for one of the many of your own renowned and gifted sons, will, I am sure, tes- tify to our brethren of the South, in silent but forcible lan- guage, the injustice which has been done you by those wlio have taken a different view of your real sentiments and feel- ings towards us. In saying this much, I do not intend it as a reproach to those of my section who have hitherto so mis- understood you; and you in your generosity I am sure are prepared to concede much to the pride of a noble manhood, who, standing amidst the memories of blasted hopes and ruined fortunes, have perhaps been disposed to guard with too jealous and sensitive an eye that which is dearer to them than fortune or life itself, and which I am sure you would be the last to willingly see compromised — their personal and professional dignity and honor. For myself and for those I represent I grasp with unaffected pleasure the hand which you have so gracefully and magnanimously offered, and I hope and believe this sentiment will meet a ready response from all our brethren of the South. Let us again be unifed as friends and brothers. Ignoring past and present political differences, let us exhibit to this distracted country an ex- ample of forgiveness and toleration worthy the emulation of a great and noble people. Let the bonds which we acknowl- edge here bind us in all portions of this broad land as a sacred brotherhood engaged in a common toil, with one mind, one heart, and one purpose. Let the place annually selected for our meetings be our Mecca. There let us meet with harmony of sentiment for thorough organization, for connected and concerted action, without which no great science or art can ever attain its highest perfection. Exacting from each other only the qualifications necessary for honorable membership, let us there mingle in the sacred precincts of our humane profession, and join hands and sympathies in the strengthen- ing influences of association and fellowship ; and, as we lay- fresh offerings in the temple of a noble science and build new fires on her altars, let us cherish in our hearts the ennob- ling sentiment of brotherly love. In conclusion I would say we have doubtless most of us — aye, certainly, most of us in the land of many sorrows from whence I come — tasted the bitter fruits of the bloody and unholy war through which we have passed and wept over its dire calamities. We, as an associa- tion, had no agency in its creation. It belongs now with all its disasters and miseries to the dead past, and, as we had no cause for quarrel then, we have none now for separation or estrangement. We may not forget our sorrows for the past, and we will still water with our most sacred tears the graves of our noble sons who fell victims to the strife. But, when- ever there is grief at the heart, a tear for the ashes of .the past, let us wipe from it all traces of bitterness, and drape its memories, and sanctify its sadness with the manly and Chris- tian virtues of charity, forgiveness, and fraternal love." This speech was copied into the public journals of every sec- tion of the country with but one expression of the strongest approbation for his patriotic endeavor to heal the wounds of fraternal strife, and enable both North and South without loss of self-respect to shake hands over the bloody chasm and bury forever the bitter past. A well-known literary gen- tleman ivho was present — the Nestor of the medical literary world — meeting Dr. Baldwin afterwards asked to shake him by the hand, and said, "Your speech has done more and will do more towards reconciling tlie different sections than all the resolutions and reconstruction acts introduced, or speeches made in Congress since the war." Previous to the annual meeting of the American Medical Association, held in New Orleans, in May, 1869, Dr. Bald- win, being desirous of securing a full attendance of the pro- fession from all sections, addressed a letter to Dr. J. C. Nott, of New York, formerly of Mobile, in which he fully explained the sentiments of Southern physicians in regard to the association, and in return asked from Dr. Nott full in- formation as to the feelings actuating the profession in the North. This correspondence was forwarded to Dr. E. S. Gaillard, Editor of the Richmond and Louisville Medical Journal, with a request for its publication, and is as follows : [Letter i.] "Montgomery, Ala., March 15//?, 1869. "Dr. E. S. Gaillard, " Editor Richmond and Louisville Medical Journal : "My Dear Sir: I send you this letter and the enclosed correspondence between Dr. J. C. Nott and myself, for pub- lication in your journal. You must pardon me, dear doctor, for the personal allusion contained in this correspondence to yourself From the fact that you were an active participant in the late war and suffered deeply by its results, and from the additional fact that you have occupied a prominent posi- tion in the medical profession before and since the war, I thought I might take the liberty of referring to you as a true representative of the professional sentiment of the South. For the same reason I addressed a communication to Dr. Nott (formerly of Mobile, now of New York), who, it is well known, was a stsmnch adherent of the Confederate cause ; who, at the advanced age of sixty years, gave up his professorship in a college to which he was devoted and of which he was the founder ; relinquished his large and lucra- tive practice and neglected his then ample fortune to take a commission in the army of the South ; serving in hospitals, in camp, on the march, in the front or wherever he was ordered, with all the devotion and faithfulness of his enthu- siastic and honest nature. He had but three children, all sons ; one lost an arm in infancy ; the others, promising in a ripening manhood all that a father's heart could desire ; both of these went to the field at the first call for troops and both perished in the army. When such men as yourself and Nott, from the medical profession, and General Wade Hampton, from the head and front of the army — all repre- sefitative men — men who have, in the time of her greatest need, rendered distinguished services to the South, who have been torn and mutilated in person, lacerated and crushed in affections, wrecked and ruined in fortune, can take the proffered hand of friendship and urge conciliation, harmony and fraternization for the good of science and the welfare of the country, I think the personal allusion which I have made to you is pardonable, while it should put to the blush those few 'who still urge discord and alienation.' I do not think that a charge of egotism could lie against you in consequence of your publishing what I think or say of you. In justice to me you cannot omit the reference to you, for by so doing, you would manifestly defeat one object of the letter. I have seen proper to use your name as a representative man, and in a manner to serve a purpose which is obvious throughout the letter, and \\\Qfaets -warrant the allusion. •' I am, dear doctor, very sincerely yours, "W. O. Baldwin, M. D." [Letter 2.] " Montgomery, Ala., March 2d, 1869. " Dr. J. C. NoTT, New York : " My Dear Doctor: As you are aware, the next meeting of the American Medical Association is to be held in the city of New Orleans, on the first Tuesday in May next, and I write to urge you to be present on that occasion. Your numerous old friends in the South would be most happy to meet you there ; to shake you by the hand in this fraternal reunion, and to welcome you again to the scenes of your morning life. It must be gratifying to you to know, my dear, good old friend, when, in your solitary moments, memory sometimes takes you back to the home of your youth (to review the incidents of almost a life-time spent in active and arduous professional duties), that your cotempora- ries here, who witnessed your devotion to the cause of science, whilst they appreciated the value of your labors, still hold in most affectionate remembrance that honorable courtesy and charity which ever distinguished your conduct towards your professional brothers. I am glad to be able to say, my dear doctor, that the spirit of your example still lives with us and, I believe, will teach us from the grave; Avill teach those who still labor in the fields you have left, when life with you — 13 — shall have ended its hardest lessons. Nothing, I