The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1878-09-07 00:00:00

PHYSICIANS' FEES.

The Times has opened its columns to a discussion of Phy-
sicians' Fees. "11. W.," in commencingthe correspondence,
writes to say that having an incurable complaint, he con-
sulted two physicians—one in the West-end of London, and
the other in the City—

The physician in the West (says "H. W.") on my
asking him "what I was indebted to him," told me
that "we have agreed to charge two guineas for a first
consultation." He of the City, on my asking him the
same question, quietly answered, "Two guineas." My
object in writing to you on the subject is that such a
change in prices should be generally known, and also to
suggest that the charge should be made after due warn-
ing, on a second consultation, so that patients may be
prepared to meet it. I have been a customer of an
eminent firm of batters for years, and now owe them
£1 ss. for a hat. Would not it be rather odd if a new
customer, after fitting on a hat of theirs, was calmly
told that the hatters had agreed among themselves to
charge a stranger £2 10s. for a first hat ?—I am, Sir,
yours obediently, H. W.

The above evoked several letters, from which we select
the following :

Sir,—l am glad to see that your correspondent
" H.W." is calling attention to the above subject. My
experience of it during the last spring may be of ser-
vice, especially to country patients.
A lady relative of mine last April, in town only for
a week, consulted a physician at his own house, and
went with her one guinea duly wrapped up as pay-
ment, but, nervously asking at the close of a ten
minutes' visit, which the doctor had gathered was
not likely to be repeated, what she was indebted,
she was informed that for a single visit—i.e., one
not to be followed by a second--he charged two
guineas. Hearing of this, I soon after oonsulted
two of our leading medical men, both members of
an English University, and was informed that, in their
opinion, no physician or consulting surgeon was justified
in receiving more than one guinea for an ordinary visit,
unless distinct notice had been given of double fees
being expected. In confirmation of the above, I will
only add that during the last forty years I have had
occasion, either for myself or members of my family,
to take the advice of the late Dr. Chambers (then at
the head of his profession), Sir Thomas Watson, Sir
George Burrows, Sir James Paget, and Mr. Prescott
Hewett, and on no occasion, whether at my own home
or their houses, have I ever paid more than one guinea.
—I am, Sir, your obedient servant, SEX.

Sir,—lf H. W." objects to paying two guineas for
a first consultation, let him go to Paris, where he will
have to pay two napoleons for the first consultation,
although the succeeding consultations (if any) will cost
him only one napoleon; or let him go to Vienna, where
physicians' fees are yet a little smaller, and where the
first consultation fee is not quite, although it is very
nearly, double the other fees.
- -

,
As to the hatter, he does not quite fit. He may
rightly charge double what he used to charge for a hat,
but not because it is a first hat. He might charge it
because money has become cheaper and hats relatively
dearer, or hats of sery superior make to the old ones
might have come into vogue.
Now, the fee of the physician in. Queen Anne's time
was a guinea, BO it ought to be more by this time, for
money is now much cheaper. But the fee is nat more.
it is the same as then for ordinary consultations. But
the advance of science and of medical art has now ren-
dered the first consultation an extraordinary one.
The physician of Queen Anne's time looked at the
tongue and felt the pulse. The physician of to-day
sounds your chest, performs an analysis, ascertains the
exact temperature of your system to the 1-50th part of
a degree of the thermometer. He takes your pulse
with a machine of the extremeat accuracy, and spends
an hour over you instead of a quarter of an hour, and
learns at the end of the hour about a hundred times
more about you than he could learn in a quarter of an
hour: If a guinea is the proper fee for a first consulta-
tion, the fee for other consultations should be half a
guinea.
Surely " such a change in prices" as doubling the
first fee is generally known. The controversy in The
Times some time ago mutt have affected a general ac-
quaintance with the fact, and "H. W's" letter of
to-day will do something towards it.

"H. W." complains of Leing taken unawares. Let
him occupy any physician he pleases with a first con-
sultation, let him object to the fee and offer to
hand back his prescriptions, I think he will find that
no physician will do otherwise than assent with a grave
politeness to his proposal. Is the fee to be always for
the second visit? That would lead to a wrong con-
ception of its imports; besides that, the patient often
does not come a second time to the same physician,
but, like "H. W.," prefers a frequent change.