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Dr. A. W. George (Boston): I thought when Dr. Camp started that I could follow him, and I did for a little way, but my head is in such a whirl with the figures and the vastness of the work that I cannot. I suppose next Friday night there will, all of a sudden, come to me certain questions I would like to ask and argue with him. It is a great deal like the presidential campaign at the present moment; there is a President, he is there and doing certain things, hopes he will continue to do so, and perhaps a little later he will be out and somebody else will be in. This work is a good deal like that to me, just at the present moment. It is a tremendously big problem, and if we,—I say we, Dr. Leonard and myself,—have seemed to be over-enthusiastic, perhaps a little too positive at times, it has been perhaps in an effort to stimulate others to help us; in other words, to help the whole problem. I do not know whether, right off hand, I can say that this work of Dr. Carman's is constructive or destructive; whethe...

Having listened for several years to the delivery of papers before this and other societies, I have from time to time tried to formulate a code of rules which would assist a member in preparing an address for an audience such as this. I have asked myself what makes the difference between a paper well prepared and well delivered, and another which, though given equal thought and care, has yet failed to interest the audience. Into the subject matter of a composition I will not enter. Each man, given a choice, will of course decide on a theme with which he is familiar, on which he has worked, and one which is likely to be of interest to those in front of him. Many of the papers are designed with a dual purpose. First, for delivery by the spoken word, and, secondly, with a view to publication should the reception be favorable. Now, strange as it may seem, few papers prepared in a form adapted to publication are suitable for reading aloud. I will try to give you a reason for this. A published paper should, to ...

Speaking in public is an art which few physicians have the time to master. This discussion is directed to most of us, who on occasion have started for the platform to deliver a paper before a medical or lay audience with no preparation except the notes or manuscript in our hands. From the standpoint of education, entertainment, and personal promotion, this may be a catastrophe. In a scientific meeting, like it or not, people will not listen to you unless you can catch and hold their interest. for this reason, the presentation of a scientific paper is in some respects a show, and details of showmanship must be exploited. The nourishing of a stream of interest in an audience requires the use of “props”—usually lantern slides, occasionally models or exhibits—in which must be combined the unexpected, the pleasing, and the familiar with a slight variation. In this material, color, composition, and lighting (or ease of viewing) are of first importance. Of the actor, more later. Now, consider for a moment the lo...

Dr. Fishbein said that the history of medical writing is as old as medicine itself inasmuch as the first man who made an observation he thought was important recorded it Medical men have always been interested in literature; the first daily newspaper was founded by a physician and the first city directory was published through the stimulus of a physician. The first great medical journal was the London Lancet, instituted in 1823. Following that, in this country the Boston Medical and Surgical Journal was founded in 1828. Twenty years later Oliver Wendell Holmes pointed out that the medical literature of this country was largely copied from the English and that the portion which was original was uncouth. In his time there were twenty medical journals in this country; to-day there are about 265. The manuscripts making the bulk of the content are papers prepared by physicians to be read before medical societies and serve the double purpose of education and legitimate advertising. Therefore the writing of medi...

scanner technics play an essential role in certain studies concerned with radioisotopes. Although at present radioisotopic scans are largely confined to the thyroid gland, they are finding increasing application to the brain, liver, and other organs. It is conceivable that still other scanning procedures will come to the fore as certain radioisotopes are found to localize in specific organs and viscera. When a hash-mark type record is employed in conjunction with such scanner technics, it is customary to indicate by a relatively crude diagram certain landmarks which will help locate the scan in relation to the anatomy. We have been able to improve this anatomic depiction as follows: Immediately prior to obtaining the scanogram, a radiograph of the part to be studied is obtained (usually with a grid) with a polaroid x-ray apparatus. Ordinarily this gives one an immediate paper-type radiograph, which, although lacking in the minute detail obtained with a film transparency, is entirely adequate for portrayal...