assure you, would give me, individually, more j^lcasure than to see your honest face on that occasion. It will be such a fitting time for you to meet us, and one which will probably never present itself again, when you could see so many of your old friends. My correspondence has been somewhat extensive during the past eight or nine months, and I feel justified in saying that the great mass of the profession South is in full accord and sympathy with the association. You may have seen some little dissatisfaction expressed in newspapers over a iwm de plume, indicating the author to be a physician, but I assure you such sentiments are confined to but very few and have failed to reach the great heart of the profession. I was grieved, however, to see even this manifestation of opposition to the great representative interests of the medical profession of this country. It has no root and can bear no fruits in science or general beneficence. This dissatisfaction grew out of the action of the association at its meeting in 1S64, in relation to a preamble and resolutions introduced by Dr. A. K. Gardner, of New York. These were, in fact, a re- monstrance against the war ethics of the government, and, in substance, provided that the President of the United States, heads of departments, and members of the United States Senate be requested by the association to ' take such action as shall cause all medicines and medical and surgical instruments and appliances to be excluded from the list "called contraband of war."* The action taken on these resolutions by the association was to lay them on the table indefinitely, and which, in parliamentary parlance, I believe, means that it was ' not desirable to consider them ' at that time. From this action, some have contended that the asso- ciation lent its influence and support to sustain the govern- ment in this feature of its ethics of war. The beautiful pre- amble and resolutions referred to, as having been introduced by Dr. Gardner, are certainly a most graceful proof of a noble and generous mind, and must be regarded by all as the offspring of the purest and most unselfish charity and benevolence. Yet how far the language used by others in commenting upon this action of the association is justified by — 14 — the facts ; how far this body lent its influence and support to the government in the policy complained of, or to what extent it committed itself to the principle, by laying these resolutions on the table, are questions which may very well admit of differences of opinion. No member can claim for the association exemption from fair, frank, and honorable criticism, and, when thus conducted amongst ourselves, or through the legitimate channels of medical periodicals, wilh moderate language and in a courteous and respectful temper, I can see no objection to it, and think it may in the end lead to harmony of sentiment and unity of purpose. I have been particularly grieved, however, to see that some, in their zeal to discuss the points above referred to, have resorted to the columns of newspapers (devoted to common and general politics) for this purpose. The public feel no particular interest in controversies like this, and, in the language of our code of ethics, 'as there exists numerous points in medi- cal ethics and etiquette through which the feelings of medical men may be painfully assailed in their intercourse with each other, and which cannot be understood or appreciated by general society, . . . publicity in a case of this nature may be personally injurious to the individuals concerned, and can hardly fail to bring discredit upon the faculty.' These injunctions, though applying to our daily intercourse with each other, are equally applicable to us in our associated and general relations. I am not prepared to say what the usages of modern warfare are on the points raised in Dr. Gardner's resolutions, or whether there are any recognized or estab- lished ethics among civilized nations on this subject. But that it is in accordance with the purest and highest dic- tates of humanity for belligerent powers to allow the enemy's sick and wounded to be supplied with medicines and surgi- cal appliances from within their own lines, when they can- not be otherwise obtained, I think none will deny, unless the supply be at a time when such action might thwart the movements or prejudice the safety of an army. And, if the duty of regulating such matters had been assigned to the American Medical x\ssociation, or even to the army medi- cal corps, and they had established or advised the establish- — 15 — ment of an ordinance making these articles contraband of war, I should feel that their action had not harmonized with the spirit which has ever characterized the conduct of our pro- fession toward suffering humanity. This, liowever, was not the case, and I can very well imagine that those who voted against the association taking the action urged in the pream- ble and resolutions referred to, could give good reasons which influenced them, at that particular time, to desire no complication with their government upon a question, in the discussion and decision of which they were regarded as in no way authoritative, and the direction of which had been assumed by high government officials, who had long since established and practised a policy in reference to it. I assume, then, the broad ground that it was a question with which the association had nothing whatever to do, and one which was not properly before it for discussion ; and, it seems to me, that it was expecting too much of our Northern broth- ers to suppose, that they, at a time when all the sinews of Avar were called most vigorously into execution, would place themselves in antagonism to their government upon a question which was entirely outside of their professional posi- tion and accredited duties. In doing so they certainly would have been transcending their legitimate sphere and meddling with the prerogatives of those to whom the regulation of the ethics of war had been assigned, and who claimed exclu- sive jurisdiction over the question. Subjects of this kind certainly formed no part in the plan of their organization. They were there solely for the purpose of discussing ques- tions purely scientific and professional, and not such as grow out of civilized warfare. "Whatever, therefore, was objectionable in the ordinance alluded to, the high functionaries of the government were alone responsible for it. It was a political and war measure with which the association had no more to do than did the Pope of Rome, or the worshipful grand master of a Masonic lodge, or any other humane and charitable individual, or Christian and benevolent organization, in the land. In fact, every man in Christendom was as much bound to remonstrate with the government, for any violation of the rules of civilized — i6 — warfare, as were the members of the association. It is a very serious and forced conclusion to say, that the association gave its influence and support to the government to maintain it in this policy, simply because it refused at that particular junc- ture to enter its protest against it, by the adoption of these resolutions. If, as an association, they had assumed a vindic- tive or hostile attitude towards the South' and advised the adoption of this or any other cruel or unjust procedure on the part of the Northern government, there would have been just reasons for complaint on the part of Southern physicians. This, however, was not the case. The association simply held \\.'