"Whereas, to establish and to maintain the respectability of the medical profession in New-Orleans, and to vindicate its conventional rights; and to protect the public against imposition, are among the chief objects for which the Physico Medical Society has been revived.

Be it therefore resolved, that a committee of three be appointed to report on the case of Mary, the Seminole woman, described (in the True American of April 17th, 1838,) in an anonymous article under the caption of "Sight given to Born Blind," and the said committee be instructed to render a written report on the same, and on the influence of the profession of such publications in general."

A discussion then took place, in which Dr. Snowden confirmed the statement of facts made by Dr. Palmer. During the discussion a doubt was expressed as to Dr. Luzenberg's membership, and consequently as to his responsibility to the Society but this doubt was cleared away by the President who said he had been handed a letter of Dr. Luzenberg as a member of the Society, with a request to present it to the meeting then assembled. Thction was then put on Dr. Balmer's puso.mdal dorosokations, and carried in bla affirmative Doctors Palmar, Saeader and Campbell, appointed a commit

resolutions.

the preamble and

By referring to this letter printed below, and marked A, it will be seen that Dr. Luzenberg does not pretend to have been ignorant of the fact that he was a Member of the Society, although he subsequently set up that pretence in his card, and that he admits impliedly, that he had known of previous meetings of the Society, although he had only received an official summons to attend the meeting of the 19th May, the date of his letter. The question was then put on the Preamble and Resolutions of Dr. Palmer, and carried in the affirmative; and Drs. Palmer, Snowden and Campbell were appointed a Committee to report upon the aforesaid Preamble and Resolutions. The Committee withdrew to frame their report, and the Society took a recess. A short time after, the Committee returned with their report. The Society was called to order; Dr. Palmer read the report to the Society, and the question being put upon the adoption of the same, it was determined affirmatively.

Report of the Committee.

The undersigned, appointed by the Physico Medical Society to report on
the case of Mary, the Seminole woman, described in an article which was
printed in the True American, at New-Orleans, on the 17th day of April,
1838, and which, on the 26th day of the same month did appear in the
National Intelligencer at Washington, D. C., in the full and conscientious
discharge of the duty assigned to them, respectfully report: First, that said
Mary has been visited by the undersigned at the United States Military
Barracks, near New-Orleans, where, among other Seminole prisoners they
identified her to be the person designated in the article above referred to,
and therein said to have been "born blind," and that she speaks the English
language with facility, having conversed with the undersigned, to whom she
stated that during her childhood she had lived with a white family at Talla-
hassee. Second, that the disease, for the removal of which an operation had
been attempted, was a simple and incomplete cataract of both eyes, and that
this said Mary was not born blind, nor was she ever blind anterior to the
operation, having stated clearly and definitively that up to that period she
could distinguish objects, and see to cut and make her own and the garments
of her children; a dress nearly completed, which she said was the work of
her own hands, has been examined by the undersigned, who are fully con-
vinced that her sight had been comparatively 80000
good up to the time of the
operation; and that on the 5th of May, the case of the said Mary was
visited by a number of other Physicians of this City, who agreed "fully 'in
opinion with the undersigned, namely, that the operation had proved an entire
failure; the left eye being irrecoverably lost, the pupil of which, nearly
closed, exhibits through a small aperture the cataract undestroyed, and the
adhesions between the iris and the anterior capsula of the crystaline lens,
together with the remaining inflammation in the internal eye, leave no pro
mise of the benefit from any future attempt at an operation; and that the
vision of the right eye had been manifestly impaired by the operation.

Your Committee, in the further discharge of their duty, and in justice to the dignity of the Medical Profession, respectfully and conjointly represent, that inasmuch as the Medical Journals, and not the Newspapers, are the proper media of publication for all cases appertaining to the profession, the former being accessible to the medical philosopher, but to every pretender the latter; and this distinction, by public consent, being established, and inasmuch as Newspaper details of cases are detrimental to our science, and are calculated to rob it of public consideration, your Committee regret to have seen the respectable name of a regular Physician so often and improperly used by over-zealous or misguided friends. That to publish an operation so trivial, and so frequently performed, as the couching of common cataract, and under any circumstances to style it "proud achievement of surgery," at this advanced period of our science, underrates not only the standard of professional attainment among the Physicians of New-Orleans, but the intelligence even of its inhabitants. Whether Dr. Luzenberg did write, dictate, or has been in any manner accessory to the publication of the many Newspaper cases in which his name has from time to time appeared, your Committee do not assume the right to decide. But inasmuch as it was

an imperative duty, which he owed to himself and to the profession of which he is a regular member, to discountenance the abuse of his name, and thereby undeceive the public; any future declaration of his ignorance of their source, or that such pieces have been published without his sanction, cannot, in the opinion of your Committee, exculpate him from the charge of unprofessional deportment.

(Signed)

EUGENE PALMER,
G. W. CAMPBELL,
C. F. SNOWDEN,

Committee.

Dr. Hunt then called for the reading of Dr. Luzenberg's letter of resignation. The letter having been read, Dr. Hunt offered the following resolutions, which were adopted by the Society.

Resolved, That the report be considered as containing charges and accusations against the moral and professional conduct of Charles A. Luzenberg. That the letter of resignation of Dr. Luzenberg, tendered this evening, be not accepted, but laid on the table subject to the call of the Society.

