A History and Biographical Cyclopaedia of Butler County, Ohio
Pages 197 - 199

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Butler County Medical Society

The first medical society of Butler County was organized January 1, 1836, Dr. Daniel MILLIKIN being president and Dr. J. FITHIAN vice-president. Dr. G. W. RIDDELL was secretary.

After a long interval, in which no meetings were held, the physicians of Hamilton and Rossville met in the office of Dr. FALCONER on the 26th of December, 1848, for the purpose of reorganizing. The constitution and by-laws were adopted and signed by Drs. D. MILLIKIN, L. RIGDON, J. HITTELL, C. FALCONER, W. H. SCOBEY, William HUBER, J. M. WILLIAMSON, S. BRADEN, L. J. SMITH, and S. MILLIKIN. The society was entitled the Hamilton Medical Society, and the following were made the officers: President, L. RIGDON; vice-president, J. HITTELL; secretary, S. BRADEN; treasurer, W. H. SCOBEY; librarian, L. J. SMITH; censors, C. FALCONER, A. CAMPBELL, and William HUBER.

At the next meeting, February 17, 1849, the names of Drs. A. CAMPBELL, William MILLER, George GRAHAM, George WYMAN, and C. W. PRATHER were added, and Dr. VANDERVEER was elected an honorary member. At this meeting the code of ethics of the National Medical Association was adopted as the code of the society, together with a fee-bill reported by Drs. FALCONER and S. MILLIKIN. The president read an inaugural address on the "Races of Men and their Geographical Distribution."

On the 3d of October, 1849, it was agreed to make the meetings quarterly instead of monthly. At the yearly meeting, held in January, 1850, David CHRISTY, of Oxford, was elected an honorary member, and the old offices were re-elected, with the exceptin that G. WYMAN took the place of J. HITTELL as vice-president; William HUBER as secretary, instead of S. BRADEN; and J. M. WILLIAMSON, J. G. MARSHALL, and S. MILLIKIN as censors, instead of C. FALCONER, A. CAMPBELL and William HUBER.

On the 3d of April Drs. FALCONER and MILLIKIN were appointed delegates to the National Medical Association.

January 1, 1851, Dr. RIGDON was re-elected president, and Dr. SCOBEY was elected vice-president. Dr. FALCONER was made treasurer. In September of that year Drs. HUBER, WYMAN, and MILLIKIN were appointed a committee to draft a petition to the Legislature, praying for the erection of two additional lunatic asylums, one to be located on the lake shore and the other at Hamilton, and at a subsequent meeting Dr. FALCONER was added. Drs. SCOBEY, HUBER, and RIGDON were appointed a committee to prepare a report on the influence of the dams in the Big Miami River on the health of the two towns. This was afterwards read.

At the meeting in July, 1853, resolutions were adopted by the society, looking for their security against persons who never paid. Members were requested to prepare lists of those who would not pay, and a list of incorrigible cases was to be left with the secretary. Transient people were to pay cash.

At this meeting a constitution was adopted, and ordered to be printed. It is there declared to be the Butler County Medical Socity, instead of an assemblage of the physicians of Hamilton and Rossville.

At the meeting in January, 1857, the following changes in the fee-bills were adopted: Fifty cents per mile in all cases where twenty-five cents had previously been charged; one dollar per hour for detention in the day-time, in lieu of fifty cents, and making the addition of fifty percent to the ordinary day charges for night-work imperative, instead of optional. The fee-bill, as amended, was for the first visit, with advice, $1.25; subsequent visits, $1; additional visits on the same day, fifty cents; medicines being included in these charges when only small amounts were given.

No meeting appears to have been held between January, 1861, and April, 1863.

In 1865 the society suffered a serious loss in the death of Dr. Laommi RIGDON, its president. Appropriate resolutions were passed, deploring the calamity, and reciting his virtues. At the next meeting Dr. J. A. COONS was elected president. In 1867 Dr. FALCONER was chosen to that office.

The society during these years seems to have done its duty in investigations of the county buildings, and in advice to the City Council of Hamilton respecting cholera, the yellow fever, malarious diseases, etc. One report was taken in high dudgeon by the directors of the infirmary.

In July, 1867, the society received an invitation from the Union Medical Society, inviting the Butler County Medical Society to meet with the societies of Preble County, Ohio, and Fayette and Union counties, Indiana, at Oxford, in October. This was accepted; and Drs. McNEELEY, SCOBEY, and DUDLEY were appointed to make all necessary arrangements. This meeting was held, and similar ones have continued down to the present time, with great advantage to the members.

Dr. COONS at the next meeting, introduced resolutions in which were set forth the gross incivility with which this society had been treated by the Ohio Medical Society, in defiance of its own rules and of all courtesy, and declaring that the Butler County Society was, therefore, obliged to withdraw, which were adopted. The State society afterwards reversed its plan of action, and the society again joined.

A called meeting in December, 1871, passed resolutions in honor of Dr. John W. GALE, who had died. In 1876 the meetings were changed from quarterly to monthly.