=>tVi firmly to \\.?, professional position, to its acknowledged sphere, to its accredited duties, and refused to go outside of that position to discuss a question which concerned that body no more than it did any private individual in the land. It is not wise, nor is it required by any creed of general courtesy or ethics, that honor shall always forbid that which honor fails to sanction. Men are not expected or required to de- nounce every measure of which they cannot approve. There are often good reasons why they should not. Are they, then, to share the odium of measures entirely foreign to their sphere and beyond their control? There is certainly much differ- ence between the man who commits crime and him who fails to remonstrate with the criminal ! As -well might we reproach and rebuke the High Court of Chancery for failing to lecture the world on the subject of religion, the giving of alms to the poor, or for any other philanthropic work which might be calculated to lessen the woes and mitigate the sufferings of fellow-beings. Society, and especially governments, have assigned to different individuals and classes their peculiar sphere and respective duties, and the world owes much of its harmony to this fortunate arrangement. We have our own code of ethics and etiquette, and our own standard of morals, and, if we adhere strictly to these, we cannot interfere with the ethics of war established by ordinances of government. One of the great reconciling principles in the philosophy of life is a proper regard for the rights, duties and principles of others. Whilst, by the very nature of our calling, we are intimately connected with the interests of humanity, and — 17 — should labor by every means rightfully at our command to promote its benefactions, we must be careful in our zeal for a good cause not to hazard the position and influence already gained by invading the precincts and prerogatives of others. The restraints and usages of governments in times of war may seem to us, in many particulars, unnecessarily harsh, oppressive and cruel; and, indeed, what civilian ever wit- nessed the operation of martial law who could not find grave objections, both to its humanity and equity? But when these have been ordained by persons to whom we are only subor- dinate, we cannot be responsible for results, and should, in no way, share the odium, simply by failing to place ourselves in open antagonism to them. As long as we labor with all the professional, intellectual and moral efficiency at our com- mand, for the fulfilment of duties properly within our legiti- mate and recognized sphere, we shall have accomplished all the good for humanity that the world can reasonably expect or require of us. But even suppose the association did com- mit an error, in fact and in spirit, in failing to remonstrate with its government, as stated, where is the wisdom, at this day, of opposition to its future and permanent interests? Suppose that the feeble assaults which have been made upon it should swell into a hostility whose magnitude should in the end mar its progress, compass its disorganization, and defeat its claims to a grand nationality, who could receive credit for such a work? Where would be the glory of success or the fruit of such victory? Could science, could humanity, could the country thank one for such a service ? What has brought the science of medicine to its present state of ad- vancement but the labor of intellects combined in organization ? Like the tiny insect which lays up its stores for the wants of winter, we too must acknowledge the great law which sanc- tions the wisdom of associated labor. The imperishable grandeur and usefulness of all sciences owe their highest development to organized effort. The future glories of the science of medicine in this country lie embodied in powers yet latent in organization, and he who seeks to disturb this great element in its prosperity is no friend to progress. "The animus of the association has shown itself to be honorable and kind in every reference made to its Southern members, during and since the war; honorable to itself, honorable to the profession, honorable, just and generous to the South. When I went to its last meeting (in Washington), I did so from a sense of duty and with the earnest desire of seeing the two sections united in their professional relations and purposes. I did not solicit any honors, and asked no man to vote for me for any office. Yet with a meagre repre- sentation from the South, they conferred upon me the highest office in their gift. I knew myself to be unworthy of the high distinction, and felt it was not intended for me. I knew it had a broader and higher significance than that of a mere tribute to personal and private ambition. I knew it to be in keeping with that kindly spirit displayed by the Northern delegates towards their Southern brethren throughout their 'Transactions,' and that it was but a fresh offering of the olive branch of peace. In this spirit I accepted it. No man asked me anything in relation to my political senti- ments. I cannot boast of performances in the late struggle, but I have never disguised the fact from any one, that in all the earnest desires of the heart which constitute devotion to a cause, I yield to none in my loyalty to that which has gone down in the gloom of defeat, and for which those tender youths, your son and mine, fought side by side, and fighting fell for principles held dear by you and by me. I would not stultify myself on this point for all the honors which could be heaped upon me by the medical profession, or by any other class of men. Nor do I think my Northern brothers would respect me more for being false to my section. In the death of my boy I found the hardest heart-sorrow of my life, and the weary years which have since passed by have been powerless to still its anguish ; and yet I could but feel a mournful pride in a knowledge of the fact that he died on the field of glory, and true to the land which gave him birth. But the crushed affections and blighted hopes of the father, who has yielded a noble sacrifice to his country, as he sits in silent and sacred memory of his holiest grief, can find no relief by barbing the anguish of his heart with feelings of malice, hatred and revenge towards those who, in honorable — 19 — combat, had been made the instruments of his sorrow. Natural affection does not require this ; true manliness does not demand it. No, doctor, I do not wish to cherish feelings of bitterness with the memory of my son. I wish to forget all that is painful and harrowing to the heart, and to remem- ber him as he was, the soldier, patriot and Christian, falling in honorable warfare, and that the hand which sent the fatal ball which deprived him of life was that of some brave and generous spirit, moved by the same high purpose, the same stern sense of duty, the same devotion to principle and coun- try which guided and actuated him. So far from entertaining sentiments of unkindness towards our brothers of the medical profession North, growing out of this aiifliction, my only feel- ing has been, that if any one of them had been near him in that dreadful hour, his highest care would have been to have drawn, if possible, the fatal ball from his breast and restored him to life and health. How unwise and unprofitable it is to seek to mingle the temper of partisan strife with the affairs of a great science ! If the gallant General Hampton, whose blood flowed so freely in the late war, and whose home, with the homes of his people, was consumed and made desolate by the flames of the Northern army, can speak gratefully of ' the spirit of conciliation, the magnanimity and kindness ' of those 'who recognize us as no longer foes, but brethren,' can, for his country's good, declare his willingness to bury 'all past differences in one common grave,' to 'accept the right hand of fellowship ... so frankly extended,' and greet as a 'comrade' him whose hand 'so lately grasped the sword,' but now 'bears the olive branch of peace,' shall we be so sectional and prejudiced as to nurse feelings of hostility towards a brotherhood from whom we have ever received only evidences of marked kindness and honorable courtesy ? If the talented and independent editor of the Richmond and Louisville Medical Journal, Professor E. S. Gaillard, who lost his right arm, when a medical director, in the discharge of his surgical duties on the field of battle, thus depriving him of all hope of farther advancement in the special department which had been the d^ice of his youth, for which genius, education and a thorougltkaiethod had so well prepared him. and to which the achievements of early manhood had already given such brilliant promise of successful ambition — I say, if he can advise that we should cover over the past ' with the mantle of personal and professional charity,' that we should * take the outstretched hand, accept the offer of friendliness and reconciliation ; ' and that the reception of the ' medical men of America,' when they assemble in New Orleans, in May next, should be * not only a hospitable reception, but a warm, a manly and a generous welcome,' cannot