Herbert Thoms

The eventful chapters of contemporaneous medical history in Connecticut have not yet received the historian's scrutiny and are still only records scattered here and there in organization archives and miscellaneous correspondence. Many of us have been a part of these events and as participants are poorly qualified to place values on them. As in all history, one must await the developing vista of time to bring out the enduring landmarks. A view of them now, however, does identify some of the persons whose presence on this historic way will be permanently noted, and of this small company Herbert Thoms will surely be a member. Medical developments fall clearly into two areas. These are the scientific achievements, some laboratory and some clinical, and organizational progress which furthers and improves the relationship of physicians to each other and to their social environment. Connecticut has been always fortunate in that its conspicuous figures in medical science have also most frequently been leaders in its medical societies, and Dr. Thoms has been outstanding among those who have played this dual role. Another contributor to this volume will consider his part in the scientific world, while here will be set down with warm appreciation the many splendid things he has done for his colleagues and their professional organizations. It has long been customary in Connecticut for physicians to identify themselves with the medical societies in their communities and Dr. Thoms did this by becoming a member of the New Haven County Medical Association in 1915 soon after he took up his residence in New Haven. From the very beginning his spirit and interest were manifest in that Association and only two years after becoming a member he was elected its Clerk. The title Clerk in New Haven County is a pleasant survival of an old style; he is in fact the Secretary of the Association, but Herbert Thoms always insisted that he was the Clerk like his distinguished predecessors and nothing so commonplace as a Secretary. In those days the Clerk was elected for a term of five years and it was not until later, during the incumbency of Dr. Thoms' successor, that the term of office was changed from five years to one, in the belief that it was possible, perhaps with the changing times, to elect a person that the Association did not wish to retain in this important position for five years. This change was not suggested while Dr. Thoms was in office. During these years from 1917 to 1922 the Association