FROM OFFICIAL REPORTS

REPORT OF SECRETARY

The membership of the American Medical Association as enrolled April 1, 1925, was 90,646, or 590 more than at a corresponding time in 1924,

The fellowship roster on April 1 contained the names of 56,121 Fellows, a gain for the year of 2,058. During the year 608 Fellows died, 720 resigned and 369 were dropped for nonpayment of dues.

The number of component county societies in the United States is 2,054, and there were 641 counties in which no organization existed in 1925. During the year, forty-four county societies "gave up the ghost" or were combined with other societies.

Of the fifty-four constituent state and territorial associations, twenty-six recorded gains in membership, and a similar number recorded losses, while the membership in two remained stationary. Some of the losses were very small.

There has been a very decided tendency among the constituent state associations during the last year to adopt and to carry out definite programs of work. The principal activities of the state associations vary with the conditions in the respective states. In one the pressing need seems to be for legislation of one kind or another; in another the question of education of the public is foremost, while in still another some other important matter occupies the principal place in the interest of the state association. It appears to be true that the most active and progressive state organizations are striving to bring home to the individual member his own responsibility, and to secure to him direct benefits growing out of his membership and his active participation in the work of his society.

Four additional state associations have secured full time executive secretaries during the past year. These are Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota and West Virginia. The employment of such officers is being considered in other states.

Several state associations are now conducting extension courses for the benefit of members of their component societies. Through these courses, clinical instruction is carried to the members of one or more county societies at a central and easily accessible place. In some instances this work is done through the cooperation of the state association and the state university, while in others it is the enterprise of the state association alone, and in at least one instance the state university is the leading factor. The members it is hoped to benefit most through this extension work are those who are not able to leave their homes to attend postgraduate courses and clinics in the larger medical centers.

There are twenty-two state associations, each of which has less than 1,000 members; seventeen of these have less than 500 each, and nine less than 200 each. The smaller state associations are, for the most part, acquitting themselves with credit, maintaining good organization in their respective states and territories, and having good programs at their annual meetings.

A large number of county medical societies have considerably broadened their programs of work during the last year. It seems probable that more county societies have been persistently active during the year than ever before. Some inactive societies have been revived, but there are yet far too many that are practically dormant. These chronically inactive societies have no programs, no purposes and no value, other than that their nominal organization offers an avenue through which their members can be affiliated with larger societies, and can secure professional connections of some importance to the individual members. In some states, effort is being made to attach the weaker county societies to stronger organizations in adjacent counties, while in other states, the district society is being fostered and strengthened as an aid to better organization in the weaker counties. Both of these plans are altogether worthy of thorough trial in any state

in which inactive county societies are to be found, but all possible effort should be made to maintain efficient organization in every county having a sufficient number of eligible physicians to make an active society possible.

Several county societies have devoted especial attention to periodic medical examinations, and have succeeded in arousing the interest of other members in this important subject.

AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION BULLETIN

The BULLETIN is sent each month to the more than 56,000 Fellows of the Association and appears to be widely read. It is not believed that the BULLETIN is accomplishing its purpose as well as might be for the reason that the members of the House of Delegates, officers of state and county societies and individual members are not using its columns as it was hoped they would be used for the discussion of subjects of interest to the profession.

REPORT OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

The mailing list of The Journal on Jan. 1, 1925, contained the names of 85,536 subscribers, a gain of 4,578 over the preceding year. This marks the highest point attained in subscriptions in the history of The Journal. The average weekly paid circulation from Jan. 1, 1924, to Jan. 1, 1925, was 81,257, which represented an increase of 3,678 over the average weekly circulation of the preceding year.

The circulation of the Spanish Edition of The Journal was fairly satisfactory. It is believed that the Spanish Edition has helped to promote good fellowship between the medical profession of Spanish-American countries and that of the United States.

The special journals of the Association, the Archives of Internal Medicine, the American Journal of Diseases of Children, the Archives of Neurology and Psychiatry, the Archives of Dermatology and Syphilology, and the Archives of Surgery, with the exception of the last named, all showed increases in circulation during the year. The Archives of Otolaryngology made its appearance on Jan. 15, 1925, with an initial subscription list of more than 2,100, which has grown materially since that time.

Constant effort is being made to improve the quality and the usefulness of this group of the Association's publications.