those who never felt a wound, and can even jest at scars, lay aside feelings which can neither yield fruits to our noble science nor do honor to our manhood ? Is any one vain or weak enough to believe that our Northern brothers will derive an advantage from fellowship, union and harmony which we will not share in an equal ratio ? "Pardon me, dear doctor, for trespassing so long upon your valuable time. I know you will excuse it in the interest which you feel in the general prosperity of the medical pro- fession of the whole country, and especially in the desire which you feel to see your Southern friends come fully up to their duty in meeting the honorable advances which have been made by our Northern brothers, looking to a complete and perfect fraternization. I think the American Medical Association is to be the power through which a greater good is to be accomplished for the profession in this country than has yet been achieved. On this point you may perhaps hear from me at some future time. I will only say now, -that its organization had its inception chiefly in an idea which has not yet been realized — that of elevating the standard of medical education in this country. But I believe its labors in this direction will yet be felt and acknowledged. To this end, // 7niist be national zx^^ represent the interests of the pro- fession in every part of the country. Those who comprehend the grandeur of its germ, appreciate full well the ultimate possibility of its nature, and will see to it that the inspiration which gave it birth shall be worked to a final and successful end. The advancement of science, the affections of an en- lightened brotherhood, the interests of society and the good of humanity are all united with it, and from every section I have the most gratifying assurances of a determination to bury all other sentiments in the one great purpose of pro- moting harmony and concert of action, with the kindest feel- ings of fraternal regard. Assure our friends of the North of this, and tell them we desire to meet them in large numbers in New Orleans in May. "With assurances of the highest regard, believe me, dear doctor, " Most sincerely and truly your friend, "W. O. Baldwin, M. D." [Letter 3.] " New \\)KK, No. 4 West Twenty-Second street. ''March 2>fh, 1S69. " W. O. Baldwin, M. D. : " My Dear Doctor: Your letter of the 2d has just come to hand. I hasten to reply by return mail. Whilst I am fully sensible that your kind feelings for me have tempted you to speak in terms of praise beyond my merits, I have the vanity to believe that you do not over-estimate my high sense of obligation to our noble profession ; my unceasing efforts to uphold its dignity, and my endeavors to promote friendly feelings amongst its members. I have always maintained that we could not deserve or command the respect of the world, unless we respected each other and preserved a proper esprii de corps. Wlien I was about to take my farewell of the people of Mobile, among whom I had lived for thirty years, the leading citizens gave me a public dinner, and the members of the profession a handsonie reception, at whicli I was presented with a piece of plate, on which was engraved the name of every regular practitioner of the city. This, to me, was a crowning glory of a long career, as it was grateful evidence to me that my constant efforts to keep the mem- bers of the profession together in brotherly love and useful- ness had not been in vain. You may well believe then, my dear friend, that your present efforts in the same good cause, on a wider field, meet my hearty approbation and sympathy. I have nothing to suggest in addition to your excellent letter, which covers the whole ground at issue ; it is temperate, honest, manly, and in every way becoming the high and responsible position in which you are placed. I doubt not it will be responded to by the profession. North, South, East and West, in the same spirit in which it was conceived. The construction you have given to the action of the Ameri- can Medical Association, on the preamble and resolutions of Dr. A. K. Gardner, to which you refer, corresponds pre- cisely with that I have heard expressed by all the members of the profession I have met at the North. The time of the association was fully occupied with matters that properly be- longed to it, and these resolutions trenched upon political or military considerations which were foreign to the business of the association, which they could not influence. Any debate upon them might have led to unpleasant remarks from some impetuous member, and it was, therefore, best to lay them on the table. If such resolutions had been laid before any hundred members of our profession, during the war, at the South, what, let me ask, would have been the result? There is a statistical law that throws a certain per cent, of unwise heads into every assembly of this kind, and the less opportunity they have of talking, the better. "Now, sir, I beg leave to say a word of my personal expe- rience, since the war, at the North. Soon after the war closed, I was summoned to Washington as a witness in the Wirz trial, and seized the occasion to run over to Philadelphia to see what I could discover that was new in the way of books, instruments, practice, etc., we having been shut out from the world for four years. Not only did the medical, gentle- men of Philadelphia receive me politely, but they seemed to feel as if they thought I might feel some delicacy in pre- senting my rebel facs in their midst, and were more desirous than I had ever seen them, of treating me with hospitality. About a year ago, I came to pitch ray tent in the city of New York, determined to ask no favors of the members of the profession, and not one of them can say that I ever solicited an introduction to him; and yet, it would sound like egotism Avere I to tell of half tlie respect, the hospitality, and kindness I have received, both in and out of the profession in the city of New York. It is but justice to the faculty in New York to say that in tone, talent and attainment, it will com- pare favorably witli that of the large capitals of Europe. But suppose we atlmit that the action of the association on the resolutions of Dr. Gardner was dictated by sectional and unchristianlike motives: this does not alter the case. 'I'he war is over ; our prosperity and happiness depend upon our return to the former status of the country, politically and socially; passion and prejudice should be laid in the grave with the half-million of brave men that have been buried in the bloody strife. The olive-branch has been gracefully and cordially tendered by our medical brethren at the North to those at the South, and it is your duty to accept it frankly and in good faith. The medical profession has a great mis- sion to fulfil. ISIedicine is not only a healing art, but is the mother of anatomy and physiology in their most extended sense; of botany, chemistry, mineralogy, geology, etc.; in fact, of all the natural sciences, from which have sprung the useful arts. It has been the great fountain from which have flowed the elements of civilization, from the foundation of the Egyptian empire to the present day. Now, my dear friend, will the medical profession at the South be outdone in magnanimity? will they permit a petty pique, or even the remembrance of a great civil war, in which, perhaps, we were all to blame, to cross the path of science, and to mar a great enterprise like that of the Medical Association ? (]od forbid ! My many old friends must throw aside all minor considerations and come forward in sustaining your efforts to maintain the true honor of the South, the dignity of our pro- fession, and the cause of humanity. "Very truly your friend, "J. C. Nott." In May, 1S69, the annual meeting of the American Medi- cal Association was held at New Orleans, La., and Ur. Bald- win, as President, delivered the annual address, in which, re- ferring to the absence of sectional prejudice among the medi- cal profession, even during the heat of active warfare, he said : "To me, gentlemen, this occasion is one of solemnity and significance. Standing here in the great commercial metropo- lis of the South, I feel myself surrounded by men represent- — 24 — ing nearly every section of a country so lately arrayed in hostile strife. At a time when every other