The following is a list of the presidents from the beginning:

1848. Laommi RIGDON 1874. William HUBER
1866. Israel A. COONS 1876. F. W. MAJOR
1867. Cyrus FALCONER 1877. Cyrus FALCONER
1869. W. W. CALDWELL    1878. H. SAUNDERS
1870. John CORSON 1879. James MACREADY
1871. W. H. SCOBEY 1880. R. C. HUSTON
1872. A. HANCOCK 1881. Dan MILLIKIN
1873. H. BEAUCHAMP 1882. T. A. DICKEY

Members of the Butler County Medical Society

1848. Laommi RIGDON, died May, 1865.

1848. Daniel MILLIKIN, died November, 1849.

1848. Cyrus FALCONER.

1848. William HUBER.

1849. William MILLER, removed.

1849. George WYMAN, removed.

1849. Thomas GRAHAM, expelled.

1849. Andrew CAMPBELL, dead.

1849. S. BRADEN, expelled.

1849. L. J. SMITH, removed,.

1849. C. W. PRATHER, removed.

1849. J. M. WILLIAMSON, removed.

1849. S. MILLIKIN, removed.

1849. William H. SCOBEY.

1849. J. G. MARSHALL, dead.

1850. W. T. GOING, removed.

1850. A. H. LANDIS, removed.

1851. A. B. NIXON, removed.

1851. Joseph RICHARDSON, removed.

1853. A. HANCOCK.

1853. John CORSON.

1853. C. G. GOODRICH, removed.

1853. S. Haubury SMITH.

1853. I. C. WOOLLEY, removed.

1853. Joseph BRADEN, removed.

1854. A. A. BARNETT, removed.

1854. R. L. RHEA, removed.

1854. F. D. MORRIS, died September 23, 1864

1854. A. B. LUSE, removed.

1855. H. BEAUCHAMP, dead.

1857. R. B. MILLIKIN, honorary member, dead.

1857. J. E. PATTERSON, removed.

1857. Mason HAINES.

1857. J. T. ELLSWORTH, removed.

1858. W. W. CALDWELL.

1858. R. P. LAMB, dead

1864. J. S. McNEELEY

1864. George W. GARVER, removed.

1864. Israel A. COONS, removed.

1864. John F. BROWN, expelled.

1864. J. B. OWSLEY.

1865. F. W. MAJOR, removed.

1865. John W. GALE, dead.

1865. Max SCHELLER, removed.

1865. B. K. MORRIS, expelled.

1865. Chris. FORSTER, expelled.

1866. J. B. McDILL, removed.

1866. A. B. LUSE, Jr., removed.

1866. B. W. DUDLEY, Jr., removed.

1866. J. MACREADY.

1866. W. E. SCOBEY, removed.

1867. S. E. HYNDMAN, removed.

1867. F. E. MORRIS, removed.

1868. H. A. BODMAN, removed.

1868;. R. C. HUSTON.

1868. H. D. HINCKLEY, removed.

1869. Edward L. HILL.

1869. Henry SAUNDERS, dead.

1869. J. C. PATHCELL, removed.

1869. S. S. BEELER.

1869. Alfred AYRES, dead.

1870. George F. THOMIN, removed.

1871. Anton SCHREIBENZUBER, removed.

1874. Jeremiah M. HUNT, removed.

1875. Dan MILLIKIN.

1876. Lee CORBIN, removed.

1876. G. F. COOK.

1876. H. B. STEVENS, removed.

1877. T. A. DICKEY.

1877. A. MYERS.

1877. Joseph IUTZI, removed.

1878. J. V. FITZPATRICK.

1878. John CASS.

1878. Charles C. HOOVER.

1878. R. E. PRYOR.

1879. George SILVER.

1879. George B. EVANS, removed.

1879. George C. SKINNER.

1880. C. A. L. REED.

1880. J. J. STRECKER.

1880. John G. REED, removed.

1881. A. N. ELLIS.

1881. C. H. VON KLEIN.

1882. R. C. S. REED.

Practicing Physicians in Butler County At Present

Hamilton. - C. FALCONER, W. HUBER, W. H. SCOBEY, W. W. CALDWELL, S. H. 
POTTER, J. S. McNEELEY, H. MALLORY, C. MARKT, John R. BROWN, S. D. BEELER, 
druggist; Dan MILLIKIN, A. MYERS, druggist; W. C. MILLER, druggist; John CASS, 
J. L. KIRKPATRICK, C. E. WALTON, J. B. SCOTT, T. B. TALBOT, G. C. SKINNER, J. J. 
STRECKER, C. A. L. REED, A. N. ELLIS, C. H. VON KLEIN, C. S. VIGUS.

Bethany. - Rush EARLY, M. H. HOUSWORTH.

Blue Ball. - A. W. ILER.

College Corner. - George R. CHITWOOD, A. D. HAWLEY, John McCHRISTIE, J. F. 
McCLEAN, H. F. GARVER.

Collinsville. - George SILVER.

Jones Station. - R. C. S. REED

Darrtown. - Richard APPLEGATE, --TWITCHELL.

McGonigle's Station. - James ROLL

Middletown. - John CORSON, T. A. DICKEY, John T. SUTPHIN, Thomas REED, S. R. 
EVANS, George EVANS, S. L. STEWART, A. WANNEWICH.

Millville. - W. B. HAIR, A. HANCOCK, W. D. HANCOCK.

Monroe. - James MACREADY.

Oxford. - R. C. HUSTON, E. L. HILL, H. V. HINCKLEY, H. M. LAGES, H. SANDERS, 
James SANDERS, J. N. BRADY, J. B. PORTER.

Ross Post-Office. - S. K. HOMER, Chas. E. HOOVER.

Jacksonburn. - J. B. OWSLEY.

Seven-Mile. - M. HAINES, R. E. PRYOR.

Princeton. - W. V. SHAEFER.

Somerville. - G. F. COOK.

Trenton. - O. M. CORSON, A. ECKERT, J. HUNT.

Reily. - J. R. ROBINSON, James BELL, -- BERGER.

Symmes's Corners. - Elbert ARMSTRONG

Westchester. - A. S. STEVENS, Jno. REED, P. BISHOP.