Transactions Author:Illinois State Medical Society Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON PRACTICAL MEDICINE. 1880—1881. E. P. Cook, Chairman, Mendota. Mr. President And Members Of The Illinois State Medical Society : ... more » The medical year or "term of service" in this Society, of the Committee on Practical Medicine, whose duty it is to report at this meeting, begins with May, 1880, and includes the time to May, 1881. A part of our report is confined to the limits mentioned, and is designed to partially, at least, comply with the duty assigned us. We have considered it our duty to inform ourselves, as well as possible, of the progress of epidemics, treatment, and character of diseases that have prevailed in the state during the year. Our opportunity for personal observation was, of course, limited to a comparatively small portion o'f the state, and for the purpose of gathering the observations and facts that should enter largely into the report, it was necessary to appeal to the medical profession of the state. We are pleased to say that in response to a circular letter, addressed to one or more physicians in every county, we received a very general reply. Our correspondents were so numerous and so generally scattered throughout the state, we think no important medical event has been overlooked, or at least, no widely-extended epidemic or one of an unusual character escaped the attention of our correspondents. We desire, while referring to this subject, to speak briefly of some of the difficulties in the way of gathering the material necessary, as a basis of such a report as your Committee should present. It is impossible for such Committee, by personal observation, .study and correspondence, to inform themselves of what has transpired of special and general medical interest in a great state like ours, during even one year of servi...« less