organization has been shaken to its centre by the passions of deadliest hate; at a time when the most matured conservatism has been over- mastered by the vindictive fury which has swayed the popular mind ; at a time when even instinct has been treach- erous to its ends, you have been drawn hither from homes far distant, over highways full of painful historic incidents, through territories watered by the blood and tears of a sorrowing nation, and you have assembled here as brothers and friends to unite your offerings to a common science. The mournful witnesses of this terrific struggle have con- fronted your eyes ; the shadowy phantoms still linger on the stage where these tragedies have been performed ; the air we breathe has not yet lost its echoing groans of dying heroism nor the pathetic anguish of sorrowing relatives. Amid these circumstances so sundering to the most sacred companionships of life, you have met in the spirit of Him who is this world's greatest and best Healer — that Divine One, who, opening and continuing his ministry of service, by curing all manner of diseases, finished its majestic self-denial in the reconciliations of the cross. Eight years ago we were separated by civil war. That war engendered the bitterest feeling in every other national organization, whether scientific, political, or Christian ; but the members of this association, without words of crimination or reproach for one another, assumed the re- spective places assigned them by the obligation of citizenship. Through the long and bloody contest which ensued, this asso- ciation, in its resources, honor and renown, was in the keep- ing of our Northern brethren, and during those memorable years, when the sense of bitter wrong and burning hate filled all hearts, and when friendships and affections born of the hallowed ties of consanguinity sent their messages — once of love and tenderness — at the point of the bayonet or through the cannon's mouth, what v/ere the feelings which moved this association? At the first meeting, two years after the war began, they indulged only in expressions of profound regret that ' the brethren who once knelt witli them at the same holy altar and drank with them at the same pure fountain had been — 25 — separated from them by civil war, endangering thereby the claims of the association to an unselfish nationality, and rob- bing it of the presence and the counsel of many of its warmest adherents,' while praying at the following meeting that the period would soon come when we should again be 'one in our political, professional and social relations.' The same humane and catholic sjnrit continued during the war to mark the conduct of the members of this association. Each of the divided sections met the tasks required by its respective posi- tion. But wherever found, whether sharing the hardships of the campaign or discharging the duties of private practice, they comprehended the essential difference between what might prove on the one hand a transitory evil, and what on the other hand they knew would be a lasting good. Accord- ingly they remained the consistent representatives of a noble brotherhood. If they did not sink the patriot in the physi- cian, they did not sink the physician in the patriot. The im- perative instincts of each character, true to its trusts and faithful to its requirements, acted for themselves and in the direction of their own ends. Amid the shouts of battle and the shock of arms they raised themselves to the height and grandeur of their calling, and thus stood far above the embit- tered prejudices that encircled all other classes of men. So far from allowing the fugitive passions of the times to betray them from their professional allegiance, they vindicated their sagacity no less than their manliness by looking to the future — by contemplating results not the less certain because re- mote, by regarding with thoughts chastened and subdued that state of man in which the interests of life and death meet together ; and by considering as paramount to all selfish motives the claims of that science with whose undisclosed mysteries they must yet wrestle for the well-being of man- kind. Above all, they looked to the transcendent value of a virtue which should contrast in broad masses of light its purity and power with the corruptions and frailties of the hour, which should, by reason of its disinterestedness, diffuse itself through the affections of nations, and reach, in the large outgoings of its sympathy, the hearts of generations yet unborn. When at last this dispensation of carnage ended^ — 26 — and whilst as yet the war-path was crimsoned with the blood or whitened with the unburied bones of our brethren, this association again met. Like the surges of the sea, dark, tumultuous, raging, though the storm has passed from the sky and fled beyond the horizon, the meaner instincts of hatred, revenge and persecution still swayed the multitude. The mob of fanatical intellect unappeased and the mob of popular passions thirsting for new strife joined their hands to prolong the wretched alienation. The avenging angel had lifted his brooding wings from the landscape, and cried, ' It is enough,' but now other vials of wrath seemed about to be poured forth on a land hopeless because helpless. You then met to pour oil on the unquiet waters. Here was scope for a statesman- ship, aye, for a generalship, grander than any which the war had developed. Here was the best of opportunities to inau- gurate a new epoch of fraternal sympathy. Nor were you unmindful of its solemn behests. True to your past profes- sions of regret over our separation, you saw the vacant seats, in this association, of your Southern brethren, and, actuated by the higher instincts of manhood, and scorning the base ambition to degrade a fallen antagonist whom the saddest experience had taught the bitterest lessons of life, you set the nation an example of dignity, moderation and virtue to which no other organization in the land has yet had the wis- dom or the sensibility to rise. "Within a few weeks after the cessation of hostilities the association held its regular annual meeting in the city, of New York, and there renewed with manly sympathy its former expressions of kindness, inviting us to come again and be their brethren. I quote their own language on that occasion when I say: 'The unhappy feud which for years has divided the nation has ceased, and peace has come, we trust forever ; so we hope soon again to meet our members and delegates from the South on the platform of fraternization, and to this end we extend to them a cordial welcome.' At a subsequent meeting you repeated this sentiment in the following lan- guage : ' We would fain meet again those from whom we have been separated, draw the mantle of forgetfulness over the past, renew to them the expressions of regard, and with them dcdi- cate the hour and the occasion to the sacred cause of learn- ing, friendship and truth.'. And when, at the last meeting, we met our Northern brethren, how were we received? They met us as equals in the past and equals in the present, saying, in effect, if not in words: ' If quarrel we ever had, it is over; we have no explanations to offer, no apologies to demand ; we know that we have done our duty ; we feel that you have done no more, and that you would have been unworthy your noble vocation had you done less; we have guarded faithfully the institution so long left in our charge, in which we now claim but an equal interest with you; with the incense which we have burned in its sacred fane we have not permitted the poisonous spirit of party to mingle, and we now invite you to go with us to the smiling and peaceful fields of that science whose interests it shall be our common work to foster and advance; here we will walk with you to the stern realities and sublime grandeur of labor and thought, and find in their quiet paths a relief from the gloom of the past; here we will divide with you the toils and share with you the rewards of labor, the labors of success.' Against the insolence of the day; against its unreasoning pride, its overweening vanity and shamelessness, your conduct bore a moral protest, which, while acting directly on our profession, has had.no small agency in producing those indications of a return to recipro- cal sentiments of confidence and respect in which all