Bristol County, Massachusetts - Chapter 4: Medical History., 1883

The Massachusetts Medical Society was formed in 1781, with power to elect officers, examine and license candidates, hold real estate, and " continue a body politic and corporate by the same name forever."

The society is intended to include all regular physicians practicing medicine in the commonwealth, and admission takes place according to the following extract from Charter 82, Massachusetts Laws, 1859 :

" No person shall hereafter become a member of the Massachusetts Medical Society except upon examination by the censors of said society ; and any person of good moral character, found to possess the qualifications prescribed by the rules and regulations of said society, shall be admitted a fellow of said society."

The Massachusetts Medical Society includes seventeen district societies, all of which are under the control of the parent society. District societies consist of the fellows of the Massachusetts Medical Society residing within such districts respectively wherein the communication of cases and experiments may be made, and the diffusion of knowledge in medicine and surgery may be encouraged and promoted. District societies " may appoint their own officers, and establish regulations for their particular government not repugnant to the by-laws of the general society ; and shall be capable to purchase and receive by donation books, philosophical and chirurgical instruments, or other personal property, and may hold and dispose of the same, exclusive of any authority of the general society."

There are in Bristol County two such district societies, - Bristol North District Medical Society and Bristol South District Medical Society.

Bristol North District Medical Society was organized June 20, 1849, and " consists of all the fellows of the Massachusetts Medical Society residing in the city of Taunton, and in the towns of Seekonk, Attleborough, Rehoboth, Norton, Mansfield, Easton, Raynham, Berkley. Freetown, Somerset, Dighton, Swansea, and none other." By a change in the State line, March 1, 1862, almost the whole of Pawtucket and a portion of Seekonk, since known as East Providence, were ceded to Rhode Island. Prior to that date fellows residing therein were members of the Bristol North District Medical Society, but at that time they lost their membership in the District Society and became non-resident fellows of the Massachusetts Medical Society.

The first meeting for the organization of this society was held at East Attleborough, Jan. 20, 1849. There were present at this meeting Drs. Benoni Carpenter, of Pawtucket ; Seba A. Carpenter, of Attleborough ; James B. Dean, of Taunton ; Johnson Gardner, of Seekonk; Thaddeus Phelps, of Attleborough ; Menzies R. Randall, of Rehoboth ; Phineas Savery, of Attleborough; Caleb Swan, of North Easton. Dr. M. R. Randall was made chairman, and Dr. Benoni Carpenter secretary. A committee was chosen, consisting of Drs. Carpenter, Gardner, and Phelps, who reported a " draft for by-laws," which were accepted and adopted in the usual manner. Thereupon the organization was completed by the choice of the following officers: President, Seba A. Carpenter; Vice-President, Menzies R. Randall ; Secretary and Treasurer, William F. Perry (not before mentioned); Librarians, Phineas Savery, James B. Dean.

1 The articles on the Massachusetts Medical Society and the Bristol North District Society were contributed by Silas D. Presbrey, M.D., of Taunton, and the article on Bristol South District Society by Dr. John H. Mackie, of New Bedford.

March 12, 1874. - President, Benoni Carpenter; Vice-President, Charles Howe; Secretary and Treasurer, E. J. Bassett; Commissioner on Trials, W. W. Godding; Librarian, A. B. Paun; Councilors, J. R. Bronson. Joseph Murphy, S. D. Presbrey, A. S. Dean ; Censors, Joseph Murphy, S. D. Presbrey, George L. Ellis.

According to Article V. of the by-laws, adopted June 20, 1849, the meetings of the society were quarterly, and holden on the third Wednesdays of June, September, December, and March, the last being the annual meeting, at which meeting all officers were elected. Article IV. provides that " the society shall hold its meetings alternately at East Attleborough and Taunton." But this article was amended Sept. 13, 1854, so as to read, "This society shall hold its meetings at such places as by vote it shall determine." Sept. 9, 1854, both these articles were again amended, so that there should be but two regular meetings a year, the annual in March, and the semi-annual in September. The last meeting held in Attleborough was on Sept. 10, 1873. Since that time all the meetings have been held in Taunton. At a meeting, Sept. 16, 1875, a new code of by-laws was reported by a special committee which had been appointed to suggest the alterations of the by-laws necessary to make them conform to those of the parent society. According to Article VII. of that code, which is now in force, "The annual meeting of the society shall be held between the 15th of April and the 15th of May, and, if not otherwise ordered, it shall be on the third Thursday of April. If in any year this day should be less than ten days before the annual meeting of the State society, this society shall fix another day by vote, or, if it neglects to do so, a day shall be specified by the president. A stated meeting of the society shall likewise be held on the third Thursday in September. The secretary shall call a special meeting on the written application of five members.

A careful perusal of the records will convince one that in the main the members have attended faithfully to their duty in " communicating any instructive cases which may have occurred in their practice, any useful discovery which may have been made in medicine or surgery or the allied sciences, and any invention which may have practical application in the same." As touching upon this point, it is quite interesting to read the accounts of the first tentative applications of the fever thermometer, which has since become the constant companion and trustworthy assistant of the practitioner. We read also with interest the records of the first use of the hypodermic syringe, as reported by a gentleman who was a pioneer in this vicinity in its application to relieve suffering. The record describes the interest of the members in the instrument, and goes on to speak of the many questions that were asked and answered regarding the method and results of its employment. Numberless instructive cases have been reported, which have stimulated important discussions. At nearly every meeting an essay has been read upon some subject of interest to the members and importance to the community.

meeting of the councilors of the Massachusetts Medical Society, held at Boston April 3, 1839, the charter of the society was granted, as appears by the following extract from the records :

"To Alexander Read, Andrew Mackie, Paul Spooner, Samuel Sawyer, Julius A. Mayhew, William C. Whitridge, fellows of said society, greeting : Your application, made in due form, requesting that a district or subordinate medical society, residing in the following towns in the county of Bristol, viz.: New Bedford, Fall River, Taunton, Freetown, Fairhaven, Dartmouth, and Westport ; in the county of Plymouth, Middleborough, Rochester, and Wareham ; in Duke's County, Chilmark, Tisbury, and Edgartown ; and Nantucket was duly considered at a meeting of the councilors held at Boston on the 3d day of April, a.d. 1839, and it was voted that your requests should be granted.

"Be it therefore known, That pursuant to an act of the Legislature of this commonwealth entitled ' An Act in addition to an act entitled "An Act to incorporate certain persons by the name of the Massachusetts Medical Society," 'authorizing the councilors of said society thereunto a distinct or subordinate society by the name of the Southern District Medical Society, is hereby established, to consist of those fellows of the Massachusetts Medical Society now residents within the limits aforesaid, for the purpose of electing officers and transacting such other business as they shall deem expedient.

" In testimony whereof, the president, pursuant to the aforesaid vote of the councilors, has hereunto subscribed his name and affixed the seal of the corporation at Boston this 18th day of April, a.d. 1839.

Since the grants of the foregoing charter the society's name has been changed to the Bristol South District Society, and consists of all fellows of the Massachusetts Medical Society residing within the following cities and towns, viz. : New Bedford, Fall

The records of the society having been unfortunately lost, it is impossible to give a list of the original members or of the officers of the society, but below is a list of all who have been members of the society from its organization in 1839 to the present time, March, 1883 : l