The circulation of the Quarterly Cumulative Index in 1924 was slightly greater than in 1923. The Quarterly Cumulative Index has established itself as an important accessory to scientific progress, and is receiving more and more commendation at the hands of medical writers, research workers and librarians. It is gradually being enlarged, and articles from several additional journals will be indexed during the current year.

The ninth edition of the American Medical Directory was compiled during the year and is now being distributed. This directory represents a service on the part of the Association that cannot be performed by any other agency, and has come to be an established and extremely valuable institution.

More than 57,000 separate orders for publications and.products of the Association, aside from its journals, were handled by the order department in 1924. This is a larger number of orders by several thousand than has been received in a preceding year.

Hygeia, a magazine of individual and community health, published by the Association for the public, is apparently steadily gaining favor, and its circulation was considerably extended during the year. Nearly all comments have been favorable to Hygeia, unfavorable criticisms having been received only occasionally. Everywhere the purpose of Hygeia is lauded, and the Association is given credit for a worthy effort in behalf of the public. Many teachers in all parts of the country have indicated their appreciation of the magazine, and a number have stated that they are making daily use of Hygeia in their classroom work. The "clip sheets" have been widely distributed and used extensively in the lay press.

Hygeia has gained in circulation in thirty-nine states, Wisconsin having registered the largest increase. In 1923, there were 464 subscribers in Wisconsin, while in 1924, this number increased to 1,226.

BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION

The interest of the medical profession and of the public in the work of the Bureau of Investigation, formerly the Propaganda Department, has continued to grow. This bureau answered thousands of individual inquiries during the year, many of which came from laymen. A large and important work has been done by the bureau in furnishing the Associated Advertising Clubs and affiliated bodies with information regarding medical quacks of various kinds. Business and civic associations have learned to call on the bureau for helpful information, and their inquiries have always received prompt and careful attention. Many calls for the services of this bureau continue to come from schools and colleges, from both pupils and teachers for information. An exceptional service is rendered to the individual physician, as is shown by the fact that hundreds of inquiries are answered from physicians from every state in the Union.

COUNCIL ON PHARMACY AND CHEMISTRY

The work of the Council on Pharmacy and Chemistry has been prosecuted along the lines that have been followed in previous years. Practically all the large producers of pharmaceuticals now seem to find it possible and desirable to recognize the work of this council. One important problem with which the council has dealt during the year is that connected with the exploitation of the so-called endocrine preparations and pluriglandular mixtures.

The Therapeutic Research Committee of the Council on Pharmacy and Chemistry has continued its work as formerly, and has made the usual number of grants to those who are working in various fields of medical research. More than a dozen investigations conducted under the Therapeutic Research Committee were published during the year 1924. Grants issued prior to Jan. 1, 1924, to apply on work which is not yet completed are three in number, and three new grants were issued during the last year.

THE CHEMICAL LABORATORY

The Chemical Laboratory now occupies new and much larger quarters than heretofore, and so has been able to work to much greater advantage. The laboratory is now better equipped and better housed than previously, and its personnel has been increased by the addition of an assistant chemist. Close contact is maintained by the laboratory with the Council on Pharmacy and Chemistry and with the Bureau of Investigation; the laboratory also serves The Journal, and other bureaus and departments of the Association, and replies to numerous inquiries from the officers and members of the Association.

THE LIBRARY

The work of the Library of the Association has been greatly developed. About 265 of the leading medical journals of the world are constantly on file. More than 1,200 separate inquiries were answered by the Library last year, not taking into consideration those which were received by telephone, or were submitted by the personnel in the Association offices. There was a large increase during the year in bibliographic work and in the lending of periodicals. The "lending service" of the Library has been developed to include domestic as well as foreign journals. In 1924, 760 journals were loaned to physicians.

The Package Library service instituted late in 1924, while it has not yet been perfected, is being received with much commendation from those who have applied for packages. This service is being gradually improved, and will be developed as rapidly as is possible with the facilities at hand.

A circulating library for employees of the Association is maintained in close cooperation with the Chicago Public Library.

COMMITTEE ON SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH

Eight new grants were made by the Committee on Scientific Research, in 1924. Nineteen investigations are now in progress, and three new applications have been received by the committee during the year. The first appropriation by the Association to aid scientific research was made in 1903, and appropriations have been made each year except in the years 1915, 1916 and 1917. Altogether, seventyfive separate grants have been made in sums of from $50 to $1,000. In most cases these were from $200 to $300. All these grants have been used to good advantage. In each instance the work undertaken has been carried out to an extent that results worthy of publication have been obtained. In only one instance has a grant been canceled, and this was done before the grant had been paid and at the request of the grantee.