the good men of the country rejoice. The mythical war between the Athenians and Amazons led, in the midst of arms, to the most intimate friendship between the leaders. When Pirith- ous and Theseus finally met on the plains of Marathon, after many a hard-fought battle, the former, regarding himself and army as captors, said to the latter: 'Be judge thyself; what satisfaction dost thou require ? ' The noble Athenian replied : ' Thy friendship,' and they swore inviolable fidelity, and were ever after true brothers-in-arms. Alas! that the nineteenth century has so often to recur to classical heathenism to find its illustrations of genuine magnanimity. Looking at these facts, am I not warranted in asking if any organization has emerged from our late convulsions with so much dignity? Has it not come forth from the sharp ordeal with those grace- — 28 — ful virtues that belong to our higher nature? The world may have its conventional rules of intercourse between man and man — its creed of moral philosophy — its code of honor, its accredited formula of behavior, while it lavishes its praise on the charms of human brotherhood ; but it has been left to the American Medical Association to teach practically the in- tellects of the land one of the most ennobling lessons on the dignity, beauty and glory of refined and civilized life : a les- son that not only hallows the spirit of our professional char- acter, but instructs the physician in those spiritual sentiments which lead to the highest virtues, among which are reckoned charity and forgiveness. Of the one we are told that the archangel, who never knew the feeling of hatred, has reason to envy the man who subdues it ; while of the other it is said, that when we practise forgiveness to the man who has pierced our heart, he stands to us in the relation of the sea- worm, that perforates the shell of the muscle, which straight- way closes the wound with a pearl." After thus dwelling on the moral spirit of the association, he proceeded to discuss the subject of Medical Education, the elevation of which was the chief object for which the American Medical Association was organized. He contrasts at length the lax system of medical education tolerated in this country with the thorough and systematic course required of the student by the European system, and points out that the fundamental error in the American system is the defective nature of the preliminary education, and urges a reform in medical colleges which shall establish "a uniform and ele- vated standard of requirements for the degree of M. D." He advocates the establishment of one or more National Medical Schools or Universities which should confer such distinctions and privileges as would be proportionate to the superiority they demand, and such as would make the attain- ment of their diploma an object to the ambition of those who engage in the study of medicine ; the chairs to be open to all aspirants, and the appointment or election of professors to be so guarded as to secure the very highest talents, the most profound learning, with the most fully demonstrated capacity for teaching. The salaries of the professors to be large and — 29 — not dependent upon the number of students, and the Federal government to assume a proper share of the expenses incurred. On the motion for adjournment, he delivered the following address, whicli was unanimously ordered to be published ia the minutes of the association : "Gentle.men: Before I submit the motion just made, and which, when adopted, will practically close my official rela- tions to this body, allow me to return you my most cordial and grateful thanks for the unvarying kindness which I have received at your hands. Whatever my future lot in life may be, the world holds no honors which to me can equal those conferred by you. The fraternal good-will which has so conspicuously marked your deliberations has been to me a matter of infinite satisfaction and pride, and will not be the least among the grateful memories which will gladden my heart as I may hereafter review the incidents of my official connection with you. "To win your judgment and approval, to hold up the dignity of fellowship, the usefulness of association, and the interest and prosperity of the profession at large, have cer- tainly occupied my most anxious thoughts since my elevation to this position ; yet to cherish and promote the intimate and cordial relations of friendship between the individual members of this association against all sectional distinctions or geographical lines has also been among the chief objects of my ambition and the earnest desires of my heart. Could I now believe that my efforts have contributed in the slightest degree to enlarging that harmony of sentiment and frater- nal feeling which has been so apparent throughout this meet- ing, I should feel that I had commenced at least to make some return for the great honor and kindness received at your hands. " It now only remains for me, gentlemen, to again express to you my thanks, to wish you a safe return to your homes and labors, a happy reunion with your friends and families, and to pronounce that sad word, over which the heart of friendship would fain linger, as I bid you an affectionate farewell." In March, 1870, at a banquet following the meeting of — 3° — the Alabama State Medical Association, Dr. Baldwin, group- ing together the noble names of the deceased members in one common association of worth and excellence, paid a manly and appropriate tribute to their personal virtues and scientific attainments, and concluded by saying : " It is wise for us, as we look upon the vacant places of these worthies, to stop in the midst of our festivities and contemplate the character of such men — to drop the tear of affection and esteem upon their memories, and to point to them as examples worthy the emulation of the junior mem- bers of this association, who must hereafter fill their places in giving character and direction to its proceedings. In all ages, in all countries, in all professions or callings, the man of genius, or the good man who dies, leaving the world wiser, better, for having lived, receives the homage and tears of the cotemporaries who survive him. If this be true of other callings, how much more so should it be with us when, as is too often the case, our men die of diseases entailed through their efforts to mitigate the sufferings of others." . At the meeting of the American Medical Association in Philadelphia, in May, 1872, Dr. David W. Yandell, the President, delivered an address, in which he advocated a system of medical education diametrically opposed to that recommended by Dr. Baldwin. This address was reviewed by Dr. Baldwin in the New York Medical Journal of Octo- ber, 1872, in scathing terms, as a weak and specious plea for cheap medical schools. He ridicules Dr. ' Yandell's preference for the American cross-roads doctor, for whose "rugged utility" the doctor had not hesitated to declare that he would exchange the cultivated method of the learned and accomplished physician of Germany. He vigorously combats Dr. Yandell's assertion that "clinical instruction should be the alpha and omega of a medical education," and that " in the midst of these clinical demonstrations, physic is to be learned, and not by going to universities." As a literary production, however, he compliments very highly Dr. Yandell's address, and pays a glowing tribute to Dr. Yandell's father, to whom Dr. Baldwin, as his pupil, was always deeply attached. At a meeting of the American _ 31 — Medical Association held in Louisville, Ky., in May, 1S75, in response to the address of Dr. Bowditch, of Boston, Dr. Baldwin made the following remarks, which were highly eulogized by the press throughout the country : "Mr. President: I am glad to say to the gentleman who has just taken his seat that long since Alabama shook hands with Massachusetts in fraternal reunion. I wish to renew the pledges of fraternal regard to-day, and with him express my high appreciation of the magnificent and almost boundless hospitality extended to our brotherhood by the resident physicians and citizens of Louisville. So conspicu- ous has been the fraternal good feeling which lias met and mingled in all our meetings, largely through their actions, that I feel more than ever like exclaiming with De Wilton, when his lady-love