Proceedings of the Fifty-Second Annual Meeting of the American Society for Clinical Investigation Held in Atlantic City, N

PROCEEDINGS OF THE FIFTY-SECOND ANNUAL MEETING OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR CLINICAL INVESTIGATION HELD IN ATLANTIC CITY, N. J., MAY 2, 1960 Robert W. Berliner J Clin Invest. 1960;39(6):966-1042. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI104118. Research Article Find the latest version: https://jci.me/104118/pdf PROCEEDINGS OF THE FIFTY-SECOND ANNUAL MEETING OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR CLINICAL INVESTIGATION HELD IN ATLANTIC CITY, N. J., MAY 2, 1960 PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS PROBLEMS OF THE SOCIETY, 1960 By ROBERT W. BERLINER It is one of the ancient and, to the victim, barbaric in some subspecialties, Sunday evening. In order to make customs of this rite of spring for the president to ad- this possible, the Federation gave up its Sunday afternoon dress the members of the Society on some aspect of the general meeting. It was also agreed that following a current scene in clinical investigation. The message is reasonable trial of this arrangement there would be a then recorded in the Journal of the Society where it is review to determine whether changes were indicated. available for posterity, or rather for later presidents in A possible expansion of the section meetings was to be search of suitable quotations pertinent to their own ad- subject to such a review. It was conceded, without com- dresses. I had thought that the subjects I plan to dis- mitment, that the Society might entertain the possibility cuss were of only immediate interest and too topical to that such expansion would replace part of its Monday have any significance beyond the next year or so. How- general scientific session. The time for such a review ever, a reading of the recently compiled history of the is at hand and I feel it appropriate to indicate to the Society indicates that these same subj ects have been members of the Society the possible factors upon which the center of discussion almost since the Society was or- our decision should be based. ganized. These two matters-the form of the meeting I believe it safe to say that the section meetings have and the criteria for the election of new members-again been highly successful. They have permitted the presen- demand the attention of the membership. The considera- tation of a considerable number of papers which, because tions that influence our attitudes on these questions to- of the limitations of time, could not have been included day may differ from those which have been debated in in the general programs of the two societies. More im- the past and from those which will determine the posi- portant, they have permitted the inclusion of a number tion of the Society in the future. Nevertheless, we must of excellent papers which, because they deal with tech- make decisions based on the current situation, recog- nical matters of a higlhly specialized nature, would be nizing that they will require continuous reconsideration inappropriate for a general audience, but are received and possible revision in the future. with interest and insight by workers in the same field. Since action on each of these matters is, at this time, Discussion is far less inhibited by the smaller audience required of the Council and the membership, it seems ap- and the much less overwhelming size of the meeting propriate that the presidential address be devoted to an halls and is encouraged by the greater community of attempt to clarify the issues involved. The time avail- interest and understanding. able for the transaction of business at our annual meet- As to the increase in the number of papers presented, ing is sufficiently limited to preclude much adherence to those submitted to the Society have fared somewhat the forms of democratic procedure. Nevertheless, the better both absolutely and relatively than those sub- officers of the Society act in the conviction that they mitted to the Federation. The section meetings have understand and represent the will of the majority of the permitted the presentation of more than twice as many members and, although the formal opportunities for the of the papers submitted to the Society: just under one members to make known their wishes are few, the in- of every three papers offered finds a place on one or an- formal occasions are many. It is in this spirit that I other program. Because of the sacrifice of part of its place before the Society my personal convictions on the general session, there is a smaller increase in the num- problems requiring decision. ber of papers accepted for the Federation program. In As you may know, three years ago the president ap- addition, because of a continuing rapid increase in the pointed a committee of the Council to meet with repre- number of abstracts submitted to the Federation, only sentatives of the Federation for Clinical Research to ar- one in every six or seven is actually presented. range for the conduct of section meetings on various It is always difficult to evaluate, from an abstract, the subspecialties of clinical investigation. The committee work which it represents, but it is my feeling and the was instructed to plan the meetings, in cooperation with considered opinion of the chairmen of the various sec- the Federation if possible but separately if necessary, and tion meetings, both this year and last, that, except for to arrange that the section meetings should not conflict two of the sections, the programs could not be appreciably with the general scientific program of the Society on expanded without reducing their present high level. Monday. Agreement was reached, and jointly spon- Since three of the sections now meet only in the after- sored meetings were set up for Sunday afternoon and, noon, additional programs could be fitted into the even- 966 AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR CLINICAL INVESTIGATION 967 ings by further subdivision of the more prolific special believe that it would adequately meet this problem. areas, but it must be conceded that the evening sessions It is true that there would be a sharp decrease in the are considerably less satisfactory than those in the candidates for election next year if all those over 40 afternoon. were dropped from consideration and their elimination This, then, is the background upon which a decision from consideration were on such an arbitrary basis that concerning the future of the section programs must be it could not be considered a reflection on them personally. based. I, personally, am opposed to their expansion. Of the 193 candidates for election this year, 86 would There is today, as there was when Dr. Meltzer delivered not be eligible for consideration next year solely on the the first presidential address to the Society, cause for basis of age. An additional 34 candidates from the concern about the science of clinical medicine. The group nominated in 1958 would either have been elected basis for this concern is, however, entirely different. The or dropped from consideration, bringing the total num- establishment of the science of clinical medicine as a ber carried over from this year to something under 73 branch distinct from its practice has long since been ac- and most likely around 50. If we could then anticipate complished. Today we find clinical investigation grown next year a number of new proposals not greater than the so massive that it has become subdivided into many average of recent years, the list to be considered would smaller branches, each of which has tended to fuse back be at its lowest level in the last ten years. However, I with the corresponding basic science, thus leading not doubt that this sitaution could last very long. An ex- only to a widening separation between the science and traordinarily large number of candidates was proposed practice of medicine, but also to an increasing indi- in 1958-so many, in fact, that even after reduction of vidualization of the specialized investigative areas. The the list by two previous elections there were still more growing complexity of technology as well as the snow- candidates up for election this year from those nominated balling accretion of information in each field makes it in 1958 than the totals proposed in either 1959 or 1960. virtually impossible for an individual to be expert in Furthermore, of the candidates proposed this year the more than one. Nevertheless, few of us can afford ig- unusually large number of 26, or 39 per cent, would not norance in fields outside our own, and a single day's be eligible next year under the proposed amendment, 18 exposure to a reasonable sampling of the better work in of these 26 being already past the age of 40. Thus the clinical investigation is all too inadequate. number who would be dropped this year is unusually large That only a minority of papers submitted finds a place in several respects. It seems clear that the membership, on the program is, perhaps, unfortunate, but so long as anticipating possible adoption of the amendment, has this fact does not discourage submission of excellent ma- proposed the names of a large number of candidates for terial for the program it should not be an important con- whom it might be the last chance. It seems virtually cer- sideration. There is, these days, no lack of opportunity tain, however, that in the future, in view of the limited for communication. The ease and speed of travel and period of eligibility, candidates will be proposed in equal the availability of funds to support it has led to such numbers but at an earlier age, when it may be even more a massive proliferation of meetings, conferences and difficult to evaluate their independent contributions.

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