More than 850 physicians from all parts of New England crowded into Sanders Theatre yesterday and will return there again today to sit at the turn there again today to sit at the feet of the nation's leading medical men and learn what has been going on in medicine during the past year or more.

Although it has been tried with success in such centers as Kansas City and Philadelphia, the New England Postgraduate Assembly is the first of its kind in this area, and the fact that attendance was double that expected is said by many doctors to insure continuance of the project.

Dr. Frank R. Ober, Assistant Dean of the Medical School, heads the committee in charge of the gathering, which is being held under the auspices of the Massachusetts Medical Association, and six other Harvard medical men are members of the committee. Dr. Ober presided at the morning session yesterday and Dr. George M. Minot, professor of Medicine, over the afternoon session, no Medical School men were among the 12 speakers, who included two professors from Yale, Columbia and Johns Hopkins.

Dr. Warren F. Draper, assistant surgeon-general, United States Public Health Service, addressed the doctors as they dined in Memorial Hall last night. The outstanding speaker at today's session will be Dr. Perrin H. Long of Johns Hopkins, who will speak at 3:30 o'clock on the adoption of sulfanilamide for the treatment of bacteria infections.