had buckled on his spurs for the bloody field of Flodden : " ' Where'er I meet a Douglas, trust That Douglas is my brother.' " Gentlemen, physicians of Louisville, I thank you, and through you the good citizens of your fair city, for your efforts in cementing the social bond of union which binds our brotherhood. By your hearty welcome, by your gener- ous hospitalities, by your graceful courtesies, you have won the hearts of all whose good fortune it was to be here, and as a Southern man, and as an American, I wish to thank you. I wish to express my great gratification in meeting on this occasion so many of our professional brothers of the North — and when I say of the North, I mean from all those States against which the South has been so recently arrayed in arms. And, sir, I am not using a mere phrase or form of speech, but speak the sincerest sentiments of my heart when I express for these gentlemen my profound respect, admira- tion, esteem, and fraternal regard. The attitude of manly courtesy and kindness which they uniformly maintained towards their professional brothers of the South during the unfortunate struggle through which our country has passed could not have failed, I am sure, to excite the admiration of all who had opportunities to observe it. Avoiding in their — 32 — proceedings when they held entire control of this association, all unpleasant allusion to sectional controversies, whilst they proved themselves true to their accredited duties, they were yet ever faithful to the sympathies and courtesies of brother- hood. The enlightened patriotism which made them recog- nize the virtue taught in the lines — " ' Lives there a heart with soul so dead Which never to itself hath said, This is my own, my native land — ' also taught them to respect that still dearer sentiment of the heart which esteems it no crime to cling to home before country, and which feels that there is an allegiance higher than patriotism due to firesides, to home-altars, and to household gods. Rising above the angry passions of the day with the loftiest instincts of human nature, the flush of victory did not betray thein into acts calculated to embitter our past history or prolong our separation in the future. But with a kindness and cordiality unmistakable, they in- vited us, as soon as the bloody sword v/as sheathed, to resume our places in the association, and with a grace and wisdom worthy a position for the exercise of the highest statesmanship, have ever since received and treated us as their brothers and their peers. I never shall forget that, in the hour of our deepest calamity, when our country, rest- ing from a fratricidal step, was still lashed by the fury of sectional hate, when a victorious army, leaning upon the dripping sword, was still urged to acts of new aggression by an embittered and maddened populace, the first voice of fraternal love and interest that reached the ears of the South came from the medical men of the North — members of this association, and in their associated capacity. Had the poli- ticians or those who led popular opinion all over the two sections been moved by the same wise, generous and manly spirit, long since our miserably divided country had been of one mind and one heart, as I trust we are to-day. In Scotland's feudal wars, when royal James was heard to ex- claim that he would give his fairest earldom to bid Clan Alpine's chieftain, so late his arch-enemy, and then a mortally — 33 — wounded prisoner within his gates, live, that monarch con- quered, through the power of magnanimity and the influent e of kindness, a victory over the hearts of a rel)ellious peoi)le which legions of Highland blades had failed to achieve. And in thus bringing a peace, in fact as well as in name, to his worn and distracted people, he brought higher honors to Scotland's king, than as Snowdoun's Knight he had ever won for Roderic I)hu. And now, to you, our brothers of the North, I would say, in thus illustrating by your own beau- tiful example this touching incident in historical romance, it was then that you exhibited a wisdom which, for the good of our whole country, might well have been imitated by your statesmen. It was then that you showed your true nobility of soul ; it was then that you revealed the genuine instincts and impulses of a true manhood ; and, gentlemen, permit me to say that it was then that you gave us the right to love you as we do to-day." The references to the war and the decoration of the graves of both Confederate and Federal armies brought the moisture to the eyes of almost every one present. Dr. Gross was then loudly called for, but, after a. few sentences, was so overcome with emotion that he was obliged to beg to be excused. All present were much affected, and there were but few in the audience whose eyes did not glisten Avith tears. In March, 1877, Dr. J. Marion Sims, the distinguished gynaecologist and founder of the Woman's Hospital of New York, after an absence of twenty-five years, paid a visit to Montgomery. A reception committee of the Medical and Surgical Society of Montgomery welcomed him to the city, and invited him to a banquet given in honor of his arrival. Dr. Baldwin, as the only one left of Dr. Sims' confreres Avhen he commenced his medical career in that city, and his inti- mate associate and companion, was selected by the society to receive the distinguished guest. After expressing the great pride which the members of the medical profession of Ala- bama felt in the renown which Dr. Sims had won since leav- ing its borders, and reminding him that he would recognize but few whom he had been accustomed to meet in former years, he said : 3 — 34 — " Sir, we claim you as an Alabamian. South Carolina may assert the honor of having rocked the cradle of your infancy and of having nurtured your boyhood, but it was here, in Montgomery, that your greatness had its first dawning. It was here that your genius found its earliest expression, and it was here it first took its flight and asserted its claims to the applause of strangers. It was here that your sleepless in- dustry, your anxious toil, and your sublime fidelity to pur- pose carved out those surgical devices and appliances which have made your name so justly famous, and it was here that you first reduced those inventions to that practical utility in the treatment of the surgical diseases peculiar to females, which has not only challenged the admiration of the great and learned in your own profession, but has also won the homage of the crowned heads of Europe, and made your name a familiar word in all the great capitals of the civilized world. It is surely no small honor or trifling subject for pride and congratulation to the State which claims to be the mother of your early manhood, to see that the enlightened courts of the old world, with their splendid civilization, have recognized the vast resources of your genius, and the impor- tance of those great discoveries which have justified them in ranking your name among those of the foremost men of the age, and in conferring upon you honors, titles and decorations due only to those who by their achievements in science, literature, art, or statesmanship have accomplished some grand purpose in life, or conferred some lasting benefit on mankind. It is, therefore, eminently proper, upon your visit to the home of your youth, after an absence of so many years, that your early companions, associates, and friends of the medical profession, should desire to greet you, and pay you that homage which is so justly your due. We wish, sir, to congratulate you upon the success of your labors and the use- fulness of your life, as well as upon the splendor of the fame which these have given you. Indeed, sir, to those who, like myself, are familiar with the difficulties and struggles of your early professional career, the grand success of your life would seem almost as a romance, were it not for the solid and lasting benefits it has conferred upon humanity. ... In — 35 — conclusion, sir, permit me to say, that if your achievements within the domain of science or if your exalted worth as a benefactor of your race should hereafter rear the monumental marble to perpetuate your name as a great physician, still those simple, unaffected, kind and genial qualities of the heart, so peculiarly your own, and so well remembered by the companions