The resolutions were supported on the ground, that the report contained charges affecting the professional and moral character of Dr. Luzenberg, and that it was due therefore to Dr. Luzenberg, and to the Society, that it should be at once brought to the view of Dr. Luzenberg, so that he might have a full opportunity of answering to the same, and receive, after a thorough investigation of all the facts of the case, an acquittal or condemnation from the Society; that the contemplated hearing could only be given by laying the letter of resignation on the table, and so allowing Dr. Luzenberg to appear before the Society, as a member, to vindicate his character. Dr. D. C. Ker concurred in the remarks made by Dr. Hunt. He said that some members had inquired whether the report contained charges or not? he thought that in the absence of all direct accusations, the fact of Dr. Luzenberg permitting the article published in the True. American to be promulgated without immediate contradiction on his part, he (Dr. L.) being at the same time aware that the statements in that publication were not true, was in itself, a serious charge of moral and professional misconduct; and in order that he might have an opportunity of excul

2

pating himself from the charges contained in the report, he (Dr. K.) would propose the following resolution, in addition to the resolutions offered by Dr. Hunt:

Resolved, That a copy of the report of the Committee, as well as of the proceedings relating thereto, be transmitted to Dr. Luzenberg, in conformity with Article 11 of the By-Laws.-See appendix.

The resolutions were unanimously adopted.

Pursuant to adjournment the Society met on Saturday the 2d June. The resolutions of the last meeting, in relation to Dr. Luzenberg, had been complied with. The President announced that he had received from Dr. Luzenberg, a communication with three accompanying documents, which the Secretary then proceeded to read, and which was as follows:

NEW-ORLEANS, June 2d, 1838.

To the President and Members of the Physico Medical Society. The report signed by G.. W. Campbell, &c., accompanying your proceedings of the 19th May last, was received on the 22d of the same month. The malicious intention of that report to injure my professional and moral character, requires not at this time a detailed refutation of all the falsehoods it contains.

In obedience to the respect I feel towards some of the members of the Physico Medical Society, I present to you through one of your members, (Dr. Osborn,) the testimony necessary to establish for the authors of that report, the character which no doubt has long since been merited by them.

I beg the documents may be read in my justification. I fully concur with Dr. Simons in his denounciation of the man or men who, without the consent of Dr. Simons, or mine, surreptitiously introduced themselves to a patient under our charge.

I state in addition, that the report is composed of a tissue of the most infamous falsehoods, unexampled in its atrocity, and unequalled in the history of the most debased.

C. A. LUZENBERG, M. D.

N. B. Drs. Labatut, Beugnot, De Valetti, Easton, Lindoe, Wiedeman, and Simons, were the only physicians present during the operation!

NEW-ORLEANS, May 30, 1838.

[Translation.]

We, the undersigned, Physicians of the Medical Faculty of Paris, certify: that we assisted Dr. Luzenberg in the performance of an operation on an Indian squaw. The patient was submitted to our examination before proceeding to the removal of two complete congenital cataracts, with which she was afflicted The presence of complete cataracts was unanimously and positively recognized by us, of a milky or soft consistency, producing abso

lute blindness, and requiring the performance of an operation as the only means of cure. We witnessed every step of the operation; and notwithstanding the extreme mobility of the eyes of the patient, which in our opinion seem to offer almost insurmountable difficulties to the immediate execution of the operation, it was accomplished with ability, and without any accident.

(Signed)

BEUGNOT, M. D.

C. DE VALETTI, M. D.
J. LABATUT, M. D.

NEW-ORLEANS, May 30, 1838,

We, the undersigned, Physicians, practising in the city of New-Orleans. visited the Seminole female operated upon by Dr. Luzenberg, of this city, on or about the 15th of April last.

On examination of the patient, we recognized the presence of complete congenital cataract in both eyes.

We also witnessed the performance of the operation, for the relief of the blindness produced by the opaque condition of the lens in both eyes; and unhesitatingly declare, that the operation alluded to and performed by Dr. Luzenberg was in every respect successful.

We have seen the patient since the operation, and noticed that by the process of absorption, the right eye was nearly free from any obstacle to vision. The left was labouring under inflamation, yet absorption of the broken lens was evidently going on.

We consider that vision in the right eye was enjoyed by the patient to as great an extent as was possible to be afforded, without the aid of cataract glasses.

(Signed)

ROBERT F. LINDOE, M. D.
R. B. EASTON, M. D. ·
EDMUND WIEDEMAN, M. D.

NEW BARRACKS,

Near New-Orleans, May 20th, 1838.

}

Dear Doctor: I feel bound in justice to furnish you with the particulars regarding the Seminole female you operated upon some weeks since, at the New Barracks, below the city of New-Orleans.

The operation for congenital cataract was performed on Mary, a Seminole woman, about thirty years of age, on or about the 15th April last, in my presence, and with the full consent of the patient, by Dr. Luzenberg, of this city.

The method (the cataracts being considered soft) adopted for the relief of the malady, was couching with Dupuytren's needle. Many difficulties presented themselves during the operation; both eyes were successively operated upon: notwithstanding these difficulties, the success of the operation in both eyes was perfect. Subsequent to the couching, inflammation to a high degree developed itself in both eyes. The usual remedies were had recourse to for the relief of the inflammation, but from the utter impossibility of confining the patient to diet, &c., opacity of the cornea of the left eye resulted; the right eye, however, was three days since entirely free from all inflammation, and with the exception of an exceedingly small portion of the capsule of the lens floating in the posterior chamber, in as satisfactory a condition as it is