| Description | Minutes of the Aberdeen Medical Society.
1811
29 October. Discourse: Hydracephalus, Mr. Urquhart (2 pages). Inserted into Thesaurus.
5 November. Discourse: on the blood. In the Materia Medica examination Mr. Cumming was questioned by Mr. Ligertwood on silver copper and iron. Query: 'What is the best treatment of phrenitis?'. 'As Dr. Skene had given notice to the Society that the members could no longer meet in his class it was agreed on the Presidents and Secretary should call on Professor Stewart to consult him on the subject at the same time that they should ask some of the College Class rooms to hold the weekly meetings in till some future step should be taken'.
12 November (held in Dr. Hamilton's classroom). Discourse: Catalepsy (1 page).
19 November. Discourse: Vision (1 page). Various honorary members were appointed at this meeting.
26 November ('...held in the Society's new hall Long-Acre'). Discourse: Ophthalmia (1 page).
3 December. Discourse: Asthma (1 page).
10 December. Discourse: 'Mr. Ligertwood delivered a discourse on Consumption...He gave Dr. Cullen's definition and divided the disease into two species viz incipient and confirmed...In the treatment he recommended the desertion of the remote causes in the incipient stages. In the inflammatory bloodletting along with the use of vegetable and milk diet, in the hectic paliative remedies as digitalis and in the typhus stage Balsam of Copaiva [or Copaiba] and other general stimulants'.
17 December.
24 December. The Secretary read Kerr on Cholera Morbus from the first volume of the Thesaurus.
31 December. Discourse: the practical duties of a physician [Thesaurus Volume 5].
1812
7 January.
14 January. Discourse: Variola (2 pages).
21 January. Discourse: Dyspepsia (1 page).
28 January. Discourse: Typhus (2 pages). 'In the treatment of this disease he recommended in the early stage gentle laxatives or emetics and good air...He said that much depended on the diet and frequent change of clothes. He said that bloodletting should never be recommended quoting a passage from Dr. Robertson in support of his assertion...'.
4 February. Election of Presidents.
11 February. Discourse: Dysentery (1 page). Proposed and agreed to that a law empowering the Society to enact bye-laws should be introduced.
18 February.
25 February.
3 March. Discourse: Diabetes Mellitus (3 pages). Mr. Urquhart read a short paper on the subject 'The best treatment of menorrhagia' and Mr. Findlay read a voluntary discourse on hydrocele (brief notes provided on both).
10 March.
17 March.
25 March. Mr. Brown read a dissertation on toothache (2 pages). 'For the cure of toothach [sic], Mr. Brown mentioned filing off, or burning of the diseased part, stuffing up any hole in the tooth, and extraction, which last he reckoned the [surest?] means'. An examination was conducted on the iliac arteries and their branches.
31 March.
7 April.
1812
7 April - Election of office-bearers.
9 April - Meeting held to discuss possibility of Society becoming a legal body.
14 April - Discourse: Phrenitis (2 pages). Discussion of query: 'In what way can we derive the greatest advantage from attending a course of lectures?' [There follows a report of the meeting held on the 11 April]
11 April - Meeting of honorary members Dr. Livingston, Dr. Moir and Professor Stuart and 'usual' ordinary members: 'It was then resolved that the best means for securing the property of the Society, would be to lodge it in the hands of Trustees; and for many reasons the corporation of the University of this place was thought to be the most proper for that office.'
[Also see minute of 18 April (page 72) which records that Dr. Livingston and Professor Stuart had laid this proposal before a meeting of the College where it was 'unanimously agreed to' (also notes meeting with Mr. Hutcheon, Advocate). The Trust Deed between the Society and the Professors of Marischal College, prepared by Mr. David Hutcheon, was examined by a committee on the 10 June 1812, the members agreeing to the alterations made by the Committee at the meeting held on 11 June. At the meeting held on the 27 June (p.117), a new copy of the Trust Deed was ordered to be written and the names of all the Honorary members resident in Aberdeen and all the ordinary members added to it.]
Other subjects discussed include: femoral hernia [from the Thesaurus] (2 June), rheumatism (23 June), piles (6 July), diarrhoea (21 July), dyspepsia (11 August), pneumonia (25 August), list of books agreed to be purchased (31 August), hysteria (7 September), noted that meetings now held in new hall in North Street (15 September 1812), gout (22 September), no regular meetings held for most of October due to anatomical demonstrations, paralysis (3 November), fever (10 November), cow pox (24 November), purgatives (1 December). |