of your youth, will ever, with them, con- stitute the charm and glory of your life as a man." In his reply Dr. Sims, in referring to the fact that Dr. Baldwin and he were the only survivors of the men of 1840, said : " You are many years my junior, and I hope and pray that you may long live to advance the science you have done so much to improve, and dignify the profession you have done so much to adorn, and to exert among your brethren the benign influence that has characterized your whole life." In January, 1S78, Dr. Baldwin was again elected President of the Montgomery Medical and Surgical Society, and de- livered a masterly address, full of wisdom and thought worthy of the profoundest statesman. In 1870, Dr. Baldwin, in seeking an investment for part of his ample fortune, decided to employ a portion in bank- ing operations, and accordingly inaugurated and organized the First National Bank of Montgomery, in which he is the largest shareholder ; in compliment to his great business capacity, and in consequence of the universal confidence in his personal integrity and high character, he was elected President by the shareholders, and the high position held by the bank is convincing proof of the care he has taken of their interests. Although he does not now seek practice, he still attends a large family connection, and is much sought after in consultation. He became distinguished as a practitioner of medicine in Montgomery in successful competition with such eminent men as Aimes, Boling, Marion Sims, Bozeman, and Berney, and though giving no special attention to surgery has performed most of the capital operations, and has never permitted a case to pass out of his office without making an attempt for its relief. As an obstetrician, he holds the highest rank, and has devoted more time to that depart- ment than to any other of his profession : in the number of - 3^- the Richmond and Louisville Medical Journal for April, 1872, he published a paper on " Irrigations of Ice-water as a Means of Arresting Hemorrhage in cases of Placenta Prasvia," in ^ which he reports a case of praevial placenta, where both mother and child were saved by the free use of this agent, and strongly recommends its use in similar cases. Among his contributions to medical literature may be mentioned " Remarks on Mustard Poultices, applied extensively to the Surface," published in the Western Journal of Medicine and Surgery, January, 1845; "Remarks on Trismus or Tetanus Nascentium, and on its identity with Traumatic Tetanus in the Adult," America?! Journal of the Aledical Sciences, October, 1846; "Observations on the Poisonous Properties of the Sulphate of Quinine," American Journal of the Medical Sciences, April, 1847; "Observations on Spotted Fever," American Journal of the Medical Sciences, October, 1866; "Case of Glanders in the Human Subject," read before the Montgomery Medical and Surgical Society, 1868; and '' Irrigations of Ice-water as a Means of Arresting Hemor- rhage in cases of Placenta Prsevia," Richmond and Louis- ville Medical Journal, April, 1872. He is Associate Fellow of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia ; honorary mem- ber of the Gynaecology Society of Boston ; member of the American Medical Association, of which he was President in 1869; member of the Medical Association of the State of Alabama, of which he has been President ; member of the Medical and Surgical Society of Montgomery, and several times its President. Dr. Baldwin was married, December 7th, 1843, to Mary Jane Martin, daughter of Judge Abram Martin, originally of South Carolina, and, subsequently, Judge of the Circuit Court, Montgomery. This excellent lady, after a long and painful illness, breathed her last, September i8th, 1878. She had long been a resident of Montgomery, her honored father having removed to that city while she was yet in the bloom of early womanhood. There she was married, there her children were born, and there, all along those changing years, the light of her beau- tiful life, devoted to duty and good deeds, shone with a sweetness and loveliness that can never fade from the hearts — 37 — of those who knew and hned her. In all the land there was not to be found a woman truer in all the relations of life. She never grew weary of well-doini;. She was an humble and loving Christian. Indeed, such was her modesty, such her humility, such her love and care for others, she little cared for self. She cared not for the applause and praise and fashion of the world. Duty and love — love of husband and children, love of country, love of friends, love of her Saviour and His church — these were the holy motives that ceased not to move her trusting heart. Since the death of her noble soldier boy, who at the head of his men received his death-wound at the bloody battle of Franklin, she seemed to walk in the shadow^ of a great grief. And yet such was the light that shone along that way of sorrow — light from the gates of glory — she never seemed to wish to move out of its hallowed path. Indeed, for these long years her patii was as the shining light that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. She possessed all the attributes of mind and heart that enter into the composition of the highest type of female excellence, and to her wise counsel, noble example, and appreciative sympathy, her husband is indebted for many of the nobler aims of his career. She loved her country, and her devotion to the Southern cause was intense and absorbing. To rhe sick and wounded soldiers she was a tender and devoted nurse, and many of the heroes in gray confined in the hospitals received at her hands those soothing ministrations that only a true woman can bestow upon the sick and dying. To the poor she extended an open hand, and no object of charity ever sought her aid in vain, or went away empty-handed. Dr. Baldwin has six children li\ing. Of his sons, Marion Augustus Baldwin is a young lawyer and an accomplished scholar; and Abram Martin Baldwin has lately left the Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tenn. One daughter is the wife of G. W. Craik, son of the Rev. James Craik, of Louisville, Ky., while the Misses Mary and Cecil, with the youngest, Alma, a child of ten. reside witli their father. Montgomery may feel justly proud of the long line of eminent physicians and surgeons who have honored her by - 38 - their fame, and none of that brilliant band have attained greater eminence than Dr. W. O. Baldwin. A cotem- porary of Aimes, J. Marion Sims, Boling, and others scarcely less eminent, he has outlived all but the distin- guished gynaecologist, and is to-day without a peer as the leading physician in Alabama. He is in the best and grand- est sense a representative Southern gentleman, with all that name implies of lofty moral character, refined and cultivated mind, spotless integrity, and warm-hearted generosity. Emi- nently conservative as a physician, his advice is sought by all sections of the profession, and in consultation his opinion is deemed indispensable. As an obstetrician, he is unrivalled in the South, and has no superior in this country. With strong personal magnetism, remarkable judgment, and ability to control his fellow-men, he has done more to cement the profession of his native State and to draw together all sec- tions of the Union estranged by fratricidal strife than any man living. Extensively read in all departments of litera- ture and science, and with a cultivated literary taste, his well- balanced mind and prudent habits have preserved his mental and physical vigor in a remarkable degree, and his warm heart and genial social qualities have endeared him to a large circle of friends and admirers in all parts of the Union. u .">, -< vvlOSANCElfj> o %}i3MNn-3WV ^^.OF-CALIF0% .^jOFCALIF0% ^^Abvaaii-^^ ^OAavaaiii^ ^WEUNIVERI/A u- 3 ^t-LIBRARYO/T ^ .^ Ml ^* -^ILIBRARYQc^ >• ■%a3AINn-3WV^ ^lllBRARYQc^ >5^ll(BRARYQ^^ \MEUNIVER5//) ^' :LOSANCElfjv, o 1— . '^/^a3AiNa-3Vi'^ -s^llIBRARYO^ ^J0'^ ^,ufCAilK)% ^'^viavaan-^^ AMEUNIVERJ/a ^lOSANCElfx^ O o '^AJI3AINa-3WV ^OFCA1IFO% to ^ ^ %0JI1V3-J0'»* \WEUNIVER5'/A o o ■^/sa3AiNa-3UV ^^;OF-CAll F0% .^jOFCAII F0% >&AbVHaiii^ ^^Aavaan-i^ ^MEL'NIVERy/A o v;^lOSANCElfj'^ f >-> — .^ %a3AINfl3ttV A\^EUNIVERS'//, o ^laoNvsov^ ^V\E•UNIVER5■/A o %a] ^ILIBRARYO^ ^;^l-LIBRARYQ<^ ^^ ,^;OFCAllF0/?i^ ^oxwrnni"^ ^OAwmm"^