100 years ago: Session 1905-06; Meeting VIII - The surgical treatment of Senile Hypertrophy of the Prostate

The Society met in the rooms of the Medical Club, 22 Carlton Place on Thursday 25th January 1906 at 9pm.

Sederunt
In the absence of the President, Dr T.K. Monro (Vice-President) took the chair and in all 16 gentlemen were present.

Minutes
The minutes of the last meeting were read and approved of.

Correspondence
Three letters were read. 1st from the Secretary of the Eastern Medical Society inviting members to be present at their dance on Feb 8th - In reply to this it was stated that the Smoking Concert of this Society fell on the same evening & therefore this invitation could not be accepted.
2nd from Dr Stockman (President) calling an extraordinary meeting of the Society for Thursday Feb 1st to hear a paper by Dr Mason. This was on the requisition of 3 members viz. Dr Richmond, T.K. Monro & R.W. Forrest.
3rd a letter from Mr W.B. Taylor representing Messers Burroughs Welcome & Co promising to give a display of their products on Feb 22nd.

New Members
On the motion of the Chairman the Standing orders were suspended and Dr Farquhar MacRae 256 Bath St was admitted a member.

Death of Dr Duncan McGilvray
The chairman then referred to the death of Dr Duncan McGilvray, a former president of this Society, and said that the Society had sustained a very great loss. He had been for long a prominent member of the Society and his connection with all the social functions of the Society and of the Medical Club were always of a most genial & generous nature. He also reported that at a special joint meeting of the Council of the Society and of the Committee of the Medical Club which was held on the 23rd January a deputation consisting of Dr T.K. Monro (vice president) with the Secretary & Treasurer had been appointed to attend the funeral as representatives of the Society. This was done by the deputation on the 24th January. It was then agreed that the President and Secretary be asked to communicate the sympathy felt by the Society to Dr McGilvray's mother.

Dr J.H. Nicoll's Paper
Dr James H. Nicoll then read a paper on:
"The surgical treatment of Senile Hypertrophy of the Prostate", and showed some instruments, pathological specimens, and lantern slides in illustration of his remarks. The paper was enlivened by a vigorously stated protest against the claims advanced by Mr Freyer of London that he had devised an original operation for enucleation of the prostate. At the Close of the paper Drs T.K. Monro, Richmond, Stewart, Peden, James Russell & J.P. Duncan took part in a short discussion mainly of a complimentary nature on the paper and a few questions were asked. Dr Nicoll then replied very briefly and was awarded hearty applause.

This was all the business.

Precis of Dr Nicoll's paper
He states that:
Senile hypertrophy is an adenoma or adeno-myoma & affects a large proportion of men over fifty, but only in a comparatively small number calls for treatment. The treatment is medicinal, mechanical or operative. Despite all that has recently been said by Freyer & others no new facts have been added to our knowledge of the treatment of senile prostate within the past decade.
But with a mortality of 5% still falling, prostatectomy is gradually relegating the catheter to the role of the truss in hernia, viz. the relief of inoperable cases.
So far as the technique of prostatectomy goes, the operation is an enucleation of the prostate from its capsule by use of the finger. This is the modern operation & is the same operation exactly at the present date as was in the early nineties.
Ralph Stockman.

Archive: Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow
Reference: GB 250 RCPSG 73/1/11 Minute Book No. 6