BUREAU OF HEALTH AND PUBLIC INSTRUCTION

The Bureau of Health and Public Instruction is appealed to for information, advice, and educational material by many organizations, both medical and lay. • The bureau has endeavored to render assistance to state and county medical societies that have promulgated plans for carrying instruction to the general public. The demands for certain kinds of educational material have been much greater than could be met, but plans are now in process of execution whereby such demands may be more satisfactorily complied with in the future.

The bureau has cooperated with the Council on Medical Education and Hospitals, and the Bureau of Investigation in the installation of exhibits at the annual meetings of a number of national organizations, and material has been provided for exhibits under the auspices of county medical societies and other groups.

Pamphlets and leaflets issued under the direction of this bureau were distributed during the year, 1924, to the number of 323,182. New pamphlets have been made available as reprints from Hygeia.

Material from Hygeia was broadcast from Station KYW, Chicago, each month during the year. Arrangements have been made for similar broadcasting in eight of the largest cities in the United States.

The steady growth of interest in periodic health examinations has led to continued and increased efforts on the part of this bureau to promote such examinations by practicing physicians. There has been a constantly growing demand for the examination forms, and for the original report prepared by the Council on Health and Public Instruction dealing with periodic health examinations. This demand has come almost wholly from individual physicians, rather than from county medical societies. A manual has been prepared to supplement or to replace the original report. Its publication has been somewhat delayed, but it will be ready for distribution in the very near future.

The bureau has continued its cooperation with the National Education Association through the joint committee on health problems and education representing that body and the American Medical Association.

BUREAU OF LEGAL MEDICINE AND LEGISLATION

The Bureau of Legal Medicine and Legislation has been persistently active in its efforts to secure modifications of harassing restricted laws and regulations promulgated by government bureaus.

Continuous effort has been made to secure consideration of the viewpoint of the needs of the medical profession in its everyday work by the departments and bureaus of the government charged with the administration of laws governing the distribution of alcohol and narcotic products. The bureau has persistently sought to secure restoration of a peace time basis of the war tax imposed under the Harrison Narcotic Act, and in every way possible has tried to secure relief for the medical profession from the inequities and injustices of oppressive and harassing legislation, whereby the medical profession is hampered in its purpose to treat disease by the use of any method which the individual registered physician believes to be most efficacious in his hands.

A great deal of attention has been given to the subject of Federal Income Tax. A relief has been sought from the injustice of regulations which refuse the physician the right to deduct expenses incurred in attending meetings of medical organizations and in securing opportunity for graduate study. All efforts in this direction have proved unsuccessful, but will be persisted in. The bureau has given all assistance in its power to render to state associations in connection with their legislature programs, and has cooperated with various agencies in seeking protective legislation governing the sale and distribution of articles which may in some manner be dangerous to health.

In compliance with instructions received from the House of Delegates at the Chicago Session, the Board of Trustees has installed in the assembly room of the Association's building in Chicago a bronze tablet, as a memorial to Dr. J. N. McCormack.

Reference will be made to additional items in the reports of officers of the Association in next month's BULLETIN.

THE COUNTY SOCIETY'S BUILDING

Most of the county medical societies of the United States have no buildings or "homes" of their own, because they are not large enough to need or to maintain them. Many of the larger societies have talked about buying or building homes, but have gone no further than the talking stage. Some others have quit talking and are now earnestly at work to secure funds necessary for building.

A few, nearly all in counties in which cities are located, have actually provided themselves with buildings suitable for their purposes.

The Academy of Medicine of Toledo and Lucas County is one of these, and the accompanying picture of its new home is offered in evidence.

This building, with two stories and a spacious basement, houses the library and the executive offices of the academy, has one auditorium with a seating capacity of 600 and a smaller one to accommodate seventy-five or 100, and then has room left for a committee room and for four offices, which are rented and are therefore a source of revenue. In addition, the basement contains quarters for the janitor, storage rooms, lavatories, shower baths and lockers and the boilers and coal bins.

On entering the building from the street, one comes into a spacious lobby; on one side are the executive offices, two rooms, and on the other a well appointed committee room. There is a check room, and the library is entered from this lobby. At the rear of the building there is a small auditorium. Four nice office rooms for rental purposes complete the first floor facilities. The large auditorium, with stage and solarium, occupies the second floor. The four offices, not now