ATLANTA, GA., April 19, 1905.

The Association met in the ballroom of the Kimball House, and was called to order by the President, Dr. Wm. Perrin Nicolson.

Prayer was offered by Rev. J. W. Millard, of Atlanta. The report of the Committee on Arrangements was called for, but in the absence of the Chairman of that Committee the report was postponed.

The report of the Committee on Necrology was also postponed for the same reason.

The Committee on New Members also requested permission to make their report later.

The Chairman of the Committee on Medical Legislation being out of the city, this report was postponed until his return.

Reports of Special Committees were called for, and Dr. F. W. McRae, as Chairman, presented the following report of the Committee on Reorganization:

Your Committee on Reorganization, recognizing the paramount importance of this question, and wishing to give to every member of

the Association, who so desires, abundant opportunity to be heard fully and freely for or against the proposed Constitution and ByLaws, moves the appointment of a committee of twenty from the State at large to sit with this Committee and give hearings during Wednesday and Thursday and make their report to the special meeting Thursday evening.

FLOYD W. MCRAE, Chairman.

Dr. J. B. Morgan moved that this resolution be laid on the table. Motion carried.

Dr. McRae then presented the following report:

Mr. President and Members of the Medical Association of Georgia: Your Committee on Reorganization beg leave to submit as their report the subjoined amended Constitution and By-Laws, together with reports from the various States that have adopted unchanged the suggested Constitution and By-Laws sent out by the Committee on Reorganization of the American Medical Association, or with such modifications as seemed best to meet the conditions existing in the different States.

Your Committee has, deemed it wise to amend the original report first read before the meeting held in Savannah, 1902, continued in Columbus, 1903, and published in the Transactions, discussed freely in open meeting in Macon, 1904, referred back to the Committee for suggested and advisable changes, with instruction that they make their report to this meeting for rejection or adoption.

Your Committee has worked earnestly and diligently, with only the ultimate good of the Association at heart, and this report is the result of their labors.

Your Committee has considered carefully every criticism offered and has tried to meet every reasonable objection. The work has not been of our seeking, but an onerous duty imposed upon us by this body. If the result of our labor is satisfactory to you, ratify and adopt it; if not, amend and adopt, or reject it, as in your judgment seems best, and none will acquiesce more cheerfully, or work more zealously for the future welfare of the Medical Association of Georgia than will your Committee.

Respectfully submitted.

FLOYD W. MCRAE,
JAS. P. BAIRD,

WILLIS F. WESTMORELAND,

Committee.

Your Committee begs to acknowledge its indebtedness to the President, the Secretary and other members of the Association who have rendered valuable assistance.

Dr. J. B. Morgan then moved that the report of the Chairman of the Committee on Reorganization be received as information, and, if necessary, be published and distributed to the members of the Association. This motion was carried.

Dr. McRae stated that the new Constitution would be distributed among the members so that they could thoroughly understand the proposed change.

Dr. W. F. Westmoreland, as Chairman, made the report of the Committee on New Members, as follows:

REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON NEW MEMBERS.

Mr. President and Gentlemen:

Having been Chairman of this Committee since it was created in 1898, I am familiar with the value of its work. The amount of work that I have done and the time consumed, as the executive of this Committee, I am sure would be surprising to those not familiar with it. The value of the work has passed the experimental stage, as is shown by the gain in members and the financial results. The average of new members is over four times as great. The average fees before our work were $115, since they have been $480. Of the 137 counties there were over fifty without active membership; there are now only 17. This, I think, will be materially reduced before this meeting is over.

If the membership which we secure could be retained, the roll of members should now be about thirteen hundred, or nearly half of the physicians of the State. As it is our membership is only 686, or only about one-fifth. This is a decided decrease instead of an increase in the membership of the Association, and is very unsatisfactory, and shows that we are losing nearly as many as we are taking in.

Since the change in the secretaries in 1901 we have been able to keep up with the membership accurately. On April 15, 1901, we had 618 members; during the year we lost 14, leaving 604. At the April meeting of 1902, at Savannah, we took in 74 new members, giving us 678 members. From the Savannah meeting, 1902, until the Columbus meeting in 1903, we lost 53 members, giving us a membership of 625, or a net gain of 7 members. During this period there was collected $1,736 and expended $1,696.23, making the net gain of the fiscal year $39.77.

For the year a net gain in members, 7; in cash, $39.77. The

report for the next meeting does not show the net gain in members, but though we took in 83 new members the net income shows a decrease, as the net cash gains were only $21.71. During this whole period until now there has only been a gain of 68 members, which is a very poor showing.

Dr. Geo. H. Noble, as Chairman, made the report of the Committee on Arrangements, stating that they had secured the present place of meeting for the Association. The President called for the reports of Special Committees.

Dr. M. A. Clark, as Chairman of the Committee on Tuberculosis, made the following report:

To the Medical Association of Georgia:

Your committee have the honor to report that the first meeting of the committee was held in Atlanta. June 22, 1904, at which meeting Dr. T. E. Oertel was elected permanent chairman, and Dr. M. A. Clark permanent secretary-treasurer of the committee.

This meeting of your committee constitutes the first organized effort in the crusade against tuberculosis in Georgia.

Subsequent full meetings of the committee have been held in Macon, October 19, 1904, and in Atlanta, April 18, 1905.

In view of the fact that the committee had in hand no funds with which to prosecute its work it was decided to appeal to the public through the press for donations, and in pursuance of this policy the following letters were sent to each daily and weekly newspaper in the State, some two hundred in all.

My Dear Doctor:

NOTICE OF MEETING.

April 14, 1905.

You will please attend a meeting of your committee in Dr. Oertel's room at the Piedmont next Tuesday evening at 8:30.

Hoping to see you there. I am

Yours very truly,

W. A. CLARK, Secretary.

Dr. R. R. Kime, Atlanta, Ga.

To the Editor of

The Committee on Tuberculosis request that you print the enclosed open letter, notice it editorially and open a subscription list.

The committee is composed as indicated by this letterhead.

Funds collected should be sent to Dr. M. A. Clark, Secretary-treasurer Committee on Tuberculosis, Macon,

Ga.

You will please not permit the names of the members of the committee to appear in print in any connection with the work of the committee.

Thanking you in advance for the interest we feel you will be sure to manifest in this work, the most far-reaching and important of the kind ever inaugurated in Georgia, and trusting you may be able to forward a large contribution from the good people of your section, we remain, Yours respectfully,

Mr. Editor:

COMMITTEE ON TUBERCULOSIS, of the Medical Association of Georgia.

AN OPEN LETTER.

At the last meeting of the Medical Association of Georgia a special committee was appointed to be known as the Committee on Tuberculosis. The duties of this body include the consideration and study of tuberculosis in the State of Georgia. They are to collect statistics, investigate methods of cure of tuberculosis and in every way possible to contribute to the suppression of consumption in all of its forms.

The task set the committee is of a magnitude far greater than any one uninformed upon the subject can appreciate. The mortality for tuberculosis in Georgia is one out of every ten deaths. Before this tremendous fatality can be reduced the general public must be taught the chief facts about consumption, how to prevent it, how it is recognized in its earliest stage and that it is curable and not the hopeless condition that it has so long been thought to be.