Valedictory Address delivered before the Ohio State Medical Society, June 13th, 1860 / by L. Firestone.

  • Firestone, L. (Leander), 1819-1888.
Date:
1860
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Valedictory Address delivered before the Ohio State Medical Society, June 13th, 1860 / by L. Firestone. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    wandered from the true path; but it must at the same time be ob- served that truth, in all its beauty, magnificence and splendor, never yet beamed on earth. Science is not perfect. Let us, by our future conduct, correct whatever errors may have been committed in the past, add our mite to the stock of medical knowledge, and make our loved profession as perfect as possible. By doing this, we can emu- late the true physician who is patient in study, toil and investigation; who makes himself familiar with the various departments of his pro- fession ; whose progress is lighted by the lamp of ages; and who walks in the paths of the great benefactors]and philanthropists of the world. Gentlemen, if we do this, great will be our reward. It will not be a puff in some newspaper, or the fulsome adulation of the silly crowd, but it will be a greater reward — the consciousness of having done our duty. If we do this in a proper spirit, our profes- sion will become so perfect in time that we can look in confidence to the action of our remedial agents. We can hope, yes, we can know, that the rose will return to the cheek, fire to the eye, and health re- invigorate the whole frame. Our reward will be the pleasure of see- ing our patients leap from their beds of sickness, in new physical strength, to call us blessed. These will cheer our midnight vigils, our hours of toil, and the cold asperities of life. Gentlemen, a great work is yet to be done, and if our Society ful- fils its mission, a great labor is before us. We have a work outside of our organization, if we wish to advance. It is to be feared that wealth is the great object and aim of some physicians. All their labors, struggles and ambition are for its accumulation. When this becomes a leading object — when it covers up and conceals every thing else among the members of the profession, then the standard of profes- sional eminence proportionably sinks. I do not wish to be under- stood to say that a physician should labor, and expose himself to rain, sleet and storm, without a reward; for I believe the laborer is worthy of his hire, and if any man should be well paid for his ser- vices it is the physician; but I do mean to say that wealth—the accu- mulation of property — should not be his sole, his highest ambition. He should have a better, a holier object in view. He should en- deavor to elevate the honor and usefulness of his professional breth-